Kenneth MacDonald (20 November 1950 – 6 August 2001) was an English actor who was best known for the parts of Gunner Nobby Clark in It Ain't Half Hot Mum and Mike Fisher in Only Fools and Horses.
Early life MacDonald was born in Manchester, the son of Scottish heavyweight wrestling champion Bill MacDonald, who died of kidney failure at the age of 43 when Kenneth was 13.
He attended Xaverian College preparatory school in Fallowfield, Manchester, St Anthony's preparatory school in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire, and went on to St Bernardine's Franciscan College in Buckingham, where he took part in school productions, notably The Business of Good Government, in which he played Herod, and Arsenic and Old Lace. Ken left school at eighteen to help support his mother Emily. He took a job at a Kellogg's cornflakes factory. During night shifts he would perform Hamlet and other Shakespeare plays that he had learned at school, earning the nickname "Hamlet".
Career MacDonald's first television role was as Red Whiskers in the Television film Billy Budd in 1966. MacDonald would not act professionally for another six years before playing Benny in an episode of Softly, Softly in 1972.He moved to London in 1972 and joined the National Youth Theatre. He appeared in a 1977 episode of Dad's Army.
MacDonald featured regularly in the BBC sitcom It Ain't Half Hot Mum, running from 3 January 1974 to 3 September 1981. It was set in the jungles of Burma and India during the Second World War and MacDonald played the character Gunner "Nobby" Clark, a member of a Royal Artillery Concert Party.
In 1975, he made a guest appearance in series 2, episode 1, of Last of the Summer Wine.
When he landed the part of pub landlord Mike Fisher in the Only Fools and Horses episode "Who's a Pretty Boy?" in 1983, it was initially believed to be a one-episode role. However, the character became a series regular, appearing until Christmas 1996. Also in 1996 he played Inspector Jennings in Heartbeat series 6 episode 16.
MacDonald also appeared in the Granada Television Rentals television adverts of the late 1970s and made a cameo appearance in one episode of Goodnight Sweetheart, playing Mr Jones alongside his Only Fools and Horses co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst. He also appeared in an episode of The Thin Blue Line as a club owner. In 1996 he played DI McCluskey in Crocodile Shoes II alongside Jimmy Nail. In 1992, MacDonald had a brief appearance on the Channel 4 soap Brookside as George Webb, a racist owner of a petrol station.
His last role to air before his death was as a Minder in a 2001 episode of Time Gentlemen Please.
Posthumous releases Seven days after his death, MacDonald's guest appearance on BBC television drama Merseybeat was aired, with the episode dedicated to his memory. His last film role, as Pete in the film Dream, was first released to theatres on 26 August. His character Mike in Only Fools and Horses was not killed off; when the programme was revived for three episodes from 2001, after MacDonald's death, Mike was imprisoned for trying to embezzle money from the brewery. The last of his roles to be aired was as Stephen Pearce in an episode of The Last Detective aired in 2003.
Personal life MacDonald met his wife Sheila while he was appearing in panto in Crewe in 1976. She was the costume designer at the time. They had two children, Charlotte and William, who were fourteen and fifteen at the time of his death.
Death MacDonald died suddenly on 6 August 2001 at the age of 50 after suffering from a heart attack while on holiday with his family in Hawaii to celebrate the birthdays of his wife and daughter. He was buried in a private family-only funeral on 16 August 2001 in Section Z, Grave 140 at Teddington Cemetery, Teddington, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Only Fools and Horses star David Jason said of MacDonald's death: "It is like losing a member of the family, because he was one of the warmest, kindest people that I have had the good fortune to meet."
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes1980 Breaking Glass Security Man1984 Laughterhouse Peter Armitage 1997 My Night with Reg Benny 2001 Dream Pete; Posthumous release
Television Year Title Role Notes1966 Billy Budd Red WhiskersTV movie1972 Softly, Softly: Task Force BennyEpisode: "Execution"1973 Coronation Street Mr. Worsley2 episodes Z-Cars Len FordhamEpisode: "Routine"1974Oh No It's Selwyn FroggittBuzzEpisode: "Oh No- It's Selwyn Froggit"Upstairs, DownstairsSoldierEpisode: "If You Were the Only Girl in the World"1974–1981It Ain't Half Hot MumGunner 'Nobby' Clark56 episodes1975Last of the Summer WineMechanicEpisode: "Forked Lightning"1975–1981Play for TodaySchool Teacher / John2 episodes1977Dad's ArmyThe Army SergeantEpisode: "Number Engaged"1977–1979The Dick Emery Show3 episodes1978Come Back Mrs. NoahSpace HenVoice; Episode: "In Orbit"1979The Famous FivePoliceman2 episodes1980–1981BBC2 PlayhouseAlbie Warren / Bar Steward2 episodes1983The All Electric Amusement ArcadeCllr. HoganEpisode: "Episode #1.4"Farmers ArmsAlvinTV movieCannon and BallShip Crew MemberEpisode: "Episode #5.3"1983–1996Only Fools and HorsesMike Fisher30 episodes1984TenkoCorporalEpisode: "Episode #3.7"1985Shine on Harvey MoonSpiv 1Episode: "Love Is Blind"Silas MarnerBryceTV movie1987One by OneSergeant BarnesEpisode: "Remember the Humble Guinea-Pig"1987–1990BoonArthur Dixon / Moses Wilson2 episodes1988Brush StrokesRegEpisode: "Episode #3.4"1990ChainHickmanEpisode: "Lennox"1991About FaceCustoms SupervisorEpisode: "Monkey Business"1992Press GangMarvin BixbyEpisode: "Love and War"Surgical SpiritCliffordEpisode: "The Fence"BrooksideGeorge Webb24 episodes1994Capital LivesGovernorEpisode: "Joan"Zig & Zag: Entertainment CopsMike FisherTV Movie1996And the Beat Goes OnLance Corporal PeckEpisode: "Episode #1.7"No BananasForemanEpisode: "Dunkirk"Crocodile Shoes IID.I. McClusky4 episodesHeartbeatInspector JenningsEpisode: "Old Friends"The Thin Blue LineNightclub ManagerEpisode: "The Green Eyed Monster"1997The BillGraham FrancisEpisode: "A Policeman's Lot"PerformanceBennyEpisode: "My Night with Reg"Touching EvilCyril4 episodes1998The Vanishing ManPolice OfficerEpisode: "Out on a Limb"A Rather English MarriageBarmanTV movie1999Goodnight SweetheartMr. JonesEpisode: "Something Fishie"David CopperfieldLittimerEpisode: "Episode #1.2"2000The Mrs Bradley MysteriesAlf WolstenholmEpisode: "Laurels Are Poison"The Peter PrincipleIan KopasEpisode: "Greyhound Day"Cor, Blimey!EddieTV MovieHeartburn HotelO'HareEpisode: "Siege"; credited as Kenneth MacdonaldThe SinsOy7 episodes2001Time Gentlemen PleaseMs. Jackson's MinderEpisode: "All the World's a Stag"; last role shown while still aliveMerseybeatRob EliotEpisode: "Dead Time"; Posthumous releasePeak PracticeNeil JonesEpisode: "Unhappy Will / Claire's Revenge"; Posthumous release2003The Last DetectiveStephen PearceEpisode: "Pilot"; Posthumous release
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