John Challis

About John Challis

Who is it?: Actor, Writer, Soundtrack
Birth Day: August 16, 1942
Birth Place:  Bristol, England, United Kingdom
Birth Sign: Virgo
Residence: Hereford, Herefordshire
Occupation: Actor
Years active: 1964–present
Spouse(s): Jean Challis (1964–1966) (divorced) Debbie Arnold (1981–1985) (divorced) Sabina Franklyn (1987–1988) (divorced) Carol Davies (1993–present)

John Challis Net Worth

John Challis was born on August 16, 1942 in  Bristol, England, United Kingdom, is Actor, Writer, Soundtrack. John Challis is an accomplished character actor, personality and raconteur whose wide-ranging career has gone from classical roles on the stage to heavies in television drama, a multitude of policemen, sitcom stardom, pantomime performances and even a one-man show.He wanted to act from a young age but was encouraged to get a "proper" job, so he worked as a trainee estate agent for a short time. He also had a job delivering groceries. He got into acting through a travelling children's theatre and never attended drama school. Performances in regional repertory theatre followed. He ended up in the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1960s and made his television debut in The Newcomers (1965). His imposing physical stature helped him gain roles as police officers in Softly Softly (1966) and Crown Court (1972). He was also cast in a recurring role in the BBC's long-running police drama Z Cars (1962) as Sergeant Culshaw. He then played heavies in The Sweeney (1975) and Doctor Who (1963) (both for director Douglas Camfield, who would also later cast him in Beau Geste (1982)).He worked with David Jason for the first time in the sitcom Open All Hours (1973). In 1980, he landed a guest role (as another policeman) in Citizen Smith (1977). His performance impressed the writer, John Sullivan, so much that he promised he would find another part for him. This led to him being cast as Boycie, the second-hand car salesman, in the first series of Only Fools and Horses.... (1981). It would go on to become one of the longest-running and most popular sitcoms of all time and Challis would be a regular in it. In 2005, Challis began starring in a spin-off, The Green Green Grass (2005). In 2011, he released his autobiography, "Being Boycie", which was followed by "Boycie & Beyond" in 2012. These led to Challis entertaining audiences by touring a one-man show, "Only Fools and Boycie".
John Challis is a member of Actor

💰 Net worth: Under Review

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Biography/Timeline

1969

An only child, Challis was born in Bristol but brought up in South East London. His father James Alec, from Sheffield, was a Civil Servant. Challis attended the state boarding Ottershaw School near Woking, Surrey. Upon leaving school he worked as a trainee estate agent before becoming a professional actor. An early television role, in 1969, was in the controversial gangster drama Big Breadwinner Hog, and between 1971 and 1975 he made regular appearances in Z-Cars as Sergeant Culshaw.

1973

Challis appeared on the Channel 4 mockumentary television programme Brass Eye, where he was tricked into believing Clive Anderson had been shot by Noel Edmonds. On BBC radio, he played an interrogator in the play Rules of Asylum by James Follett, broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 1973. He also played Dibden Purlew in Getting Nowhere Fast from 2001 to 2004.

1993

Challis is currently married to his fourth wife Carol. They married in 1993 and live in the former grange house of Wigmore Abbey, Wigmore, Herefordshire. Challis has no children.

2005

The outdoor scenes of The Green Green Grass were filmed at his then home, surrounding fields and local villages. Four series were broadcast by BBC One from 2005–2009. In the 2008 series of Last of the Summer Wine he guest-starred as a fake jewel thief, trying to impress the ladies.

2011

Challis has had a number of stage roles. He starred in pantomime at the Plaza Theatre in Stockport as Captain Hook in Peter Pan. He also appeared in pantomime at Weston Playhouse in winter 2011–12 playing Ebenezer in Aladdin and as King Rat in Dick Whittington at the Plaza Theatre in Stockport over Christmas 2013 and New Year 2014. In 2006 he took a cameo role in BBC's The Impressionists as Station Master Garre Saint Lézasr. He appeared alongside Christmas enthusiasts Paul Toole and Chris Elliott in the Channel 4 documentary King Of Christmas Lights, which aired on 19 December 2011, switching on the Christmas Lights at Manning Close in Wells, Somerset, on 30 November. He also flicked the switch in Weston Super Mare on 1 December 2011. In 2013 Challis occasionally contributed to the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Live Tour as the narrator.

2012

Challis has written two volumes of autobiography, Being Boycie and Boycie & Beyond. From April 2012 he embarked on a book tour to promote Being Boycie, starting at Waterstones in Uxbridge, and the same year became the narrator of the National Geographic Channel series Strippers: Cars for Cash.

2014

In 2014, Challis began a theatre tour of his one-man show titled Only Fools and Boycie, which charted his life before, during and after his time as 'Boycie'.

2016

On 19 February 2016 Challis was cast in the role of Captain Peacock taking over the role originally played by the late Frank Thornton in a remake of Are You Being Served? The episode aired on BBC in August 2016.