Andrew Sachs, who played the beloved character Manuel in Fawlty Towers, has passed away aged 86 – family members have confirmed.
The German-born star was best known for his role as the Spanish hotel waiter at Fawlty Towers, the fictional hotel on the English Riviera.
Under the instruction of John Cleese’s character, Basil Fawlty, Manuel struggled with the English language, a bad manager and a severe lack of common sense, but became one of the most iconic comedy characters in British television.
Touchingly, Sachs’ wife of 56 years, Melody, cared for him until the very end, telling The Daily Mail: “We were happy, we were always laughing, we never had a dull moment.”
Andrew was diagnosed with dementia in 2012, but continued to work for two years until his memory became too poor.
The ‘world’s worst waiter,’ Manuel, by Andrew Sachs
But somewhat luckily for the actor, his wife says his illness didn’t really take its toll “until quite near the end.”
Andrew, who came to Britain in 1938 after escaping Nazi persecution, helped confirm Fawlty Towers as one of the country’s best-loved comedies.
In 2008, just a few years before his diagnosis, Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross got into hot water after leaving lewd messages on the actor’s answering machine, telling him that brand had sex with his granddaughter.
The messages were broadcast on BBC Radio 2, and as such the Controller of the channel and Brand resigned. Ross was suspended without pay for 12 weeks.
The BBC was also fined $300,000 by broadcasting standards agency Ofcom, with then UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling it “clearly inappropriate and unacceptable.”
His former co-star John Cleese paid tribute to his friend on Twitter, writing: “A very sweet and kind man and a truly great farceur.”
“I could not have found a better Manuel. Inspired.”
The star was asked to write a forward in Andrew Sach’s autobiography (published in 2014), in which he wrote fondly of his colleague.
“Let me explain something,” wrote Cleese.
“If you met Andy socially it would never occur to you for one moment that he was an actor. You would guess he was a senior civil servant, or a physician, or an academic, or perhaps a research scientist.
“He is quiet, thoughtful, beautifully mannered, well informed, observant and extremely kind. But once you put that moustache on him ..Ole! Manuel Appears, as if from nowhere.
“I salute you, Andy, You created one of the great comic characters.”
Andrew later told John that his tribute almost moved him to tears, something that Cleese reiterated upon hearing of his death.
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