John Challis
{{Short description|English actor (1942–2021)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Challis
| image = John Challis at Shrewsbury 2013 (cropped).jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Challis in 2013
| birth_name = John Spurley Challis
| birth_date = {{birth date|1942|8|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = Clifton, Bristol, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2021|09|17|1942|8|16|df=y}}
| death_place = England
| education = Ottershaw School
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1964–2021
| spouse = {{ubl|{{marriage|Jean Robertson|1966|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Debbie Arnold|1981|1985|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Sabina Franklyn|1987|1988|end=divorced}}|{{marriage|Carol Davies|1995}}}}
}}
John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 17 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003) and its sequel/spin-off The Green Green Grass (2005–2009), as well as Monty Staines from the seventh series onwards in the ITV sitcom Benidorm (2015–2018). Challis was an established stage actor, making appearances for companies including the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.
Early life
John Spurley Challis was born on 16 August 1942 at St Andrews Nursing HomeBath Weekly Chronicle and Herald 22 August 1942, Sat · Page 11 Clifton, Bristol, England. An only child,{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/sep/20/john-challis-obituary|title=John Challis obituary|last=Hadoke|first=Toby|date=20 September 2021|work=The Guardian|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920154037/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/sep/20/john-challis-obituary|url-status=live}} his family moved to southeast London when he was a year old.Being Boycie (2011) – p 9 He grew up in Epsom, after the family moved to Tadworth in Surrey.{{Cite web|url=https://www.zani.co.uk/film-tv/item/3268-john-challis-aka-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-talks-to-zani|title=John Challis AKA Boycie from Only Fools and Horses talks to ZANI|first=Matteo|last=Sedazzari|website=zani.co.uk|access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212012/https://www.zani.co.uk/film-tv/item/3268-john-challis-aka-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-talks-to-zani|url-status=live}} Challis attended the state boarding Ottershaw School near Woking, Surrey.{{Cite web|url=https://www.osobs.com/about-us/notable-old-boys|title=Notable Old Boys | Ottershaw School Old Boys' Society|website=Ottershaw School Old Boys' Society|access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920213121/https://www.osobs.com/about-us/notable-old-boys|url-status=live}} His father, Alec, was a civil servant at the Admiralty; his mother, Joan (née Harden), was a drama teacher and keen participant in amateur dramatics.
After leaving school, he worked as a trainee estate agent,{{Cite web |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-challis-death-only-fools-horses-cancer-b1922884.html |first=Jacob |last=Stolworthy |title=Only Fools and Horses star John Challis has died |date=19 September 2021 |website=The Independent |access-date=19 September 2021 |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920211744/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/john-challis-death-only-fools-horses-cancer-b1922884.html |url-status=live }} before he "ran away with the Argyle Theatre for Youth".{{Cite web|url=http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jul/08/john-challis-boycie-the-rolling-stones-rhythm-section-were-big-fans-of-only-fools-and-horses|title=John Challis: 'The Rolling Stones rhythm section were big fans of Only Fools and Horses'|date=8 July 2021|website=The Guardian|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921101341/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2021/jul/08/john-challis-boycie-the-rolling-stones-rhythm-section-were-big-fans-of-only-fools-and-horses|url-status=live}}
Career
=Television and radio=
At the outset of his television career, the {{convert|6|ft|1|in|m}} tall Challis was often typecast in authority roles. His first television role was in the BBC soap opera The Newcomers in 1967. Another early television role, also in 1967 was as a thief who stole Ena Sharples' handbag in Coronation Street; he would later have a recurring role in the series as Detective Sergeant Norman Phillips from 1975 to 1977. 1969 he played in the gangster drama Big Breadwinner Hog, and between 1971 and 1975 Challis made regular appearances in Z-Cars as Sergeant Culshaw.{{cite book |last=Challis |first=John |date=2011 |title=Being Boycie |publisher=Wigmore Books Ltd |pages=250 |isbn=978-0956906106 }} In 1971, he played the part of photographer Jim Wright in the highly popular tv soap Crossroads.
The sitcom Bloomers (1979), starring Richard Beckinsale, was written about Challis's experience working at a garden centre while taking a break from acting.{{cite book|title=Being Boycie|first=John|last=Challis|isbn=978-0956906106|publisher=Wigmore|year=2011}}
A role in the John Sullivan sitcom Citizen Smith led to Challis being cast as Herman Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in Only Fools and Horses (1981—2003), which became his best-known role.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58617283 | title=John Challis and Boycie – how one of TV's greatest comedy characters was born | work=BBC News | first=Ian | last=Youngs | date=19 September 2021 | access-date=20 September 2021 | archive-date=19 September 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919214714/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58617283 | url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/weekend/john-challis-after-three-failed-marriages-i-was-resigned-to-being-single-but-meeting-carol-was-a-turning-point-she-believed-in-me-and-grounded-me-38933122.html |title=John Challis: 'After three failed marriages I was resigned to being single, but meeting Carol was a turning point, she believed in me and grounded me' |quote=John Challis is happy to accept he'll always be best known for playing Only Fools And Horses' cigar-chomping wide boy Boycie |first=Gabrielle |last=Fagan |website=Belfast Telegraph |date=8 February 2020 |access-date=20 September 2020 |archive-date=12 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210912102232/https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/life/weekend/john-challis-after-three-failed-marriages-i-was-resigned-to-being-single-but-meeting-carol-was-a-turning-point-she-believed-in-me-and-grounded-me-38933122.html |url-status=live }} Sullivan also created a spin-off for Challis, The Green Green Grass (2005—2009).{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/greengreengrass/ | title= The Green Green Grass | publisher= BBC | access-date= 29 May 2020 | archive-date= 8 January 2020 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200108094438/http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/greengreengrass/ | url-status= live }} The outdoor scenes of The Green Green Grass were filmed at his then-home at Wigmore Abbey, surrounding fields and local villages.{{cite news |last=Tucker |first=Jake |title=15 Minutes with… John Challis |url=https://www.one-mag.co.uk/15-minutes-with-john-challis/ |access-date=19 September 2021 |work=One Magazine |date=4 April 2018 |archive-date=28 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928060809/https://www.one-mag.co.uk/15-minutes-with-john-challis/ |url-status=live }}
File:John Tandy November 2013 (cropped).jpg]]
His other television appearances include Dixon of Dock Green, Thriller, The Sweeney, Doctor Who (The Seeds of Doom), Dracula, Beau Geste, Juliet Bravo, Bloomers, Ever Decreasing Circles, Doctor Snuggles, Chance in a Million, The Bill, One Foot in the Grave, Open All Hours, The New Statesman, Don't Wait Up, Soldier Soldier, Brass Eye, My Family, In Sickness and in Health, Benidorm, the end of which he felt spelt the end of his television career,{{Cite web |date=5 April 2020 |title=John Challis Interviewed By Alex Wiseman |url=https://www.icenimagazine.co.uk/john-challis-interviewed-by-alex-wiseman/ |access-date=11 July 2023 |website=Iceni Magazine |language=en-GB}} and Heartbeat.{{cite web
|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-19/john-challis-a-look-back-on-the-career-of-beloved-only-fools-and-horses-actor
|title=John Challis: Career highlights of Only Fools And Horses star remembered as a 'wonderful actor'
|date=19 September 2021
|work=ITV News
|publisher=ITV Consumer Limited
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=22 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210922200551/https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-19/john-challis-a-look-back-on-the-career-of-beloved-only-fools-and-horses-actor
|url-status=live
}} During his appearance in a 1997 Channel 4 mockumentary Brass Eye television episode "Decline", he was tricked into believing Clive Anderson had been shot by Noel Edmonds.{{cite web
|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_challis
|title=John Challis
|work=Rotten Tomatoes
|publisher=Fandango
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924083037/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/john_challis
|url-status=live
|url=https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/decline/umc.cmc.2l9njh9xmwh15vsshzcd9c77m?showId=umc.cmc.4vtmfjpxkm5289dj8ehmct6j7
|title=Brass Eye, Season 1, Episode 6:mDecline
|year=2021
|publisher=AppleTV
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924085502/https://tv.apple.com/gb/episode/decline/umc.cmc.2l9njh9xmwh15vsshzcd9c77m?showId=umc.cmc.4vtmfjpxkm5289dj8ehmct6j7
|url-status=live
}} In 2006 he took a cameo role in BBC's The Impressionists as the stationmaster at the Gare Saint Lazare.{{cite web
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/03_march/30/impressionists_synopsis.shtml
|title=The Impressionists
|date=30 March 2006
|publisher=BBC
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924080554/https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/03_march/30/impressionists_synopsis.shtml
|url-status=live
}} In the 2008 episode "Is Jeremy Quite Safe?" of Last of the Summer Wine he guest-starred as a retired jewel thief with fanciful stories of his past exploits in the South of France.{{cite web
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00drx67
|title=Last of the Summer Wine
|year=2021
|publisher=BBC
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924072836/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00drx67
|url-status=live
}} In 2012, he narrated the National Geographic Channel series Strippers: Cars for Cash.{{Cite web|url=https://www.natgeotv.com/za/strippers-cars-for-cash/competition|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918061251/https://www.natgeotv.com/za/strippers-cars-for-cash/competition|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 September 2023|title=Strippers: Cars For Cash – National Geographic Channel – Sub-Saharan Africa|website=natgeotv.com}}
On BBC radio, he played an interrogator in the play Rules of Asylum by James Follett, broadcast by BBC Radio 4 in 1973.{{cite web
|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k17k
|title=James Follett – Rules of Asylum
|year=2021
|work=BBC Radio 4 Extra
|publisher=BBC
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924074153/https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007k17k
|url-status=live
}} He also played Dibden Purlew in Getting Nowhere Fast from 2001 to 2004.{{cite web
|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/radio-programme/m6jdc/getting-nowhere-fast-season-3/?episode=dvw54p
|title=Getting Nowhere Fast – Season 3
|year=2021
|work=Radio Times
|publisher=Immediate Media Company Ltd.
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924074930/https://www.radiotimes.com/radio-programme/m6jdc/getting-nowhere-fast-season-3/?episode=dvw54p
|url-status=live
}}
He became an honorary citizen of Serbia, where Only Fools and Horses remains popular. In 2020, Challis made the documentary Boycie in Belgrade, exploring why the show was so beloved in Serbia.{{cite news|title=John Challis: Why Serbians have soft spot for late Only Fools actor|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58630500|accessdate=28 September 2021|work=Guy De Launey|date=20 September 2021|language=English}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.boycieinbelgrade.com/|title=Boycie in Belgrade|access-date=22 September 2021|archive-date=16 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210716210815/https://www.boycieinbelgrade.com/|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/19/only-fools-and-horses-actor-john-challis-boycie-dies-aged-79|title=Only Fools And Horses actor John Challis dies aged 79|agency=PA Media|date=19 September 2021|website=The Guardian|access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=19 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919211818/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2021/sep/19/only-fools-and-horses-actor-john-challis-boycie-dies-aged-79|url-status=live}}
=Theatre=
Challis performed many stage roles, including with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1960s and the National Theatre.{{cite web | url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/music/2019/09/28/its-been-a-remarkable-career-john-challis-talks-only-fools-and-horses-beatles-encounters-and-his-upcoming-tour-ahead-of-midlands-and-shropshire-show/ | title='It's been a remarkable career': John Challis talks Only Fools and Horses, Beatles encounters, and his upcoming tour | work=Shropshire Star | first=Andy | last=Richardson | date=28 September 2019 | access-date=1 May 2021 | archive-date=1 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501055633/https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/music/2019/09/28/its-been-a-remarkable-career-john-challis-talks-only-fools-and-horses-beatles-encounters-and-his-upcoming-tour-ahead-of-midlands-and-shropshire-show/ | url-status=live }} His first performance in London's West End was in Portrait of a Queen in 1965 at the Vaudeville Theatre.{{cite web | url=https://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/leisure/film_tv/11590996.laura-enfield-catches-up-with-john-challis-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-ahead-of-his-appearance-at-the-abbey-theatre-in-st-albans/ | title=Laura Enfield catches up with John Challis – Boycie from Only Fools and Horses – ahead of his appearance at the Abbey Theatre in St Albans | work=St Albans Review | first=Laura | last=Enfield | date=10 November 2014 | access-date=1 May 2021 | archive-date=1 May 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210501062129/https://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/leisure/film_tv/11590996.laura-enfield-catches-up-with-john-challis-boycie-from-only-fools-and-horses-ahead-of-his-appearance-at-the-abbey-theatre-in-st-albans/ | url-status=live }} In 1977 he played a leading role at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond, in Sam Walters' production of Václav Havel's play The Memorandum.{{cite web
|url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/john-challis
|title=John Challis
|last=Smurthwaite
|first=Nick
|date=20 September 2021
|work=The Stage
|publisher=The Stage Media Company Limited
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924051021/https://www.thestage.co.uk/obituaries--archive/obituaries/john-challis
|url-status=live
}}
In 1979 he toured the US with Tom Stoppard's play Cahoot's Macbeth.
His work at the National Theatre included productions of On the Razzle (1979) and The Rivals (1983), with Michael Hordern, and Laughter on the 23rd Floor with Frank Finlay. In a 1993 tour with the National he starred along with Barbara Windsor, Kenneth Waller, and Christopher Villiers in a production of Entertaining Mr Sloane by Joe Orton. He appeared with Sue Holderness ('Marlene' in Only Fools and Horses) in Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking, Time and Time Again and How the Other Half Loves, and the National Theatre's own production of Boycie and Marlene.
In 1995, at the height of the success of Only Fools and Horses, as an established Shakespeare actor he returned to the stage to appear in Richard III and A Midsummer Night's Dream at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, and in 2000 he played Malvolio in Twelfth Night, at Stafford Castle and he performed at Ludlow Castle in As You Like It in 2011.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58617114|title=Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis dies aged 79|work=BBC News|date=19 September 2021|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920154018/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-58617114|url-status=live}}
He was also featured regularly in pantomime productions in which he usually played the roguish or wicked roles, such as for example, Captain Hook in Peter Pan at the Plaza Theatre, Stockport, a role he reprised in 2018 at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. 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 over Christmas 2013 and New Year 2014.
|url=http://www.paulferris.org/productions/entertaining-mr-sloane/
|title=Entertaining Mr Sloane
|year=2021
|work=Paul Ferris.org
|publisher=Paul Ferris
|access-date=23 September 2021
|archive-date=15 October 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171015094852/http://www.paulferris.org/productions/entertaining-mr-sloane/
|url-status=live
}} In 2013, Challis occasionally contributed to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live Tour as the narrator.{{cite web
|url=https://www.alledinburghtheatre.com/review-the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-radio-show-live/
|title=Review – The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Show Live!
|last=Simpson
|first=Hugh Simpson
|date=28 September 2013
|publisher=All Edinburgh Theatre.com
|access-date=24 September 2021
|archive-date=21 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921011423/https://www.alledinburghtheatre.com/review-the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-radio-show-live/
|url-status=live
}} In 2014, he 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/11565961.review-fools-boycie-brewhouse/|title=REVIEW: Only Fools and Boycie at the Brewhouse|website=Somerset County Gazette|date=29 October 2014 |access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920211810/https://www.somersetcountygazette.co.uk/news/11565961.review-fools-boycie-brewhouse/|url-status=live}}
Personal life
File:John Challis (cropped).jpg
Challis was married four times. His first wife, Jean Robertson, was a stage manager. His second and third wives were actresses Debbie Arnold and Sabina Franklyn. He married his fourth wife, Carol Davies, in Brighton in 1995. In 1998, they bought the Abbot's Lodgings at Wigmore Abbey Grange, Adforton, Herefordshire, which they proceeded to renovate.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/10/24/interview-john-challis-talks-moving-to-shropshire-ahead-of-new-book-wigmore-abbey-the-treasure-of-mortimer-release/|title=Interview: John Challis talks moving to Shropshire ahead of new book, Wigmore Abbey: The Treasure Of Mortimer, release|website=shropshirestar.com|date=24 October 2016 |access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=23 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523120029/https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/10/24/interview-john-challis-talks-moving-to-shropshire-ahead-of-new-book-wigmore-abbey-the-treasure-of-mortimer-release/|url-status=live}} He had no children.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/voices/opinions/john-challis/2018/01/15/john-challis-loving-our-real-home-from-home/|title=John Challis: Loving our real home from home|website=shropshirestar.com|date=29 January 2018 |access-date=28 July 2020|archive-date=16 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716131929/https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/voices/opinions/john-challis/2018/01/15/john-challis-loving-our-real-home-from-home/|url-status=live}}
Challis was a patron of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society.{{Cite web|url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2015/09/30/star-boycie-gets-prickly-with-bird-charity-over-hedeghogs/|title=Star 'Boycie' gets prickly with bird charity over hedeghogs|website=shropshirestar.com|date=30 September 2015 |access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920212833/https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2015/09/30/star-boycie-gets-prickly-with-bird-charity-over-hedeghogs/|url-status=live}} He was an avid Arsenal supporter{{cite web|url=https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/only-fools-horses-boycie-john-6594197|title='I'm on my fourth wife... not counting Marlene'|work=Birmingham Mail|date=26 January 2014|access-date=12 March 2019|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028215217/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/only-fools-horses-boycie-john-6594197|url-status=live}} and the club paid tribute to him following his death.{{Cite web |title=We are deeply sad to hear the news that the brilliant John Challis has passed away. |url=https://twitter.com/arsenal/status/1439640983877136389?lang=en-GB |access-date=24 January 2023 |website=Twitter |language=en-GB}}{{better source|date=October 2024}} Challis wrote two volumes of autobiography, Being Boycie and Boycie & Beyond.{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/biographyandmemoirreviews/9584902/Boycie-and-Beyond-by-John-Challis-review.html | title=Boycie & Beyond by John Challis: review | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Martin | last=Chilton | date=6 October 2012 | access-date=9 September 2014 | archive-date=10 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910205424/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/biographyandmemoirreviews/9584902/Boycie-and-Beyond-by-John-Challis-review.html | url-status=live }} In 2016, he wrote Wigmore Abbey: The Treasure of Mortimer about the renovation of his house's gardens.{{Cite news |date=24 October 2016 |title=Interview: John Challis talks moving to Shropshire ahead of new book, Wigmore Abbey: The Treasure Of Mortimer, release |work=Shropshire Star |url=https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/10/24/interview-john-challis-talks-moving-to-shropshire-ahead-of-new-book-wigmore-abbey-the-treasure-of-mortimer-release/ |access-date=19 September 2021 |archive-date=23 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523120029/https://www.shropshirestar.com/entertainment/2016/10/24/interview-john-challis-talks-moving-to-shropshire-ahead-of-new-book-wigmore-abbey-the-treasure-of-mortimer-release/ |url-status=live }}
Challis additionally was a patron and avid supporter of "The Rose Theatre" in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. The organisation also paid special tribute to Challis after his death.{{Cite web |title=Kidderminster theatre pays tribute to late patron John Challis |url=https://www.kidderminstershuttle.co.uk/news/19592306.kidderminsters-rose-theatre-pays-tribute-fools-horses-star-john-challis/ |access-date=4 August 2022 |website=Kidderminster Shuttle |date=20 September 2021 |language=en}}
Through Twitter, Challis became friends with American actor and musician Ice-T, with the pair exchanging gifts although never meeting in person.{{Cite tweet |user=FINALLEVEL |author=Ice-T |author-link=Ice-T |number=1439602799382351877 |date=19 September 2021 |title=I just heard John passed away.. He somehow became a Twitter friend.. I'm very sad. Although I never met him in person.. Internet friends can become close.. RIP |language=en}}
Death
Challis died of cancer in his sleep on 17 September 2021, aged 79. His death was reported two days later.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/09/20/john-challis-actor-endeared-millions-tv-viewers-boycie-fools/|title=John Challis, actor who endeared himself to millions of TV viewers as Boycie in Only Fools and Horses – obituary|first=Telegraph|last=Obituaries|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=20 September 2021|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921004058/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2021/09/20/john-challis-actor-endeared-millions-tv-viewers-boycie-fools/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58617114|title=Only Fools and Horses actor John Challis dies|work=BBC News|date=19 September 2021|accessdate=19 September 2021|archive-date=19 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210919215359/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-58617114|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |first=Alex |last=Green |url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/boycie-actor-from-only-fools-musical-john-challis-told-me-to-carry-the-torch-40866348.html |title=Boycie actor from Only Fools musical: John Challis told me to carry the torch |website=Irish Independent |quote=Jeff Nicholson met Challis, who died from cancer on Sunday morning aged 79, during the opening night of the West End production in 2019 and the pair continued to exchange messages until shortly before his death |date=19 September 2021 |access-date=20 September 2021 |archive-date=21 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921014458/https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/boycie-actor-from-only-fools-musical-john-challis-told-me-to-carry-the-torch-40866348.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=John Challis obituary |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/john-challis-only-fools-and-horses-actor-who-played-boycie-dies-aged-79-q7z03fclf |access-date=20 September 2021 |work=The Times |language=en |archive-date=20 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920003556/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/john-challis-only-fools-and-horses-actor-who-played-boycie-dies-aged-79-q7z03fclf |url-status=live }} He had been diagnosed with the disease in 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2021/09/07/49201/john-challis-reveals-cancer-diagnosis|title=John Challis reveals cancer diagnosis : News 2021 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide|first=Steve|last=Bennett|website=www.chortle.co.uk}}
Tributes were paid by a number of fellow actors and entertainers including his Only Fools and Horses co-stars Sir David Jason and Sue Holderness, as well as Ice-T, Paul Chuckle, Piers Morgan and Sheila Ferguson.{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ice-t-john-challis-tribute-b1923246.html|title=Ice T pays tribute to his 'internet friend' John Challis in heartwarming post|date=20 September 2021|website=The Independent|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920214047/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/ice-t-john-challis-tribute-b1923246.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/john-challis-dead-tributes-david-jason-sue-holderness_uk_61475d0fe4b0d9b6de97e42a|title=David Jason And Sue Holderness Lead Tributes To Only Fools And Horses Co-Star John Challis|date=19 September 2021|website=HuffPost|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=20 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920183234/https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/john-challis-dead-tributes-david-jason-sue-holderness_uk_61475d0fe4b0d9b6de97e42a|url-status=live}}
Filmography
=Film=
=Television=
Books
- 2011, Being Boycie, Wigmore Books Ltd., {{ISBN|978-0956906106}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodreads.com/work/best_book/17591942-being-boycie-john-challis|title=Being Boycie. John Challis|website=goodreads.com|access-date=19 September 2021|archive-date=28 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210928060815/https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12581062-being-boycie-john-challis|url-status=live}}
- 2012, Boycie & Beyond, Wigmore Books Ltd., {{ISBN|978-0956906113}}
- 2016, Wigmore Abbey: The Treasure of Mortimer, (photography by Alex Ramsey), Wigmore Books Ltd., {{ISBN|978-0956906144}}{{Cite web|url=http://wigmorebooks.com/wigmore-abbey.php|title=Wigmore Abbey – Wigmore Books|website=wigmorebooks.com|access-date=20 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921014231/http://wigmorebooks.com/wigmore-abbey.php|url-status=live}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://www.john-challis.com/}}
- {{IMDb name|0149998}}
- {{Discogs artist|John Challis (3)}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Challis, John}}
Category:Deaths from cancer in England
Category:People from Clifton, Bristol
Category:20th-century English male actors
Category:21st-century English male actors
Category:English male Shakespearean actors
Category:English male stage actors
Category:English male television actors
Category:Male actors from Bristol