Get a closer look at some of Hollywood's perfect pairs.

Hollywood Power Couples

Get a closer look at some of Hollywood&#39;s perfect pairs.

"The Gentlemen" and "Slow Horses" return this fall, while the "Reacher" spin-off series "Neagley" makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

2026 Fall TV and Streaming Watch Guide

&quot;The Gentlemen&quot; and &quot;Slow Horses&quot; return this fall, while the &quot;Reacher&quot; spin-off series &quot;Neagley&quot; makes its debut. See our guide of the biggest Fall TV and streaming releases.

Get a closer look at these actors from their many TV and streaming series roles.

Streaming Stars, Then and Now

Actor and comedian fondly remembered as the curmudgeonly reprobate Claude Jeremiah Greengrass in the long-running nostalgic police drama Heartbeat (1992). Greengrass had been written as a minor background character, but -- given a fair amount of latitude for interpreting his part -- Maynard was able to infuse the old rascal with outsize personality and humour which resulted into his becoming a popular mainstay. The son of a gardener and a laundry worker, Maynard (born Walter Frederick George Williams, he later adopted his nom de plume from Charles Gordon Maynard, creator of 'Maynard's Wine Gums') came from relatively humble beginnings. Displaying an early aptitude for music, he learned to sing and dance, play ukulele, mandolin and guitar.

By the age of nine he began performing in local clubs and music halls. From there, he progressed to repertory theatre, touring army camps with Jon Pertwee, making a few recordings for Decca and EMI, even managing a gig as a stand-up comic -- in between a strip show -- at The Windmill in London. In the 50s Maynard emerged as a proper TV star (sharing top billing with Terry Scott) in Great Scott, It's Maynard (1955). Having suddenly become a household name, he was now earning £ 1000 a week. Ironically, his ambition of becoming 'a serious actor' backfired and a return to repertory led to much reduced circumstances and a hiatus in his career. Though he eventually appeared in more than 30 films, he regarded none of them as particularly worthwhile and declared in a 2013 interview: "I enjoyed doing them. It was a laugh, but they weren't great. They damaged my reputation".

In the mid-70s, having very wisely returned to his forte with consecutive hits in TV sitcoms: as a roving-eyed widower in The Life of Riley (1975), as the hapless, klutzy protagonist of Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt (1974), and as grouchy, relentlessly misanthropic Fred Moffatt, forever evading and outwitting his creditors in The Gaffer (1981). In between, he also had diverse guest roles, including in, among others, Worzel Gummidge (1979), Minder (1979) and Dalziel and Pascoe (1996). Between 2003 and 2008, he also hosted his own -- sometimes controversial -- radio chat show on BBC Leicester, Maynard's Bill of Fare.

Having suffered a stroke in 2000 and forced to leave Heartbeat after season ten, Maynard eventually resurfaced in occasional guest appearances for the 2003 spin-off, The Royal (2003). Subsequently confined to wheelchairs and mobility scooters he latterly gave lectures at universities on humour and acting.

Bill Maynard passed away in a Leicestershire hospital on 30 March 2018 at the age of 89.

I&#39;ve done everything in this business from acting and singing to tap dancing, opera and one-man shows. People can&#39;t understand why I still want to work at my age and I tell them it&#39;s not work. I love it.

The producers said that <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/title/tt0101114/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Heartbeat (1992)</a> wasn&#39;t likely to last, but asked that I give Greengrass, who only had a few lines, an injection of humour. It was the easiest role I&#39;ve ever played because they allowed me so much freedom with Greengrass. I got the idea for him to wear that old grey army coat from when I did The Caretaker on stage so it appeared that he had a heroic past in the military.

I did 31 films. Confessions. Carry On. All rubbish. I did two films with <a class="ipc-md-link ipc-md-link--entity" href="/name/nm0522884/?ref_=nmqu_qu">Arthur Lowe</a>. Lovely man, terrible films. I enjoyed doing them. It was a laugh, but they weren&#39;t great. They damaged my reputation.

Quotes

Bill Maynard

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