Bobby Knutt

Robert Andrew Wass, known professionally as Bobby Knutt (25 November 1945 – 25 September 2017), was a British television actor who started in entertainment as a stand-up comedian. He is best known for playing Albert Dingle in Emmerdale.

Biography

Knutt was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. After passing the eleven-plus in 1957, he attended Abbeydale Grammar School in Sheffield. Still at school, he began to perform as a singer in a group called Bob Andrews and the Questors in 1961, switching to another group, the Whirlwinds, in 1963, and in 1964 formed a comedy double act called Pee & Knutt. However, his partner Geoff Morton refused to turn professional.

In 1965, he went solo calling himself Bobby Knutt, one of the youngest pro comedians in the country. He was first known nationally for his performances on the Granada Television show The Comedians and The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. He was cast in the lead role in the BBC's The Price of Coal (1977) directed by Ken Loach, allowing him to move beyond stand-up comedy. He acted in many British television comedies and dramas including Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, All Creatures Great & Small, Our Friends in the North, Emmerdale (as Albert Dingle) and Coronation Street (as garage boss Ron Sykes).

Knutt was married to athlete Donna Hartley-Wass, a bronze medallist in the 1980 Olympic Games (4x400m relay), from 20 January 1986 until her death in 2013. On his 25th wedding anniversary he was quoted as saying, "I wish I'd married my third wife first".

He had regular roles in 14 pantomimes at Sheffield's Crucible and Lyceum theatres. In 2008, he published his autobiography Eyup Knutty followed by the sequel Eyup Again in 2010. He worked as a comedian on cruise ships and provided the voice of "Gaffer" on Tetley Tea Folk TV ads. In 2012, he had a shoulder replacement operation which went badly wrong, disabling his right arm thus depriving him of his ability to play guitar which was a regular finale to his cabaret act on the cruise ships. Owing to this he reluctantly retired from live entertainment and stuck to acting.

From 2016 until his death, Knutt appeared in the British sitcom Benidorm as Eddie Dawson.

Knutt died suddenly while on holiday in France, on 25 September 2017.