Nicholas Lyndhurst

Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst (born 20 April 1961) is an English actor who began his career as a child actor. He is best known for his role as Rodney Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses (1981–2003).

Lyndhurst had major roles in other sitcoms, including as Raymond Fletcher in Going Straight (1978), as Adam Parkinson in Butterflies (1978–1983), as Ashley Phillips in The Two of Us (1986–1990), as Peter "Piglet" Chapman in The Piglet Files (1987), as Gary Sparrow in Goodnight Sweetheart (1993–1999, 2016), and as Jimmy Venables in After You've Gone (2007–2008). He starred as Freddie Robdal in the comedy-drama series Rock & Chips (2010–2011) and co-starred as Danny Griffin in the police procedural series New Tricks (2013–2015). He portrayed Professor Alan Cornwall in the revival of the American sitcom Frasier (2023–2024).

Lyndhurst won two National Television Awards for his role in Goodnight Sweetheart, as well as being nominated for a British Comedy Award and three British Academy Television Awards for his role in Only Fools and Horses.

Early life

Nicholas Simon Lyndhurst was born in Gosport, Hampshire, England, on 20 April 1961, as the only child to Anthony Arthur Joseph "Joe" Lyndhurst and Elizabeth M "Liz" (née Long). He grew up in Emsworth. His parents met at the holiday camp on the farm owned by his paternal grandfather, Francis Lyndhurst, a theatrical scenery painter, film producer and film director, who set up an early film studio at Shoreham Fort, Shoreham-by-Sea. His parents separated when he was young, reuniting and separating permanently later on. His father had started a family with another woman by the time Lyndhurst was eight, leaving the boy and his mother "poverty-stricken".