“He was a proper gentleman, a great laugh and we are all going to miss him.”
Brothers Joe and Johnny Marsden have paid tribute to actor Peter Sallis who spent a great deal of time at their hotel in Huddersfield.
Joe, 63, revealed that Sallis, who died this week aged 96, enjoyed popping into Johnny’s nightclub on a Friday night for a “bop and a glass of wine” during the 1980s and 1990s.
“Plenty of people in the club would come up for a chat and he liked the attention. Then he would say ‘back to reception darling’ when he’s had enough,” said Joe.
While playing mild-mannered Norman Clegg in Last of the Summer Wine , the actor was a popular guest at the Huddersfield Hotel and became close to the Marsdens.
“He used to poke fun at me,” said Joe.
“He would say he needed a voice coach and say ‘I need help pronouncing one of your bloody words’.”
It turned out that Sallis needed help pronouncing ‘me’ in a Yorkshire accent.
“He had to say something like ‘you’re crushing my prawns’. I told him ‘me’ was pronounced ‘mi’.”
Joe, who runs The Huddersfield Central Lodge Hotel in Beast Market, said Twickenham-born Sallis - also known as the voice of Wallace in Wallace & Gromit - had perfect comic timing.
“He used to say ‘ee bah gum’ and I had to tell him that no-one ever says that. He was a comedy actor and had a talent for timing.
“He was a laugh and when he was with us in the bar he knew just when to interject.”
Joe recalled inviting Sallis to a reception at the American Embassy in London in 1999 where the US ambassador admitted he hadn’t heard of Last of the Summer Wine.
When Sallis chipped in with a ‘more cheese Gromit’ the ambassador was wowed and spent the evening chatting about Wallace & Gromit.
During filming of Summer Wine, Sallis stayed at the Huddersfield Hotel for 10-12 weeks a year, staying loyal to the business from 1984 to the early 2000s.
Although he wasn’t a Yorkshireman, the seasoned actor loved the county, according to Joe.
“He loved Yorkshire, there’s no doubt about it. He loved the countryside and the people. But (after filming) he couldn’t wait to get home to Richmond (London).”
Johnny Marsden, 72, described Sallis as a nice man who was also modest.
“He became part of the family. He liked to talk about restaurants and chefs but he didn’t promote himself. He was very modest and mild mannered.
“Peter had a quick sense of humour and was very witty.”
Summer Wine creator Roy Clarke said yesterday that he had given Sallis “all the best lines, because he always knew what to do with them.”
