Only Fools and Horses star met Adolf Hitler and ‘regretted’ not killing him

The Grandad actor shook hands with the fascist in the 1930s
Regrets: Actor Lennard Pearce (left) met Hitler in the 1930s
Jennifer Ruby2 October 2017
The Weekender

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Only Fools and Horses actor Lennard Pearce met Adolf Hitler before WWII and always regretted not shooting him.

The British actor, who died of a heart attack back in 1984, reportedly shook hands with the fascist while touring Germany as a young actor in the 1930s.

According to his former co-star Nicholas Lyndhurst, Pearce said that he would have “drawn his pistol” had he known what Hitler would go on to do.

“He was a young actor touring Europe and they were playing some German city and the Nazis walked in,” Lyndhurst said during an episode of The Story of Only Fools and Horses.

“The top honchos of the Nazi party had seen the play and came to congratulate them ­afterwards. Lennard shook hands with Adolf Hitler.”

He continued: “He only ever told me once, but he said, ‘Had I known then what I know now, I would have drawn the pistol from one of the bodyguards and I'd have done my best to kill him.’”

Steve Clark, author of Only Fools and Horses – The Official Inside Story, added: “We’re used to hearing Uncle Albert’s stories about his rather dubious wartime service in the navy, but it’s incredible that Lennard Pearce actually met Hitler during his rise to power and could have put a stop to him before he was able to do so much evil.”

Pearce played Grandad for 23 episodes of the BBC sitcom, up until his death at the age of 69.

He’d previously had roles in television shows including Coronation Street and Dixon of Dock Green.

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