Robert Fyfe

Robert Douglas Fyfe (25 September 1930 – 15 September 2021) was a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Howard in the long-running British sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1985 to 2010.

Fyfe was born in Kirkcaldy on 25 September 1930, the son of Douglas Fyfe, a watchmaker, and Mary Fyfe née Irvine. He attended Kirkcaldy High School, before studying English literature at the University of Edinburgh. He did not complete his degree and instead trained under Esmé Church at the Northern Theatre School in Bradford, graduating in 1954. Whilst studying, he performed in Halifax, York and Scarborough, including appearing in the York Mystery Plays in 1954.

Fyfe appeared in the films Xtro, The 51st State, Around the World in 80 Days, Gaolbreak and Babel. In 2012 he appeared in Cloud Atlas. Other credits include guest appearances on Z-Cars, Survivors, The Gentle Touch, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and Monarch of the Glen. Fyfe appeared as Malcolm Lagg, a lollipop man, in Coronation Street in December 2012. His character was seen training Dennis Tanner, played by Philip Lowrie, to take over his job.

He married stage director Diana Rush in 1957. She died in August 2021. Fyfe died from kidney disease on 15 September 2021, at the age of 90. They were survived by their three sons, Timothy, Nicholas and Dominic.