Andrew Sachs was a German actor best known for his voice over work and, of course, for his role as the hapless waiter Manuel in the classic British comedy series Fawlty Towers.
Biography
Andreas Siegfried Sachs was born on April 7, 1930 in Berlin, Germany. As a child, his Jewish family was persecuted by the Nazis. His father was even briefly arrested and released just prior to Kristallnacht, so his family fled to Britain when Andreas was only eight.
As an adult, he fell in love with British theatre and came to work as an actor, frequently in roles in farces. He also worked in comedy duos and dramatic plays in London. His performance in the farce Habeas Corpus by John Mortimer caught the eye of John Cleese, who hired him to work for his business training video company, Video Arts. Later, when Cleese was putting together his sitcom Fawlty Towers for the BBC, he asked Sachs to play the role of the small, sweet-natured, hapless Spanish waiter Manuel. Although the role became Sachs' most famous, his clever disguise of a moustache helped him avoid being recognized on the street—which Sachs, a very shy man, did not want. At one point, two women on a train talked about the previous night's episode. Although he was sitting right next to them throughout the entire conversation, they never once took any notice of him or recognized him.
Since Fawlty Towers, Sachs has worked in countless projects in British film, TV and radio. A high percentage of his work is as a voice actor. He has performed in animated series, TV documentaries, audio books and radio dramas—including in a Doctor Who drama and as Dr. Watson in a Sherlock Holmes series for BBC Radio. He is married to Melody Lang (who appeared in the Fawlty Towers episode 2x06 - Basil the Rat), with whom he has three children.
Roles
Starring Roles
Guest Starring Roles
| Series
|
Role
|
Episode
|
Airdate
|
| Dial RIX |
Harry Daisy |
1x02 - What a Drag |
October 5, 1962
|
| The Saint |
Jacques |
1x05 - The Loaded Tourist |
November 1, 1962
|
| Dial RIX |
Thin Furniture Man |
1x05 - No Plums in the Pudding |
December 26, 1952
|
| Nearest and Dearest |
Doctor |
1x03 - The Danger List |
August 29, 1968
|
| Fraud Squad |
Frank Turbot |
1x01 - Turbot on Ice |
May 20, 1969
|
| Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) |
Commentator |
1x17 - Somebody Just Walked Over My Grave |
January 9, 1970
|
| Callan |
Captain |
3x03 - The Same Trick Twice |
April 22, 1970
|
| Codename |
Stein |
1x10 - The Alpha Men |
June 9, 1970
|
| Rising Damp |
Snell |
4x03 - Great Expectations |
April 18, 1978
|
| Horizon |
Albert Einstein |
32x02 - Einstein: Fame |
September 14, 1995
|
| NOVA |
Albert Einstein |
24x01 - Einstein Revealed |
October 1, 1996
|
| Silent Witness |
Josef Horowitz |
5x01 - The World Cruise |
December 11, 2000
|
| Heroes of Comedy |
Himself |
1x02 - Dick Emery |
April 13, 2002
|
| Comedy Lab |
Hitman |
5x06 - Meet the Magoons |
December 5, 2002
|
| Doctors |
Geoffrey Vickerstaff |
8x26 - Mr Punch |
May 1, 2003
|
| Holby City |
Joseph Wolpert |
7x43 - Dignity |
August 10, 2005
|
| Timewatch |
Dr. Bloch |
11/25/05 - Inside the Mind of Adolf Hitler |
November 25, 2005
|
| The Bill |
David Leyton |
02/15/06 - 390 |
February 15, 2006
|
Specials and Made-for-TV Movies
| Title
|
Role
|
Airdate
|
Series/Banner
|
| Number 10 |
The Human Element |
Nigel Fenn |
|
| The Tempest |
Trinculo |
February 27, 1980 |
The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare
|
| The History of Mr. Polly |
Alfred Polly |
March 5, 1980 |
|
| It's Your Move |
Roadsweeper |
October 18, 1982 |
|
| The Galactic Garden |
Vector |
January 2, 1985 |
|
| Funny Women |
Himself |
June 24, 1998 |
|
| Norman Ormal: A Very Political Turtle |
Party Political Broadcast Voice Over |
November 1, 1998 |
|
| The 100 Greatest TV Moments |
Himself |
September 11, 1999 |
|
| Between Iraq and a Hard Place |
Mullah Omar |
January 5, 2003 |
|
| Looking for Victoria |
Benjamin Disraeli |
October 27, 2003 |
|
| The Ultimate Sitcom |
Himself |
January 2, 2006 |
|
| Ricky Gervais Meets... Larry David |
Narrator |
January 5, 2006 |
|
Talk, News & Game Show Appearances
Notable Film Roles
| Film
|
Role
|
Released
|
| Are You Being Served? |
Don Carlos Bernardo |
1977
|
| Revenge of the Pink Panther |
Hercule Poirot |
1978
|
| History of the World: Part I |
Gerard |
1981
|
| Nowhere in Africa |
Mr. Rubens |
2001
|
Writer
Staff Writer
Specials and Made-for-TV Movies Written
Memorable Moments
- Fawlty Towers:
- 1x06 - The Germans: When there is a fire drill in the hotel, a real fire breaks out in the kitchen where Sachs as Manuel is working. Manuel rushes out, screaming, "Is fire! Is fire!" But Basil Fawlty assumes Manuel misunderstands the fire drill and locks the poor waiter in the burning kitchen. When his panicked banging becomes too noisy, Basil lets the grateful and nearly unconscious waiter out of the kitchen and sees the flames.
- 2x04 - The Kipper and the Corpse: Manuel is serving a particularly difficult guest who has a spoiled Shih Tzu with her in the dining room. He brings out a cushion and a saucer of milk for the dog, but when the woman tells him to "put it under him," Manuel leaves the milk under where the dog would sit. When at last he gets it worked out, the dog bites Manuel. When the dog later bites Polly, Manuel shields her from the vicious toy dog.
Awards and Accolades
BAFTA TV Awards
- Nominated: Best Light Entertainment Performance (1979)
- Fawlty Towers
Trivia
- When he first received the role of Manuel in Fawlty Towers, he asked if Manuel could be German, as he could more easily do a German accent, because he was himself German. He claims John Cleese considered this suggestion for a moment before deciding the character should remain Spanish.
- Was paid £700 for damages when the acids with which his jacket were treated to give the illusion of burning in the Fawlty Towers episode 1x06 - The Germans soaked through to his skin and caused severe burns. He claims the worst part was going back to work in a very physical stage farce later that night.
- In the 1980s, he recorded four pop singles as Manuel, who was frequently shown playing the guitar on Fawlty Towers.
- Claims to enjoy playing the villains. "If it's tempered with a little charm and enjoyment of his evil, that that's really quite nice to do. One of the most satisfying things to do is to play baddies. It's closer to my own character, really, I think."
