Reg Varney Autograph Page Mounted

Reginald Alfred Varney (11 July 1916 – 16 November 2008) was an English actor, entertainer and comedian best known for his television roles on The Rag Trade and On the Buses, appearing in the latter’s three spin-off film versions.

Varney had made only a small number of film and TV appearances prior to being cast in the role of long-suffering factory foreman Reg Turner in the hit BBC television sitcom The Rag Trade (1961–63).   Varney’s most successful lead role was in the LWT sitcom On the Buses (1969–73) as bus driver Stan Butler. Varney took considerable lengths to prepare for the role, even attempting to gain a public service vehicle licence so that he could be filmed driving on the open road. However, Varney was not insured so LWT had to employ professional drivers for these scenes.

Varney had a heart attack in 1965, and in 1981 he suffered a more serious one. He then contracted a severe viral infection, which for three years made working difficult for him. In 1989, he suffered a stroke, which left him with an uneven heartbeat.  Varney died aged 92 in a nursing home in Budleigh Salterton, Devon, on 16 November 2008, following a chest infection