David Jason – Biography, Daughter, Net Worth, Wife and Family Life

Quick Facts

David Jason is an English film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Del Boy Trotter in the television series, Only Fools, and Horses. Jason has appeared in numerous films and television series over a career that has spanned many decades.

Over his career, he has won several awards including Best Actor for his role in Porterhouse Blue, Best TV Comedy Actor for his role in A Bit of a Do and a British Comedy Award Lifetime Achievement Award. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. He is married to Gill Hinchcliffe and they have a daughter, Sophie Mae.

Biography

David Jason was born on February 2, 1940, in Edmonton, Middlesex, England to Arthur White and mother, Olwen Jones, who was Welsh. The name David Jason is a stage name, he was born David John White. Jason’s twin brother died at birth. He was born and raised during the second world war. He has described those years as spending his time avoiding bombs and bullies. At this time his father, Arthur White worked as a porter at Billingsgate Fish Market and his mother worked as a charwoman.

Jason was raised in North Finchley, he attended Northfield Secondary Modern School. When he was done with school, he had every intention to go directly into the acting profession, however, his father discouraged the idea of pursuing a career in acting immediately after school and encouraged the young Jason to first learn a trade. This led him to begin training to become an electrician. He remained in the field for six years before giving it up to pursue his acting career.

David Jason began his career in television series in 1964 when appeared in Crossroads playing the role of Bert Bradshaw. Between the 1960s and 1970s, he appeared and performed in a variety of television and radio shows. These include playing Captain Fantastic in the comedy series, Do Not Adjust Your Set alongside Michael Palin, Denise Coffey, Eric Idle and Terry Jones, starring in Hugh and I, playing Abel in Randall and Hopkirk Deceased, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and weekly satire Week Ending.

Other shows include Mostly Monkhouse, The Impressionists, The Jason Explanation, Hark at Barker where he played Dithers, Open All Hours, Barker’s Porridge, The Two Ronnies, Lucky Feller, A Sharp Intake of Breath alongside Richard Wilson and Alun Armstrong.

In addition to his TV roles, Jason has been voice artists for numerous children’s television productions and animated films. He has done voices for Count Dracula, Toad from the Wind in the Willows, The BFG and Danger Mouse, Rola Polar in The Adventures of Dawdle the Donkey, Father Christmas and the Missing Reindeer, The Water Babies and Wombling Free.

Jason became more popular as an actor in the 1980s when he starred as Del Boy Trotter in the BBC sitcom Only Fools and Horses. His character Del Boy is a Peckham, south London based young man who makes a shoddy living trading stolen and counterfeit items.

In the 1990s and 2000s, he starred as Detective Jack Frost in A Touch of Frost, Captain Frank Beck in All the King’s Men, Porterhouse Blue, The Darling Buds of May among others. Jason stars in Still Open All Hours as of 2018.

He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II on December 1, 2005. Among his numerous awards are TV Quick award for Best Actor for his role in A Touch of Frost and Lifetime Achievement Award by British Comedy Award.

Net Worth

David Jason’s net worth is an estimated $10 million, with most of his earnings coming from royalties and his professional fees.

David Jason’s Family Life

David Jason was born five months after the outbreak of the second world war. He has memories of the trembling house during that period. He described his father, Arthur, as a fishmonger and a bit of a showman at his place of work. His mother, Olwen was Welsh. He described her as bright and talkative. His older brother who also goes by the name Arthur was first to go into to acting industry.

Before meeting and marrying Gill Hinchcliffe, Jason was romantically involved with Myfanwy Talog for 18 years until her death to breast cancer.

Who is His Wife? Daughter

Jason met Gill Hinchcliffe at Yorkshire Television studio car park while she worked as a floor assistant there. They soon grew a fondness for each other and had their daughter Sophie Mae in 2001. He married Gill in 2005 on the eve of his knighthood.

Gill was born in 1960 in Mirfield, England. She began working in the film industry as a teenager. She has worked in the capacity of assistant director, location manager and production manager on the set of several films and television shows. She met Jason while working on the set of A Touch of Frost.

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David Jason’s daughter Sophie Mae Jason was born in 2001. He was aged 61 at the time of her birth. Sophie Mae was given birth to by Jason’s wife (then girlfriend) Gill Hinchcliffe at Aylesbury. Jason mentioned in an interview that Sophie Mae has started to have taken an interest in acting however he would not push her into the industry unless she is deeply interested in building an acting career.

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