This year marks the 41st anniversary since the classic comedy Only Fools And Horses first hit TV screens – and 19 years since it last left the box.
Over the past four decades, the show produced a number of high profile TV stars including Sir David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst and the late Roger Lloyd Pack.
Between 1983 and the final season in 2003, Patrick Murray made occasional appearances on the show as Mickey Pearce – the dim-witted friend of Rodney Trotter.
Here is how Patrick Murray found fame, what he did after Only Fools, and what he has been up to lately.
Early career
Patrick was born in the London borough of Greenwich on 17 December 1965 and was later educated at the St. Thomas the Apostle College in Nunhead, South London.
He embarked on a career in acting in the early 1970s and landed roles in a string of adverts and bit parts on TV shows.
The star also became well known as the face of Italian home appliance company Zanussi after starring in a string of their adverts.
His first official TV role was in an episode of crime drama New Scotland Yard in 1973, while film roles included parts in gritty 1979 Brit-flick Scum and a role in the 1983 comedy Curse of the Pink Panther.
Starring role in Only Fools
Patrick joined the cast of Only Fools and Horses in 1983 taking on the role of Mickey Pearce.
Although he was not physically seen during the first two seasons of the series, his character was referenced by Rodney Trotter on a number of occasions.
Fans of the show saw Mickey landing a job as a double glazing salesman, and was often a punchline for Del Boy who would mock him over his lack of wits.
Other jobs
Patrick opened his own pub in 1998, but later became sober after developing a drink problem and after seeking help from Alcoholics Anonymous.
After largely retiring from acting following the conclusion of Only Fools in 2003, Patrick enjoyed a number of other jobs including working as a builder, a taxi driver, a DJ, a semi-pro poker player, and later as a chauffeur.
He made a return to acting in 2019 with a starring role in comedy drama Conditions where he played a character named Frank Bridges across 13 episodes.
Life abroad
Patrick spent 10 years living in Thailand and married his partner, Anong, there in 2016 and together they welcomed a daughter named Josie.
The family struggled to move to the UK in 2018, with Patrick appearing got Loose Women to describe the ordeal he faced trying to get visas for his family.
The Home Office denied the visa applications, telling Patrick he didn’t earn enough money to support his family – with the star explaining: "Being out of the industry for so long, the work dried up so I went back to driving an executive car, a Mercedes, to do it. I only saw my baby on the phone for two years, I was a Skype dad."
Lung disease
In August 2018, Patrick revealed he had been diagnosed with lung disease – forcing him to cancel plans to help raise money for a charity.
The star revealed he had been diagnosed with the lung condition chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and that he was forced to cancel plans to host an Only Fools themed coach trip.
The trip aimed to raise money for children's hospice Demelza, would see him entertaining 70 fans as they travelled by bus from Leysdown-on-Sea in Kent to Margate in a opentop double decker bus.
His agent Mark Neale said at the time: “Pat was really disappointed to let so many people down, but he is having treatment and hopes to arrange it again later in the year."
Cancer diagnosis
In January 2022, Patrick revealed he had been diagnosed with fresh health issues – explaining he had been diagnosed with cancer.
He wrote online: “Naturally I wanted to keep my own health problems private, but failing to fully endorse this ad would be selfish. Thanks to my ultrascan I have a fighting chance. It showed my organs needed further investigation and tumours were spotted. This led to a PET scan which covers a much larger area.
“To my wonderful surprise these lesions were not cancerous but the scan did find an early-stage cancerous tumour in my lung. This has since been removed. I am tweeting now, which wouldn’t be the case if I hadn’t had the ultrasound all those months ago.
"A lot of people put these symptoms down to age and the discomfort to simply having a weak stomach. Please don’t ignore it if it persists. As for me, and thanks to the NHS, I can now see the same beautiful horizon as you."
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