Thomas Vickers Mennard (born 11th February 1918 in Beeston, Leeds; died 2nd November 1989 in Salisbury) appeared on Coronation Street intermittently between September 1985 and May 1989 as pensioner, Sam Tindall.
He also appeared as a Police Sergeant in two episodes of the Street spin-off The Brothers McGregor.
His first job after leaving school was as a bus driver in Brighton. A colourful and eccentric character, he was even known to drive the bus dressed as a nun. After working in amateur theatre, he was spotted by singer Donald Peers who recommended him to the BBC and in the early-to-mid 1980s, he wrote and performed the BBC Radio 2 comedy series 'Tom Mennard's Local Tales' in which he told stories about himself and a group of fictional male friends. Earlier, he worked at the Windmill Theatre in London where he met future Coronation Street co-stars Jill Summers and Bill Waddington. He also appeared on television in the 1950s in the Arthur Askey series Before Your Very Eyes.
He travelled up from his Dorset home by train for the weekly rehearsals and recordings on Coronation Street. A frequent companion on these travels was his Lhasa Apso dog, Dougal, who was eventually written into the programme as Sam’s own dog.
His later credits included roles in Dad’s Army, All Creatures Great and Small, Sounding Brass, Oh Happy Band, Sorry!, Foxy Lady, Open All Hours, Bergerac and Juliet Bravo, along with the films Four Dimensions of Greta, The Flesh and Blood Show and Tiffany Jones.
