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Donald Sinclair

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Entrepreneur

The Resume

    (July 10, 1909-September 1981)
    Born in Scotland, United Kingdom
    With his wife Beatrice, owned and managed the Gleneagles Hotel in Torquay, England
    Inspired John Cleese to create Fawlty Towers

Why he might be annoying:

    Cleese described him as 'wonderfully rude.'
    His behavior during Monty Python's stay at the hotel reportedly included throwing Eric Idle's suitcase over a garden wall because it might contain a bomb and berating Terry Gilliam for using a knife and fork the wrong (American) way.
    About 20 years after his death, Beatrice went public to complain that Donald was 'not the neurotic eccentric that John Cleese made him out to be,' a move that backfired as it prompted former guests and staff to recall very Fawlty-esque events at the hotel.
    A former chambermaid said, 'Donald Sinclaie was worse than Basil Fawlty, much worse. Betty used to lock him in their flat because he upset the staff so much. If he went into the kitchen in the morning, she'd sometimes be three staff short by the evening.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    He served with the Royal Navy in World War II and survived three times being on ships that were torpedoed.
    He would have preferred to stay at sea and entered the hotel business only at his wife's insistence. (She said, 'The Navy had been his life, and he told me a million times that he lost a good pension.')
    He inspired one of the most hilarious (if least flattering) characters in TV history.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 9 Votes: 55.56% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 4 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 14 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 14 Votes: 64.29% Annoying