Charlie Chaplin lookalike
The story goes that
when Fairnie decided to shave off his beard, he noticed a certain Chaplin
likeness staring back at him from the mirror. He invested
in some baggy trousers, a hat
and cane and entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike competition... which he won! Head judge Rowan
Atkinson must have been impressed.
As a lookalike on the books of a number of
agencies, he travelled the world on a variety of assignments - including some of
the famous IBM newspaper ads and a bizarre shoot in Japan, where he was asked to
stand 10 feet underwater, weighed down with lead, to model clothing. He also
featured in the pop video for Ricchi e
Poveri's "Voulez Vous Danser"
, a massive hit
in mainland Europe in 1984.
When interviewed by
the Bristol Evening Post for an article to tie in with the release of
Attenborough's 'Chaplin' movie, Fairnie had this to say: "The good thing is that
you never have
to remember any lines. It's a
nice character to do and people take to it very well - the old ladies
and the kids love you."