Portrait of David Learner

Birthday profile

David Learner

David Learner, British actor

Born
August 23, 1955
Age in 2026
71
Zodiac sign
Virgo
Birth year
1955

About David Learner

David Francis Somerville Learner (born 23 August 1955 in Hammersmith, London) is a British actor who is best known for playing Marvin the Paranoid Android in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Pickle in the CITV adventure game show Knightmare. He studied at RADA alongside Alan Rickman and Trevor Eve and has appeared in numerous stage plays and radio productions. == Career == He played Marvin for two national tours of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy including the Rainbow Theatre in 1980 and at the opening of the Drum Theatre, Plymouth in 1982. He also appeared in the 1981 BBC TV adaptation, but only in costume providing the movements for Marvin. Stephen Moore, who played him on the radio series, was brought back to provide the voice. Learner later appeared in the documentary "The Making of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" (1993) to reminisce about the filming of the show. In 1990 he appeared in The Satellite Game (38 episodes) for BSB, playing the host Larry the Robot. It was during this time that he met Knightmare producer Tim Child for the first time, which led to a successful audition for the role of Pickle. Learner later said in an interview, "I thought I was only going to do one series, I ended up staying for three." Learner played the wood elf Pickle on Knightmare from Series 4 to 6 (47 episodes, 1990-1992). His role was to help out teams and to provide comic relief.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

The world when David Learner was born

David Learner was born in 1955. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1955

  • #1 song"Rock Around the Clock" – Bill Haley & His Comets
  • Top movieMarty
  • Top TV showThe $64,000 Question
  • Best-selling bookLolita – Vladimir Nabokov

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentBrooklyn Dodgers win their first World Series
  • Top headlineRosa Parks sparks the Montgomery Bus Boycott
  • Technology milestoneDisneyland opens in Anaheim, California
  • Defining fadJames Dean and rebel culture
  • Notable inventionVelcro commercially available
  • World population2.77 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderDwight D. Eisenhower
  • Sports championBrooklyn Dodgers (World Series)
  • Also wonSyracuse Nationals (NBA)
  • U.S. population165.3M

1955 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in David Learner's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19552026
Gas$0.29$3.45/gal
Average home$10,950$435,000
Average income$6,200$67,500
Minimum wage$0.75$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$0.50$11.95
Postage stamp$0.03$0.73
Population165.3M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.