Sir David Jason, OBE (born February 2, 1940) is a highly regarded English actor, admired equally for his dramatic work as for his comedy roles. He is perhaps most famous for his portrayal of "Del Boy" in the BBC television situation comedy Only Fools and Horses which made him a household name in the United Kingdom.

David Jason was born David John White in Edmonton, London. Brought up in Lodge Lane, North Finchley, he went to school nearby. After leaving school he trained as an electrician while negotiating his way into repertory theatre. He took his stage name from his twin brother Jason White, who died at birth. His elder brother, Arthur White, is also a character actor.

He started his television career in 1964 playing the part of Bert Bradshaw in Crossroads. In 1967 he played a spoof super-hero Captain Fantastic (and also other roles), in the television sketch comedy series Do Not Adjust Your Set. His co-stars were Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin. Humphrey Barclay, who recruited David Jason to appear in Do Not Adjust Your Set (partly to offset the rather intellectual style of Idle, Jones and Palin), admired David's masterful sense of timing.

Jason also appeared in variety shows in support of stars such as Dick Emery, and his performances caught the attention of Ronnie Barker, who was soon to become a mentor to Jason. In 1969 Jason was recruited to appear in Hark At Barker, starring Ronnie Barker as Lord Rustless, as Dithers, the hundred-year old gardener. There was also a sequel, His Lordship Entertains. In 1973 he played junior employee Granville in the first programme of the comedy anthology Seven of One, called Open All Hours and starring Barker as the miserly proprietor of a corner shop. Four series of Open All Hours were subsequently made from 1976 to 1985. He also featured in Barker's Porridge, a prison-based comedy, as Blanco. He also took the lead role in ITV sitcom A Sharp Intake Of Breath.

In 1974, Jason also played the part of the inept spy Edgar Briggs in the television comedy series The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs, long before the time of spoof spy thrillers such as Austin Powers and Johnny English.

In the 1970s he also acted in radio comedies, including Week Ending (in which he regularly satirised such figures as then UK Foreign Secretary Dr David Owen) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (as the "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode).