Lieutenant Hubert Gruber
| Lieutenant Hubert Gruber | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First appearance | Pilot: The British Are Coming |
| Last appearance |
A Winkle in Time The Return of 'Allo 'Allo! |
| Portrayed by | Guy Siner |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Lieutenant |
| Nationality |
 German |
Lieutenant Hubert Gruber, generally known only as Lieutenant Gruber, is a fictional character from the British sitcom series 'Allo 'Allo! and is portrayed by Guy Siner.
Gruber is the aide-de-camp to General Von Klinkerhoffen, and lives in the local château. Later he also becomes the unofficial assistant of Colonel Von Strohm, after Captain Hans Geering goes missing in Series 3.
Gruber is an Oberleutnant in the Panzer division in the Wehrmacht (evidenced by the rose-pink piping on his uniform and single gilt star on the silver epaulette), although in very early episodes he wears the rank of Lieutenant. He is the recipient of the Iron Cross 1st Class, Iron Cross 2nd Class, War Merit Cross 2nd Class, with Swords, Eastern Front Medal, General Assault Badge and the Wehrmacht Long Service Award.
He has an armoured car, which he often refers to as "my little tank" and is driven by the unseen character "Clarence". The vehicle resembles a Leichter Panzerspähwagen, either the SdKfz. 222 or a modified Russian BA-64.
Gruber comes from Baden-Baden. He attended art school in his youth, but was expelled (just after they had done fish). Prior to the war, he worked as a window dresser, and as an assistant in an art gallery in Cologne. Later his artistic talent comes useful, when he is ordered by Colonel Von Strohm to make copies of the Fallen Madonna by Van Klomp (or "The Fallen Madonna With The Big Boobies"), and the Vase With Twelve Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh (referred also as "The Cracked Vase With The Big Daisies").
In the final episode, in the scene that takes place after the war is over, Gruber is revealed to have married Helga and fathered six children with her. He has become a successful art dealer, owns an international auction house and employs Colonel von Strohm as his driver.
Sexual orientation
Gruber never admitted his sexuality, though his mannerisms and characteristics are those of a stereotypical gay male who has an obvious crush on René. He often finds René in embarrassing situations, for example by walking into a room and catching René in his underpants.
Nevertheless, in the last episode of the series, we discover that Lieutenant Gruber has married Helga, with whom he has had six children after the war, and he is a wealthy art salesman. He hired his former superior Colonel Von Strohm as his chauffeur. This marriage led to confusion as to whether he was really homosexual or if he pretended in order to obtain vital information from both allies and enemies without creating any suspicions to either party. However, in The Return of 'Allo 'Allo!, it was specifically made clear that Gruber was intended to be gay, even though it's shown in the last episode that he could also maintain a relationship with a woman.