John Inman

2022-10-01T05:14:51Z

2603:9001:6501:B29A:F9E9:871E:5EC:ED0B: /* Later years */Grammatical correction. No vandalism intended.

{{short description|English actor (1935–2007)}}
{{for|the golfer|John Inman (golfer)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name = John Inman
| image = JohnInman.jpg
| caption = Inman as [[Mr. Humphries]] in ''[[Are You Being Served?]]''
| birth_name = Frederick John Inman
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|6|28|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Preston, Lancashire]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|3|8|1935|6|28|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Paddington]], London, England
| restingplace =
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1948–2004
| nationality = British
| education = Claridge House
| partner = Ron Lynch (1972–2007)
| television = ''[[Odd Man Out (British TV series)|Odd Man Out]]''<br>''[[Are You Being Served?]]''<br>''[[Take a Letter, Mr. Jones]]''<br>''[[Grace & Favour]]''
| website = }}
'''Frederick John Inman''' (28 June 1935 – 8 March 2007) was an English actor and singer best known for his role as [[Mr. Humphries]] in ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'', a [[British sitcom]] between 1972 and 1985, and was the only actor from that series to feature in the [[Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)|Australian Version]].

In 1976, Inman was named both BBC TV Personality of the Year and ''TV Times'' readers' Funniest Man on Television.<ref name="independent">[http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2341312.ece Obituary] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070605095826/http://news.independent.co.uk/people/obituaries/article2341312.ece |date= 5 June 2007 }}, ''[[The Independent]]'', 9 March 2007</ref> He was also a well-known character actor in the United Kingdom as a [[pantomime dame]].

==Early life==
Inman was born in June 1935 in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]], Lancashire,<ref name="I'm Free!">{{cite news|title=I'm Free! – The Complete ''Are You Being Served?''|first=Richard|last=Webber|publisher=[[Orion Publishing Group|Orion Books]]|year=1999}}</ref> and was often said to be a cousin of actress [[Josephine Tewson]], though she denied they are related. (They did, however, play half-siblings in the 1977 sitcom ''Odd Man Out''). At the age of 12, Inman moved with his parents to [[Blackpool]] where his mother ran a [[boarding house]], while his father owned a hairdressing business.<ref name="I'm Free!"/> As a child, he enjoyed [[dressmaking]].<ref name="times">[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1490146.ece Obituary], ''[[The Times]]'', 9 March 2007</ref><ref name="independent"/> He was educated at Cambridge House in Preston, and then a [[secondary modern school]].<ref name="times"/> Inman always wanted to be an actor, and his parents paid for him to have [[elocution]] lessons at the local church hall.<ref name="I'm Free!"/> At the age of 13 he made his stage debut in the Pavilion on Blackpool's [[South Pier, Blackpool|South Pier]], in a melodrama entitled ''Freda''.<ref name="I'm Free!"/> Aged 15, he took a job at the pier, making tea, clearing up and playing parts in plays.<ref name="Telegraph"/>

After leaving school, Inman worked for two years at Fox's, a gentlemen's outfitters in Blackpool, specialising in [[window dressing]].<ref name="times"/> Aged 17, he moved to London to join retailer [[Austin Reed (retailer)|Austin Reed]] in [[Regent Street]].<ref name="I'm Free!"/> Four years later, he left Austin Reed to become a scenic artist with [[Kenneth Kendall]]'s touring company at a theatre in [[Crewe]],<ref name="independent"/> so that he could earn his [[Equity (trade union)|Equity Card]],<ref name="I'm Free!"/> required at the time for professional actors.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0037988.html |title=Encyclopaedia Search – Closed Shop |publisher=[[Tiscali]] |year=2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090210133340/http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/encyclopaedia/hutchinson/m0037988.html |archive-date=10 February 2009 }}</ref>

==Theatre career==
Inman made his [[West End theatre|West End]] debut in the 1960s when he appeared in ''[[Ann Veronica]]'' at the [[Cambridge Theatre]].<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/03/08/db0803.xml|title=Obituary – John Inman|first=Charles|last=Moore|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 March 2007 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He appeared as the pop singer Willie in Dennis Spencer's ''What a Racket'' at [[Palace Theatre, Manchester|Manchester's Palace Theatre]] in December 1963<ref>John O'Callaghan 'What a Racket' London Guardian 3 December 1963 p. 7</ref> and appeared in Paula Stone's ''How Now Brown Cow'' at the [[Lyric Theatre (Hammersmith)|Lyric Theatre]], Hammersmith, in late 1965.<ref>Philip Hope-Wallace, 'How Now Brown Cow' London Guardian 5 November 1965 p. 9</ref> By 1975, his television fame was such that he was also a starring attraction in the long-running ''Let's Get Laid'' at London's [[Windmill Theatre]].<ref>'Let's Get Laid' London Guardian 30 May 1975 p. 6</ref> The same year he appeared in ''[[Salad Days (musical)|Salad Days]]'' at the Windmill, and as Lord Fancourt Babberley in ''[[Charley's Aunt]]'' at the [[Adelphi Theatre]] in 1979.

During the sixties, Inman won a reputation alongside [[Barry Howard]] as one of the most celebrated Ugly Sister acts in pantomime<ref name="independent"/> and throughout later years established himself as one of the country's best-loved [[pantomime dame|dames]] in such familiar pantomimes as ''Mother Goose'', ''Babes in the Wood'', ''Aladdin'' and ''Jack and the Beanstalk''.<ref name="BBC Obituary">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6430147.stm|title=Obituary: John Inman|publisher=BBC|date=8 March 2007}}</ref> His other stage appearances included many summer shows and his own show, ''Fancy Free'', and ''Pyjama Tops'', ''[[My Fat Friend]]'' and ''Bedside Manners''.

==Television and film career==
Inman made his television debut in 1965 in the sitcom ''A Slight Case Of...'' titled ''The Enemy Within''. In 1966, he appeared in two episodes of the BBC sitcom ''[[Hugh and I]]''. In 1970, he acted in one episode of the ITV sitcom ''[[Two in Clover]]''. In 1972, he was asked by [[David Croft (TV producer)|David Croft]] to play a part in a ''[[Comedy Playhouse]]'' pilot called ''[[List of Are You Being Served? episodes#Pilot (1972)|Are You Being Served?]]''.<ref name="I'm Free!"/> This was a sitcom set in a [[department store]], written by Croft with [[Jeremy Lloyd]], and based on the latter's experiences working at [[Simpsons of Piccadilly]].<ref name="times"/> Playing a minor role with only a few lines, he was soon asked to "camp it up",<ref name="times"/><ref name="Telegraph"/> despite initial reluctance from the BBC to include such a [[camp (style)|camp]] character. The pilot was broadcast in September 1972. The broadcast was followed by the five episodes of the [[List of Are You Being Served? episodes#Series One (1973)|first series]] in early 1973. The first series was scheduled opposite ''[[Coronation Street]]'' on ITV and attracted little attention, though repeats later that year proved very successful.<ref name="times"/>

Inman played the sharp-tongued sales assistant [[List of Are You Being Served? characters#Mr. Wilberforce Clayborne Humphries|Mr Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries]] and his earlier career in the clothes retail business was good preparation for this role in a menswear department. Inman developed a characteristic limp-wristed mincing walk,<ref name="independent"/> and a high-pitched [[catchphrase]], "I'm free!", which soon entered popular culture.<ref name="BBC News">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6429425.stm|title=Comedy actor Inman dies aged 71|publisher=BBC|date=8 March 2007}}</ref> Inman reported that four or five members of the group [[Campaign for Homosexual Equality]] picketed one of his shows in protest as they believed his persona did not help their cause. Inman said: "They thought I was over exaggerating the gay character. But I don't think I do. In fact there are people far more camp than Mr. Humphries walking around this country. Anyway, I know for a fact that an enormous number of viewers like Mr. Humphries don't really care whether he's camp or not. So far from doing harm to the homosexual image, I feel I might be doing some good."<ref name="TV Week"/> Both Inman and David Croft stated that the character was "just a mother's boy", and that his sexual orientation was never explicitly stated.<ref name="I'm Free!"/> Inman continued to play in live shows after his success as Mr. Humphries, and began to incorporate camp mannerisms to those performances too, once saying "Even when I'm not playing Mr Humphries, say at a summer season, I camp it up a bit. If I don't the audience are disappointed".<ref name="TV Week">Shann, Rosalie. "His Biggest Fans are Adoring Women", ''[[TV Week]]'', 27 January 1980, p. 13.</ref>

''Are You Being Served?'' ran for 10 series until 1985. At its peak in 1979 it attracted British audiences of 22 million viewers<ref name="independent"/> while Inman's portrayal of Mr Humphries made him a household name. The series also became popular in the United States, where Inman became a gay cultural icon.<ref name="Telegraph"/> Once, in San Francisco, a passing cyclist spotted Inman and fell off his bicycle in surprise, crying "Mr Humphries, I love you!"<ref name="Telegraph"/>

Between 1975 and 1977 [[DJM Records]] released five singles by Inman, usually in character as Mr Humphries.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.45cat.com/artist/john-inman | title=John Inman Discography - UK - 45cat }}</ref> "Are You Being Served, Sir?" reached number 39 in the [[UK singles chart]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/are-you-being-served-sir_qum_/ | title=Are you being served sir? | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company | website=[[Official Charts Company|Official Charts]] }}</ref> He released an LP of the same name, and two further albums: ''I'm Free'' in 1977 and ''With a Bit of Brass'' in 1978. His
single "[[Teddy Bears' Picnic]]" was regularly playlisted on [[BBC Radio 1]]/[[BBC Radio 2|2]] Saturday morning children's show ''[[Ed Stewart]]'s [[Junior Choice]]'' in the late 1970s and included on the show's official BBC soundtrack album.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/Various-Ed-Stewarts-Junior-Choice/release/1071634 | title=Various – ed Stewart's Junior Choice| website=[[Discogs]]}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1981, Inman also played Mr Humphries in the [[Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)|Australian version]] of ''Are You Being Served?'', the only cast member of the original British series to do so. He made many appearances on BBC TV's long-running television show, ''[[The Good Old Days (UK TV series)|The Good Old Days]]''.

During the 69-episode, 13-year run of ''Are You Being Served?'', Inman also appeared in the [[Are You Being Served? (film)|1977 film]] of the series, in which the characters visited the fictional Spanish holiday resort of "Costa Plonka." In ''[[Odd Man Out (British TV series)|Odd Man Out]]'' (1977), his own sitcom, Inman played the owner of a [[fish and chip shop]] who inherits half of a [[Rock (confectionery)|rock]] factory; and ''[[Take a Letter, Mr. Jones]]'' (1981), a sitcom in which Inman played Graham Jones, who is secretary to [[Rula Lenska]]'s character Joan Warner.

He made a cameo appearance in the film ''[[The Tall Guy]]'' (1989), and was one of five of the ''Are You Being Served?'' cast to be reunited in character for the sitcom ''[[Grace & Favour]]'' (titled ''Are You Being Served? Again!'' in the United States), which ran for twelve episodes in 1992 and 1993. Inman had a small part as Lady Capulet in the film ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' (1998) and appeared in the 1999 ''[[French and Saunders]]'' Christmas special. He appeared as Father Chinwag in the film ''The Mumbo Jumbo'' (2000).

==Later years==

Inman toured Australia, starring in a number of productions including ''Bedside Manners'' (2003) and a revival of ''Are You Being Served?'' (2001) as a stage show at [[Twelfth Night Theatre]], [[Brisbane]]. In 2004, he made additional television appearances in ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' and ''Revolver''.

He lived in a [[mews]] house in [[Little Venice]] in central London for 30 years.<ref name="times"/> On 23 December 2005, Inman entered into a [[Civil partnerships in the United Kingdom|civil partnership]] at [[City of Westminster|Westminster]] [[Register office]] with his partner of 33 years, Ron Lynch.<ref name="Telegraph"/>

Inman suffered from poor health in his later years. He was hospitalised with [[bronchitis]] in 1993, and collapsed on stage in 1995.<ref name="guardian">[https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,,2029399,00.html Obituary], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 8 March 2007</ref> He was admitted to [[Paddington]]'s [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital]] in 2001 after suffering breathing difficulties and spent three days in intensive care.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1139911.stm|title=Health scare for sitcom star Inman|publisher=BBC|date=27 January 2001}}</ref>

In December 2004, Inman was forced to cancel an appearance in a pantomime as he was suffering from a [[hepatitis A]] infection, contracted from contaminated food.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4082691.stm|title=Actor Inman admitted to hospital|publisher=BBC|date=9 December 2004}}</ref>

Inman died early in the morning of 8 March 2007, aged 71, at [[St Mary's Hospital, London|St Mary's Hospital, Paddington, London]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-1254767,00.html|title=John Inman dies, aged 71|publisher=[[Sky News]]|date=8 March 2007}}</ref> of an infection.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/03/09/1173166932703.html|title=John Inman dies|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=9 March 2007|access-date=20 January 2012}}</ref> His body was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]] after a funeral on 23 March 2007.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6486811.stm|title=Stars say goodbye to John Inman|publisher=BBC|date=23 March 2007}}</ref> Inman left nearly his entire estate, valued at more than £2.8M, to his civil partner Ron Lynch. The only other portion of his estate given to another, was a £5,000 bequest to the [[Royal Variety Charity|Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund]].{{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

== Filmography ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1965 || ''A Slight Case of...'' || – || Episode: "The Enemy Within"
|-
|1966 || ''[[Hugh and I]]'' || – || 2 episodes
|-
|1970 || ''[[Two in Clover]]'' || Bowler || 1 episode
|-
|1972–1985 || ''[[Are You Being Served?]]'' || [[Mr. Humphries]] || 69 episodes
|-
|1977 || ''[[Odd Man Out (British TV series)|Odd Man Out]]'' || Neville Sutcliffe || 7 episodes
|-
|1977 || ''[[Are You Being Served? (film)|Are You Being Served?]]'' || Mr. Humphries || Film based on UK TV series
|-
|1980–1981 || ''[[Are You Being Served? (Australian TV series)|Are You Being Served?]]'' || [[Mr. Humphries]] || 16 episodes - Australian adaptation
|-
|1981 || ''[[Take a Letter, Mr. Jones]]'' || Graham Jones || 6 episodes
|-
|1989 || ''[[The Tall Guy]]'' || John Inman ||
|-
|1989 || ''[[Family Fortunes]]'' || Fanny the Ugly Sister || 1 episode
|-
|1992–1993 || ''[[Grace & Favour]]'' || [[Mr. Humphries]] || 12 episodes
|-
|1995 || ''Call up the Stars'' || Frank Randle || TV Movie
|-
|1998 || ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' || Lady Capulet in play || Uncredited
|-
|1999 || ''[[French and Saunders]]'' || Darth Sid || 1 episode
|-
|2000 || ''Full Mountie'' || Tailor || 1 episode
|-
|2000 || ''The Mumbo Jumbo'' || Father Chinwag ||
|-
|2004 || ''Revolver'' || The Antiques Dealer || 5 episodes
|-
|2004 || ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' || Teddy || Episode: "Intolerance", (final appearance)
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0409132}}
*{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/articles/a/areyoubeingserve_7770355.shtml|title=Are You Being Served?|first=Mark|last=Lewisohn|publisher=BBC|year=2003}}
* [http://downstairslounge.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/john-inman-free-to-a-good-home/ John Inman – I'm Free]
* {{Discogs artist|John Inman}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Inman, John}}
[[Category:1935 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male soap opera actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English gay actors]]
[[Category:Deaths from hepatitis]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in England]]
[[Category:Pantomime dames]]
[[Category:Entertainers from Preston, Lancashire]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:21st-century English comedians]]
[[Category:British male comedy actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Lancashire]]
[[Category:LGBT singers from the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Actors from Preston, Lancashire]]

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John Inman