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John Laurie

2022-07-21T20:04:42Z

2A02:C7C:5139:6B00:B1C4:25C0:BBD6:61F4:

{{about||the Canadian mountain|Mount John Laurie|the soldier and political figure in Nova Scotia and England|John Wimburn Laurie|the English Baronet and cricketer|Emilius Bayley|the South African cricketer|John Laurie (cricketer)}}
{{short description|Scottish actor (1897–1980)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox person
|name=John Laurie
|image=John Laurie Dads Army.jpg
|caption=Laurie as [[Private Frazer]] in ''[[Dad's Army]]''
|birthname=John Paton Laurie
|birth_date={{Birth date |1897|3|25|df=y}}
|birth_place=[[Dumfries]], [[Dumfriesshire]], Scotland
|death_date={{Death date and age|1980|6|23|1897|3|25|df=y}}
|death_place=[[Chalfont St Peter]], [[Buckinghamshire]], England<ref>GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1980 19 1081 CHILTERN/B - John Paton Laurie, DoB = 25 Mar 1897</ref>
|years_active=1922–1979
|occupation=Actor
|spouse={{marriage|Florence May Saunders|1925|1926|end=died}}, {{marriage|Oonah Veronica Todd-Naylor|1928}}
|children=1
}}
'''John Paton Laurie''' (25 March 1897 – 23 June 1980) was a Scottish actor. In the course of his career, Laurie performed on the stage and in films as well as television. He is perhaps best remembered for his role in the sitcom ''[[Dad's Army]]'' (1968-1977) as [[Private Frazer]] a member of the [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]].<ref>{{cite web|title=John Laurie|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Laurie|website=Encyclopaedia Britannica|access-date=29 April 2018}}</ref> Laurie appeared in scores of feature films with directors such as [[Alfred Hitchcock]], [[Michael Powell]], and [[Laurence Olivier]], generally playing memorable small or supporting roles rather than leading ones. As a stage actor, he was cast in Shakespearean roles and was a speaker of verse, especially of [[Robert Burns]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/john-laurie/id111618425|title=iTunes - Music - John Laurie|work=apple.com|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref>

==Early life==
John Paton Laurie was born on 25 March 1897 in [[Dumfries]], [[Dumfriesshire]]<ref name=bfi>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f466080|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711152857/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f466080|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-11|title=John Laurie|work=BFI|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref> to William Laurie (1856–1903), a clerk in a tweed mill and later a hatter and hosier, and Jessie Ann Laurie (''née'' Brown; 1858–1935). Laurie attended [[Dumfries Academy]] (a grammar school at the time), before abandoning a career in [[architecture]] to serve in the First World War as a member of the [[Honourable Artillery Company]]. Upon his demobilisation, he trained to become an actor under [[Elsie Fogerty]] at the [[Central School of Speech and Drama]], then based at the [[Royal Albert Hall]], [[London]] and first acted on stage in 1921.<ref>V&A, Theatre and Performance Special Collections, Elsie Fogerty Archive, THM/324</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/449038/index.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Laurie, John (1897-1980) Biography|work=screenonline.org.uk|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref>

==Acting career==
A prolific [[Shakespearean]] actor, Laurie made his first appearance on the [[London]] stage in 1922 at the [[The Old Vic|Old Vic]] where he played many leading roles.<ref>{{Cite web|title=John Laurie {{!}} Scottish actor|url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Laurie|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en}}</ref> Soon after joining the [[The Old Vic|Old Vic]] Laurie became involved with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] where he played such roles as [[Richard III (play)|Richard III]], [[Othello]] and [[Macbeth]]. In only his second season with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] Laurie got the chance to play [[Hamlet]], which was almost unheard of for someone with such little experience. Laurie later said that he believed that his performance of the role was the definitive version, saying ‘That’s the way to play Hamlet, don’t wait too long, like some of the boys are doing today.’<ref>{{Cite book|title=Interview with John Laurie|publisher=DAAS|year=2005|pages=12}}</ref>

On radio, he created the role of John the Baptist in [[Dorothy L Sayers]]' cycle of plays ''[[The Man Born to Be King]]'', and reprised the role in two further versions of the cycle. Laurie also played the part of MacDuff in a radio adaptation of "[[Macbeth]]", with [[Ralph Richardson]] playing the title role.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1973|title=Macbeth: a broadcast version of Shakespeare's tragedy will be given on Sunday afternoon|journal=Radio Times 50th Anniversary Souvenir 1923-1973|type=The page in the souvenir is a reproduction from the original journal, which was published in March 1933|publisher=BBC|pages=32}}</ref>

{{Quote box|quoted=true|salign=right|width=200px|align=right|quote=I’ve played every part in Shakespeare, I was considered to be the finest Hamlet of the twenties and I had retired, and now I’m famous for doing this crap.|source=John Laurie comment on ''Dad's Army'' recalled by [[Ian Lavender]].<ref name="BirminghamPress">[http://www.thebirminghampress.com/2013/02/22/local-hero-ian-lavender-talks-to-the-press/ Ian Lavender Birmingham Press Interview] Retrieved 10 March 2013</ref>}}
Laurie's first film was the 1930 film ''[[Juno and the Paycock (film)|Juno and the Paycock]]'', which was directed by [[Alfred Hitchcock]]. Hitchcock did not forget Laurie and cast him in the role of John the Crofter in what would become the actor's breakthrough third film, ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]'' in 1935. Laurie had first met [[Laurence Olivier]] at the [[The Old Vic|Old Vic]] and went on to make their first film appearance together in the 1936 adaptation of ''[[As You Like It (1936 film)|As You Like It]].'' Laurie went on to appear in Olivier's three Shakespearean films, ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]'' (1944), ''[[Hamlet (1948 film)|Hamlet]]'' (1948), and ''[[Richard III (1955 film)|Richard III]]'' (1955).<ref>{{cite web|author=Hal Erickson|title=John Laurie - Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos - AllMovie|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-laurie-p40812|access-date=2016-01-11|work=AllMovie}}</ref> During the [[Second World War]], Laurie served in the [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]], experience that would be useful for later projects.<ref>{{cite web|author=Matt Goddard|date=14 November 2012|title=Dad's Army uncovered: 35 things you need to know about the BBC comedy classic|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/dads-army-uncovered-35-things-1435233|work=mirror}}</ref> Other roles included Peter Manson in [[Michael Powell]]'s ''[[The Edge of the World]]'' (1937), Clive Candy's batman in [[Powell and Pressburger]]'s ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]'' (1943), a gardener in ''[[Medal for the General]]'' (1944), the farmer recruit in ''[[The Way Ahead]]'' (1944), and the brothel proprietor in ''[[Fanny by Gaslight (film)|Fanny by Gaslight]]'' (1944). In the film ''[[I Know Where I'm Going!]]'' (1945), another Powell and Pressburger production, Laurie had a small speaking part in a [[céilidh]] sequence for which he was also credited as an adviser. In the next decade, he played the psychiatrist Dr. James Garsten in ''[[Mine Own Executioner]]'' (1947), the repugnant Pew in Disney's ''[[Treasure Island (1950 film)|Treasure Island]]'' (1950), Angus in ''[[Pandora and the Flying Dutchman]]'' (1951), and Dr. MacFarlane in ''[[Hobson's Choice (1954 film)|Hobson's Choice]]'' (1954).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/john-laurie-p40812/filmography|title=John Laurie - Movies and Filmography - AllMovie|work=AllMovie|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref>

Laurie's role as Private Frazer, the gaunt-faced, intense, pessimistic [[undertaker]], and British [[Home Guard (United Kingdom)|Home Guard]] soldier in the sitcom ''[[Dad's Army]]'' (1968–1977) remains his best known TV role.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/dadsarmy/5247.shtml|title=BBC - Archive - Dad's Army at 40 - Letter from John Laurie|work=bbc.co.uk|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref> ''Dad’s Army'' co-star [[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] noted in his autobiography that Laurie had ‘a sort of love-hate relationship with the show’, as despite earning him a lot a money he felt that a sitcom was beneath him.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Williams|first=Frank|title=Vicar To Dad’s Army the Frank Williams Story|publisher=Canterbury Press|year=2002|isbn=1-85311-494-4|location=Norwich|pages=127}}</ref> Laurie had also gained a reputation on set for being somewhat of a pessimist, Graham McCann said in his book ''Dad’s Army: The Story of a Very British Comedy'', said: “John Laurie was cantankerous, he was rather mischievous, he was someone who enjoyed playing a kind of a professional pessimist.”<ref>{{Cite web|last=Williams|first=Lauren|date=2021-08-31|title=Dad’s Army's John Laurie and Arnold Ridley historic rivalry exposed ‘Different characters’|url=https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1484653/Dads-Army-rivalry-John-Laurie-Arnold-Ridley|access-date=2021-09-01|website=Express.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> He featured in many British series of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s including ''[[Tales of Mystery]]'', ''[[Dr. Finlay's Casebook (TV & radio)|Doctor Finlay's Casebook]]'', and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/john-laurie/|title=John Laurie|publisher=CBS Interactive|work=TV.com|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref>

Laurie starred as Mad Peter in the [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer]] film ''[[The Reptile]]'' (1966), and later appeared in ''[[The Abominable Dr. Phibes]]'' (1971), the Disney film ''[[One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing]]'' (1975), and ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1979 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]'' (1979).<ref name=bfi/> One of his last appearances was in ''[[The Edge of the World|Return to the Edge of the World]]'' (1978), in which Michael Powell revisited his film of forty years before.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/521156/|title=BFI Screenonline: Return to the Edge of the World (1978)|work=screenonline.org.uk|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref> Laurie's final work was in the [[BBC Radio 2]] comedy series ''Tony's'' (1979) along with [[Victor Spinetti]] and [[Deborah Watling]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/cxkv2/tonys--series-1---1-putting-on-the-style|title=Tony's|work=RadioTimes|access-date=2016-01-11}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Laurie was married twice; his first wife, Florence May Saunders, whom he had met at the [[Old Vic]], died from [[meningitis]] in 1926. His second wife was Oonah Veronica Todd-Naylor, who survived him. Together they had a daughter, Veronica (1939–2022).

==Death==

Laurie died aged 83 from [[emphysema]] in the Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital, [[Chalfont St Peter]].<ref>''The Times'', death notice, 25 June 1980</ref> His widow Oonah (1901–1990) died ten years later. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| 1930
| ''[[Juno and the Paycock (film)|Juno and the Paycock]]''
| Johnny Boyle
|
|-
| 1934
| ''[[Red Ensign (film)|Red Ensign]]''
| Forsyth
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1935
| ''[[The 39 Steps (1935 film)|The 39 Steps]]''
| John the crofter
|
|-
| ''[[Her Last Affaire]]''
| Robb
|
|-
| ''[[Tudor Rose (film)|Tudor Rose]]''
| John Knox
| Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="3"| 1936
| ''[[Born That Way (film)|Born That Way]]''
| Mc Tavish
|
|-
| ''[[East Meets West (1936 film)|East Meets West]]''
| Dr. Fergusson
|
|-
| ''[[As You Like It (1936 film)|As You Like It]]''
| Oliver
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| 1937
| ''[[The Windmill (1937 film)|The Windmill]]''
| Mons. Coutard
|
|-
| ''[[Farewell Again]]''
| Private McAllister
|
|-
| ''[[Jericho (1937 film)|Jericho]]''
| Hassan
| Also known as ''Dark Sands''
|-
| ''[[The Edge of the World]]''
| Peter Manson
|
|-
| ''[[There Was a Young Man]]''
| Stranger
|
|-
| rowspan="6"|1938
| ''The Duchess of Malfi''
| Ferdinand of Aragon
| TV
|-
| ''[[The Claydon Treasure Mystery]]''
| Wilson - the Valet
| Uncredited
|-
| ''White Secret''
| MacDonald
| TV
|-
| ''[[A Royal Divorce (1938 film)|A Royal Divorce]]''
| Joseph Bonaparte
|
|-
| ''The Last Voyage of Captain Grant''
| Captain Grant
| TV
|-
| ''[[The Ware Case (1938 film)|The Ware Case]]''
| Henson, the gamekeeper
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1939
| ''Mary Rose''
| Cameron
| TV
|-
| ''Bees on the Boat-Deck''
| Gaster
| TV
|-
| ''[[Q Planes]]''
| Newspaper Editor
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[The Four Feathers (1939 film)|The Four Feathers]]''
| The Khalifa
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1940
| ''[[Laugh It Off (1940 film)|Laugh It Off]]''
| Jock
|
|-
| ''[[Convoy (1940 film)|Convoy]]''
| Gates
|
|-
| ''[[Sailors Three]]''
| McNab
|
|-
| rowspan="3"|1941
| ''[[The Ghost of St. Michael's]]''
| Jamie
|
|-
| ''[[Old Mother Riley's Ghosts]]''
| McAdam
|
|-
| ''[[Dangerous Moonlight]]''
| Wing Commander
|
|-
| 1942
| ''[[Ships with Wings]]''
| Lt. Comdr. Reid
|
|-
| rowspan="5"|1943
| ''[[The Gentle Sex]]''
| Alexander Balfour, Scots corporal
|
|-
| ''[[The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp]]''
| Murdoch
|
|-
| ''[[The Demi-Paradise]]''
| British Sailor
|
|-
| ''[[The Lamp Still Burns]]''
| Mr. Hervey
|
|-
| ''[[The New Lot]]''
| Harry Fyfe
| Short, Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="5"|1944
| ''[[Fanny by Gaslight (film)|Fanny by Gaslight]]''
| William Hopwood
|
|-
| ''[[The Way Ahead]]''
| Pvt. Luke
|
|-
| ''[[Medal for the General]]''
| McNab
|
|-
| ''[[Henry V (1944 film)|Henry V]]''
| Jamy
|
|-
| ''Men of Rochdale''
| Mr. Ferguson
| Short
|-
| rowspan="6"|1945
| ''[[The World Owes Me a Living]]''
| Matthews
|
|-
| ''[[Great Day (1945 film)|Great Day]]''
| Scottish sergeant
|
|-
| ''[[The Agitator]]''
| Tom Tetley
|
|-
| ''[[I Know Where I'm Going!]]''
| John Campbell
|
|-
| ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (film)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]''
| 1st. Auxiliary Sentinel
|
|-
| ''Read All About It''
| John
| Short, Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="4"|1946
| ''[[Gaiety George]]''
| MacTavish
|
|-
| ''Jeannie''
| Father
| TV
|-
| ''Two Gentlemen of Soho''
| Sneak
| TV
|-
| ''[[School for Secrets]]''
| Dr. Jock McVitie
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1947
| ''[[The Brothers (1947 film)|The Brothers]]''
| Dugald McLeod / Alistair MacDonald
|
|-
| ''[[Jassy (film)|Jassy]]''
| Tom Woodroofe
|
|-
| ''[[Uncle Silas (film)|Uncle Silas]]''
| Giles
|
|-
| ''[[Mine Own Executioner]]''
| Dr. James Garsten
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1948
| ''[[Hamlet (1948 film)|Hamlet]]''
| Francisco
|
|-
| ''[[Bonnie Prince Charlie (1948 film)|Bonnie Prince Charlie]]''
| Blind Jamie
|
|-
| 1949
| ''[[Floodtide]]''
| Joe Drummond
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1950
| ''[[Madeleine (1950 film)|Madeleine]]''
| Scots Divine
| Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Treasure Island (1950 film)|Treasure Island]]''
| Blind Pew
|
|-
| ''[[Trio (film)|Trio]]''
| Mr. Campbell
| (segment "Sanatorium")
|-
| ''[[No Trace (1950 film)|No Trace]]''
| Inspector MacDougall
|
|-
| rowspan="4"|1951
| ''[[Pandora and the Flying Dutchman]]''
| Angus
|
|-
| ''[[Happy Go Lovely]]''
| Jonskill
|
|-
| ''[[Laughter in Paradise]]''
| Gordon Webb
|
|-
| ''[[Encore (1951 film)|Encore]]''
| Andrews, Engineer
| (segment "Winter Cruise")
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1952
| ''[[Saturday Island]]''
| Grimshaw
|
|-
| ''[[Tread Softly (1952 film)|Tread Softly]]''
| Angus McDonald
|
|-
| ''Too Many Detectives''
| rowspan="2"| Edward Potter
| Short
|-
| ''Potter of the Yard''
| Short
|-
| rowspan="8"|1953
| ''[[The Great Game (1953 film)|The Great Game]]''
| Mac Wells
|
|-
| ''Captain Brassbound's Conversion''
| Rankin
| TV
|-
| ''Henry V''
| Pistol
| TV
|-
| ''[[The Fake (1953 film)|The Fake]]''
| Henry Mason
|
|-
| ''[[Johnny on the Run]]''
| Policeman
|
|-
| ''[[Strange Stories (film)|Strange Stories]]''
| Mr. Bartleby
|
|-
| ''Mr. Beamish Goes South''
| Edward Potter
| Short
|-
| ''[[Love in Pawn]]''
| McCutcheon
|
|-
| rowspan="5"|1954
| ''[[Hobson's Choice (1954 film)|Hobson's Choice]]''
| Dr. McFarlane
|
|-
| ''Calling Scotland Yard: The Sable Scarf''
|
| Short
|-
| ''[[Devil Girl from Mars]]''
| "Jamie" Jamieson
|
|-
| ''[[The Black Knight (film)|The Black Knight]]''
| James, the servant
|
|-
| ''Destination Milan''
| Walter McHarry
|
|-
| 1955
| ''[[Richard III (1955 film)|Richard III]]''
| Lovel
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1956
| ''Festival Fever''
| Annie's father
| TV
|-
| ''A Day of Grace''
| Uncle Henry
| Short
|-
| rowspan="2"|1957
| ''Murder Reported''
| Mac North - Editor
|
|-
| ''[[Campbell's Kingdom]]''
| Mac
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1958
| ''[[Next to No Time]]''
| Abercrombie, Scottish Director
|
|-
| ''[[Rockets Galore!]]''
| Capt. MacKechnie
| Uncredited
|-
| 1960
| ''[[Kidnapped (1960 film)|Kidnapped]]''
| Ebenezer Balfour
|
|-
| rowspan="2"|1961
| ''[[Don't Bother to Knock (1961 film)|Don't Bother to Knock]]''
| Taxi Driver
|
|-
| ''One Way Pendulum''
| Judge
| TV
|-
| rowspan="2"|1963
| ''[[Siege of the Saxons]]''
| [[Merlin]]
|
|-
| ''[[Ladies Who Do]]''
| Dr. MacGregor
|
|-
| 1964
| ''Eagle Rock''
| Mr. McTavish
| Voice
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Reptile]]''
| Mad Peter
|
|-
| 1967
| ''[[Mister Ten Per Cent]]''
| The Scotsman
|
|-
| 1970
| ''Step Laughing Into the Grave''
|
| TV
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1971
| ''[[Dad's Army (1971 film)|Dad's Army]]''
| [[Private Frazer]]
|
|-
| ''[[The Abominable Dr. Phibes]]''
| Darrow
|
|-
| 1974
| ''Charles Dickens' World of Christmas''
|
| TV
|-
| 1975
| ''[[One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing]]''
| Jock
|
|-
| 1976
| ''Crime Casebook''
| George Winterman / Sellens
| Short
|-
| 1979
| ''[[The Prisoner of Zenda (1979 film)|The Prisoner of Zenda]]''
| Archbishop
| (final film role)
|}

==Partial television credits==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Notes
|-
| rowspan=3 | 1938
| ''The Duchess Of Malfi''<ref name=RT746>{{Radio Times| genome=Y| id=89fab718284f49ee90dc8493f0abc73b| title=The Duchess Of Malfi| date=17 jan 1938| volume= 58| issue=746| p=17| network=[[BBC Television#Early years (before 1939)|BBC Television]]}}</ref>
| Ferdinand of Aragon
| Single drama
|-
| ''The Last Voyage of Captain Grant''<ref name=RT788>{{Radio Times| genome=Y| id=3a7ebf391a1d4d1ebc1f5d7b6016ebfd| title=The Last Voyage of Captain Grant| date=9 nov 1938| volume= 61| issue=788| p=18| network=[[BBC Television#Early years (before 1939)|BBC Television]]}}</ref>
| Captain Grant
| Single drama
|-
| ''Mary Rose''<ref name=RT796>{{Radio Times| genome=Y| id=0c69512f37c44bf8a8fde2d8a7e48205| title=Mary Rose| date=30 dec 1938| volume= 61| issue=796| p=16| network=[[BBC Television#Early years (before 1939)|BBC Television]]}}</ref>
| Cameron
| Single drama
|-
| 1939
| ''Bees on the Boat-Deck''<ref name=RT798>{{Radio Times| genome=Y| id=e7102b51067248d083ab84dc74166410| title=Bees on the Boat-Deck| date=17 jan 1939| volume= 61| issue=798| p=16| network=[[BBC Television#Early years (before 1939)|BBC Television]]}}</ref>
| Gaster
| Single drama
|-
| 1952
| ''[[The Three Hostages (TV series)|The Three Hostages]]''
| Insp. MacGillivray
| Four episodes
|-
| 1961-1963
| ''[[Tales of Mystery]]''
| Host / Algernon Blackwood
| 29 episodes
|-
| 1962-1969
| ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]''
|
| {{hlist|[[List of The Avengers episodes#2–08|{{nowrap|Death of a Great Dane}}]]|[[List of The Avengers episodes#3–01|{{nowrap|Brief for Murder}}]]|[[List of The Avengers episodes#5–13|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station]]|[[List of The Avengers episodes#6–31|Pandora]]}}
|-
| 1963
| ''[[Steptoe and Son]]''
| The Vet
| Episode "Wallah, Wallah Catsmeat"
|-
| rowspan="2"| 1965
| ''[[Z Cars]]''
| Dr Ferguson
| Episode "Partners"
|-
| ''[[Emergency-Ward 10]]''
| Professor Corliss
| Six episodes
|-
| 1968-1977
| ''[[Dad's Army]]''
| [[Private Frazer]]
| 80 episodes, recurring role
|-
| 1970
| ''[[From a Bird's Eye View]]''
| Lord McBracken
| One episode alongside Dads Army co-star [[Clive Dunn]]
|-
| 1971
| ''[[Jackanory]]''
| Storyteller
| [[List of Jackanory episodes|Five episodes]] reading The Princess and the Goblin
|-
| 1973
| ''[[Jackanory]]''
| Storyteller
| [[List of Jackanory episodes|Five episodes]] reading The Princess and Curdie
|-
| 1975
| ''[[Jackanory]]''
| Storyteller
| [[List of Jackanory episodes|Five episodes]] reading stories 'The Light Princess' and 'The Golden Key'
|}

==References==
{{more citations needed|date=October 2010}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0491406}}
*{{Screenonline name|449038}}
*[http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9f466080 John Laurie] [[British Film Institute|BFI]]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100828140311/http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/dadsarmy/5247.shtml ''Letter from John Laurie'' at BBC archive]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laurie, John}}
[[Category:1897 births]]
[[Category:1980 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War I]]
[[Category:Deaths from emphysema]]
[[Category:Honourable Artillery Company soldiers]]
[[Category:People educated at Dumfries Academy]]
[[Category:People from Dumfries]]
[[Category:British male comedy actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male film actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male stage actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male television actors]]
[[Category:People from Chalfont St Giles]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish male actors]]
[[Category:Scottish male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:British Home Guard soldiers]]

Clive Dunn

2022-07-21T20:02:23Z

2A02:C7C:5139:6B00:B1C4:25C0:BBD6:61F4:

{{Short description|English actor and singer (1920–2012)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Clive Dunn
| honorific suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|size=100|OBE}}
| image = File:Clive Dunn in Surprise Attack (1951) film.png
| caption = Dunn in ''[[Surprise Attack (film)|Surprise Attack]]'' (1951)
| birth_name = Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1920|1|9|df=yes}}
| birth_place = {{nowrap|[[Brixton]],<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/07/clive-dunn|title=Clive Dunn obituary|author=Dennis Barker|work=The Guardian|date=7 November 2012|access-date=11 January 2016}}</ref> [[London]], England}}
| death_date = {{nowrap|{{Death date and age|2012|11|6|1920|1|9|df=yes}}}}
| death_place = [[Faro, Algarve|Faro]], [[Algarve]], Portugal
| nationality = British
| education = [[Sevenoaks School]]
| alma_mater = [[Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts]]
| occupation = {{Flatlist|
* Actor
* artist
* author
* comedian
* singer}}
| years_active = 1935–1984
| known_for = [[Lance Corporal Jones]]
| notable_works = [[#Filmography|See below]]
| television = ''[[Dad's Army]]''
| spouse = {{marriage|Patricia Kenyon|1951|1958|end=divorced}}<br />{{marriage|[[Priscilla Morgan]]|1959}}
| children = 2
| module = {{Infobox military person|embed=yes
| allegiance = United Kingdom
| branch = [[Royal Armoured Corps]], [[British Army]]
| unit = [[4th Queen's Own Hussars]]
| rank = [[Trooper (rank)|Trooper]]
| battles = [[Battle of Greece]]
}}
| awards =
| relations = [[Gretchen Franklin]] (cousin)
}}
''' Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn''' {{postnom|country=GBR|OBE}} (9 January 1920{{spaced ndash}}6 November 2012) was an English actor, artist, author, comedian and singer. Despite being only 48 and one of the youngest cast members, he was cast in a role many years his senior, as the elderly [[Lance Corporal Jones]] in the BBC [[British sitcom|sitcom]] ''[[Dad's Army]],'' which ran for 9 series and 80 episodes between 1968 and 1977.<ref name="Tel o">[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/9662584/Clive-Dunn.html Clive Dunn]. Telegraph (7 November 2012). Retrieved on 4 February 2013.</ref>

Dunn started his acting career in 1935, but this was briefly interrupted by the [[Second World War]], where he served as a [[Trooper (rank)|trooper]] in the [[4th Queen's Own Hussars]].<ref name=":0" /> In 1941 the regiment was forced to surrender after it was overrun and Dunn was held as a [[POW]] in [[Austria]] for the next four years.

After the war, Dunn resumed his acting career in [[repertory theatre]]. He made his first television appearance in 1951 as the man in the pub in ''[[Surprise Attack (film)|Surprise Attack]]'', a short film commissioned by the [[Department of Health and Social Care#History|Ministry of Health]].<ref name="BFI" /> Dunn appeared in both series of ''[[The Tony Hancock Show]]'' and made many appearances with [[Tony Hancock]], [[Michael Bentine]], [[Dora Bryan]] and [[Dick Emery]], among others, before winning the role of Jones in ''[[Dad's Army]]'' in 1968.

After ''Dad's Army'' ended, Dunn capitalised on his skill in playing elderly character roles by playing the lead character Charlie Quick, in the slapstick children's TV series ''Grandad'', from 1979 to 1984.

Dunn retired in 1984 and died in Portugal, aged 92, in 2012, where he had settled in the region of [[Algarve]], on 6 November 2012 as a result of complications from an operation that had taken place earlier that week.

==Early life==
Born in [[Brixton]], south London, Dunn was the son of actor parents, and the cousin of actress [[Gretchen Franklin]]. Dunn was educated at [[Sevenoaks School]], an independent school for boys (now co-educational). After leaving school, Dunn studied at the independent [[Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts]], in London.

He had a few small film roles in the 1930s. While still attending school, he appeared with [[Will Hay]] in the films ''[[Boys Will Be Boys (1935 film)|Boys Will Be Boys]]'' (1935), and ''[[Good Morning, Boys]]'' (1937). In 1939, he was the stage manager for a touring production entitled ''The Unseen Menace''. However, the detective play was not a success because the billed star of the show, [[Terence De Marney]], did not appear on stage and his dialogue was supplied by a gramophone recording.<ref name="Tel o" />

==Military service==
With the outbreak of the [[Second World War]], Dunn joined the [[British Army]] in 1940. He served as a [[Trooper (rank)|trooper]] in the [[4th Queen's Own Hussars]].<ref name=":0">{{cite news|title=Clive Dunn Obituary|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-13411725|work=BBC News|date=8 November 2012}}</ref> The regiment was posted to the Middle East arriving on 31 December 1940<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/WarDiaries/4th_Hussars/4thH1940 |title=War Diary of the 4th Hussars in 1940 |access-date=10 August 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106063300/http://www.btinternet.com/~ian.a.paterson/WarDiaries/4th_Hussars/4thH1940.htm|archive-date=6 January 2007 }}</ref> and as part of the [[1st Armoured Brigade (United Kingdom)|1st Armoured Brigade]] in the [[6th Division (Australia)|6th Australian Infantry Division]] which fought in the [[Battle of Greece|Greek Campaign]].<ref name=qrh/> Dunn fought in the rearguard action at the [[Corinth canal]] in April 1941. The regiment was forced to surrender after it was overrun and Dunn was among 400 men (including all the regiment's senior officers) who were taken as [[prisoners of war]].<ref name=qrh>{{cite web|url=http://www.qrh.org.uk/history4a.htm|title=History: 4th Queen's Own Hussars|publisher=Queen's Royal Hussars Association|access-date=10 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305065225/http://www.qrh.org.uk/history4a.htm|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Dunn was held as a POW in [[Austria]] for the next four years. Towards the end of the war, as Germany was losing, the prisoners were force marched into Germany, and on the journey, Dunn got talking to a New Zealand soldier named Bill Hughes. In the 1970s Dunn toured New Zealand, and went to look for Mr. Hughes, only to find he had died a few years earlier. He remained in the army after the war ended, until finally demobilised in 1947.<ref name="Tel o" />

==Acting career==
Dunn resumed his acting career in [[repertory theatre]]. But he soon made his first television appearance.<ref name="Tel o" /> In 1951 he appeared as the man in the pub in ''[[Surprise Attack (film)|Surprise Attack]]'', a short film produced by the [[Crown Film Unit]] and commissioned by the [[Department of Health and Social Care#History|Ministry of Health]].<ref name=BFI>{{Cite web|title=Surprise Attack (1951)|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6939450c|access-date=14 November 2020|website=[[British Film Institute|BFI]]|language=en}}</ref>

In 1956 and 1957, Dunn appeared in both series of ''[[The Tony Hancock Show]]'' and the army reunion party episode of ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'' in 1960. In the 1960s, he made many appearances with [[Tony Hancock]], [[Michael Bentine]], [[Dora Bryan]] and [[Dick Emery]], among others, before winning the role of Jones in ''[[Dad's Army]]'' in 1968.

From early in his career, his trademark character was that of a doddering old man. This first made an impression in the show ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]'', a spin-off from ''[[The Army Game]]''. Dunn played the old [[dogsbody]] Mr. Johnson at a slightly seedy [[Gentlemen's club (traditional)|gentlemen's club]] where the characters Pte. "Bootsie" Bisley ([[Alfie Bass]]) and Sgt. Claude Snudge ([[Bill Fraser]]) find work after leaving the [[British Army|Army]]. In the early 1960s he made regular appearances on ''[[It's a Square World]]'', including as the first parody of [[Doctor Who]] on New Year's Eve 1963.

In 1967, he made a guest appearance in an episode of ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'', playing the proprietor of a toy shop in "Something Nasty in the Nursery".

At 48 Dunn was one of the younger members of the ''Dad's Army'' cast when he took on the role of the elderly butcher whose military service in earlier wars made him the most experienced member of the [[Walmington-on-Sea]] [[British Home Guard|Home Guard]], as well as one of the most decrepit. [[Jack Haig (actor)|Jack Haig]] and [[David Jason]] had previously been considered for the role.<ref name="youtube2005">{{YouTube|4BT0TiXbGNQ}}{{Dead link|date=February 2013}}</ref> His relative youth, compared with most of the cast, meant that he was handed much of the physical comedy in the show, of which many of the other cast members were no longer capable.

Dunn's staunch [[Socialism|socialist]] beliefs often caused him to fall out with [[Arthur Lowe]], who played Captain Mainwaring and who was an active [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]. When Dunn was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in 1975, it was reported that Lowe would only accept a higher-rated honour from the Queen.<ref>Graham McCann "Dad's Army, The Story of a Classic Television Show" {{ISBN|1-84115-309-5}}</ref>

After ''Dad's Army'' ended, Dunn capitalised on his skill in playing elderly character roles by playing the lead character Charlie Quick, in the slapstick children's TV series ''Grandad'', from 1979 to 1984 (he played the caretaker at a village hall, and sang the lyrics in the theme).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ECdcra6m64&feature=PlayList&p=77168A35E2C6FEAC&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=38 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120807161303/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ECdcra6m64&gl=US&hl=en |archive-date=2012-08-07 |url-status=dead|title=Clive Dunn; ''Grandad'' episode part 1|publisher=Youtube.com|access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref> He had previously had a [[record chart|number one]] [[hit single]] with the song "[[Grandad (song)|Grandad]]" on his 51st birthday in January 1971, accompanied by a children's choir. The song was written by bassist [[Herbie Flowers]]. He performed the song four times on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. The [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of "Grandad", "I Play The Spoons", also received considerable airplay. After cancellation of ''Grandad'' in 1984, he retired to Portugal.<ref>[http://home.btconnect.com/howejam/dadsarmy/news_archive/1992_permissionspeak.htm Permission to Speak, Sir?] Saga magazine (February 1992) accessed 15 February 2007</ref> Following the success of the "Grandad" record, Dunn released several other [[single (music)|singles]], but never hit the charts again.

He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1971, when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].

In 1979 he went on a tour to New Zealand, and performed with the local singer [[Tina Cross]], and also tried to locate Bill Hughes, the Kiwi soldier he had struck up a friendship with on their forced march near the end of the war from Austria back into Germany, but Mr. Hughes was found to have passed away a few years earlier.

==Personal life==
He married fashion model Patricia Kenyon in London in 1951.<ref>GRO Register of Marriages: SEP 1951 5c 2884 KENSINGTON – Robert B. Dunn = Patricia Kenyon</ref> The couple divorced in 1958.<ref name="Tel o"/> He married actress Priscilla Pughe-Morgan (born 14 January 1934)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://web.researcha.com/iccquery/detail/?did=8567621&c=uk |title=Researcha |publisher=Web.researcha.com |access-date=3 August 2011}}{{dead link|date=January 2016}}</ref> in June 1959.<ref>GRO Register of Marriages: JUN 1959 9c 1654 STRATFORD – Robert B. Dunn = Priscilla M. Pughe-Morgan.</ref> They had two daughters.

A 2006 article described Dunn as having eye trouble and sometimes being unable to see, but otherwise appearing to be in good health.<ref name="robert">{{cite web|title=Don't panic, Arthur!|work=iccoventry|url=http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=16617987&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=don-t-panic--arthur--name_page.html|access-date=26 January 2006}}</ref> In August 2008, he recorded a message for the programme ''Jonathan Ross Salutes Dad's Army'', which was shown to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of ''Dad's Army''.

He spent the last three decades of his life in the [[Algarve]], Portugal, and occupied himself as an artist, painting portraits, landscapes and seascapes, until his sight failed.<ref name="Haynes">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2012/nov/07/dads-army-actor-clive-dunn-dies|title=Dad's Army actor Clive Dunn dies|last=Haynes|first=Jonathan|work=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=7 November 2012|location=London|date=7 November 2012}}</ref>

Dunn was a supporter of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]]. He claimed his outspoken [[Socialism|socialist]] beliefs often caused conflict with his ''Dad's Army'' co-star, [[Arthur Lowe]], who was a staunch [[Traditionalist conservatism|conservative]]. As a schoolboy, he and his classmates briefly joined the [[British Union of Fascists]], but Dunn left the party once he learned of its [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] ideology.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-13411725|title=Obituary: Clive Dunn|date=7 November 2012|website=bbc.co.uk}}</ref>

==Death==
Dunn died in [[Algarve]], [[Portugal]] on 6 November 2012 as a result of complications from an operation that had taken place earlier that week. His agent, Peter Charlesworth, said the star would be "sorely missed" and that his death was "a real loss to the acting profession".<ref name="Haynes"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lifestyleuncut.com/film-tv/the-passing-away-of-clive-dunn.html |title=The Passing Away of Clive Dunn by Lifestyle Uncut |publisher=Lifestyleuncut.com |access-date=8 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224085139/http://www.lifestyleuncut.com/film-tv/the-passing-away-of-clive-dunn.html |archive-date=24 December 2013 }}</ref> His death, and those of [[Bill Pertwee]] in 2013, [[Pamela Cundell]] in 2015, and [[Frank Williams (actor)|Frank Williams]] in 2022 leaves [[Ian Lavender]] as the only remaining original cast member of [[Dad's Army]].

Frank Williams, who played the Vicar in ''Dad's Army'', said Dunn was always "great fun" to be around. "Of course he was so much younger than the part he played," he told BBC Radio Four. "It's very difficult to think of him as an old man really, but he was a wonderful person to work with – great sense of humour, always fun, a great joy really."<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news |url= https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-20239694 |title=BBC News – Clive Dunn, Dad's Army actor, dies aged 92 |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |date=8 November 2012|access-date=7 November 2012}}</ref>

[[Ian Lavender]], who played Private Pike in the show, said: "Out of all of us he had the most time for the fans. Everyone at one time or another would be tempted to duck into a doorway or bury their head in a paper; but not Clive, he always made time for fans."<ref name="autogenerated1"/>

==Filmography==

===Films===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#a9a9f5;"| Film
|-
!Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1935 || ''[[Boys Will Be Boys (1935 film)|Boys Will Be Boys]]'' || Schoolboy watching rugby || Uncredited
|-
|1937 || ''[[Good Morning, Boys]]'' || Minor role || Uncredited
|-
|1938 || ''[[A Yank at Oxford]]'' || Minor role || Uncredited
|-
|1939 || ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' || Youth || Uncredited
|-
| rowspan="2" |1949 || ''[[The Hasty Heart]]'' || MacDougall || Uncredited
|-
| ''[[Boys in Brown]]'' || Holdup Man || Uncredited
|-
|1957 || ''[[Treasure Island]]'' || Ben Gunn ||
|-
|1959 || ''[[The Treasure of San Teresa]]'' || Cemetery keeper ||
|-
|1961 || ''[[What a Whopper]]'' || Mr. Slate ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1962 || ''[[She'll Have to Go]]'' || Chemist ||
|-
| ''[[The Fast Lady]]'' || Old Gentleman in Burning House ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]'' || Bandleader ||
|-
|1965 || ''[[You Must Be Joking! (1965 film)|You Must Be Joking!]]'' || Doorman ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1967 || ''[[Just like a Woman (1967 film)|Just like a Woman]]'' || Graff von Fischer ||
|-
| ''[[The Mini-Affair]]'' || Tyson ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968 || ''[[30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia]]'' || Doctor ||
|-
| ''[[The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom]]'' || Dr. Zimmerman ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1969 || ''[[Crooks and Coronets]]'' || Basil ||
|-
| ''[[The Magic Christian (film)|The Magic Christian]]'' || Sommelier ||
|-
|1971 || ''[[Dad's Army (1971 film)|Dad's Army]]'' || L.Cpl. Jack Jones ||
|-
|1980 || ''[[The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu]]'' || Keeper of the Keys – London Tower ||
|}

=== Television roles ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan="4" style="text-align:center; background:#a9a9f5;"| Television
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1960–63 || ''[[Bootsie and Snudge]]'' || Henry Johnson ||
|-
|1963 || ''[[It's a Square World]]'' || various ||
|-
| 1968 || ''[[Inside George Webley]]'' || Ticket collector || 1 episode
|-
|1968–77 || ''[[Dad's Army]]'' || [[Lance-Corporal Jack Jones]] ||
|-
|1970 || ''[[Here Come the Double Deckers]]!'' || Hodge ||
|-
|1974–75 || ''[[My Old Man (TV series)|My Old Man]]'' || Sam Cobbett ||
|-
|1979–84 || ''[[Grandad (TV series)|Grandad]]'' || Charlie Quick ||
|}

===Singles===
* Such a Beauty / Too Old , Parlophone, 1962
* "Grandad" / "I Play the Spoons", Columbia, 1970 (reached No. 1 in the UK in January 1971)
* "My Lady (Nana)" / "Tissue Paper & Comb", Columbia, 1971
* "Wonderful Lilly" / "Pretty Little Song", Columbia, 1972
* "Let's Take A Walk" / "Tell Us", Columbia, 1972
* "Our Song" / "She's Gone", EMI, 1973
* "Grandad" / "My Lady (Nana)" (reissue), EMI, 1973
* "My Old Man" / "My Own Special Girl", EMI, 1974
* "Holding On" / "My Beautiful England", Reprise, 1976
* "Goodnight Ruby" / "Thank You and Goodnight", Decca, 1977
* "Thinking of You This Christmas" / "'Arry 'Arry 'Arry", Sky Records, 1978
* "There Ain't Much Change From A Pound These Days" / "After All These Years" (with [[John Le Mesurier]]), KA Records, 1982.
* "Grandad" (reissue) / "There's No-One Quite Like Grandma", EMI, 1988.

===Non-fiction===
* ''Permission to Speak: an autobiography'' (1986).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/display.do?tabs=moreTab&ct=display&fn=search&doc=BLL01007402939&indx=1&recIds=BLL01007402939&recIdxs=0&elementId=0&renderMode=poppedOut&displayMode=full&frbrVersion=2&dscnt=0&vl(174399379UI0)=creator&scp.scps=scope%3A%28BLCONTENT%29&frbg=&tab=local_tab&dstmp=1352336062301&srt=rank&mode=Basic&dum=true&tb=t&vl(freeText0)=clive+dunn&vid=BLVU1 |title=Permission to speak: an autobiography / Clive Dunn. |publisher=British Library |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref>
* ''Permission to Laugh: my favourite funny stories'' (1996).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://explore.bl.uk/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?mode=Basic&vid=BLVU1&vl(freeText0)=1854792202&fn=search&tab=local_tab& |title=Permission to laugh: my favourite funny stories / Clive Dunn; illustrations by Jessica Dunn |publisher=British Library |access-date=4 February 2013}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0242533|Clive Dunn}}
* {{YouTube|YVGR2Y9Fk8I|Clive Dunn Video}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|clive_dunn}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130315183052/http://www.theoldie.co.uk/clive-dunn Last interview, ''The Oldie'']
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009ncwb Clip of Desert Island Discs appearance – 19 June 1971]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Clive}}
[[Category:1920 births]]
[[Category:2012 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English singers]]
[[Category:20th-century British male singers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts]]
[[Category:4th Queen's Own Hussars soldiers]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:British male comedy actors]]
[[Category:British novelty song performers]]
[[Category:British World War II prisoners of war]]
[[Category:English comedy musicians]]
[[Category:English expatriates in Portugal]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English socialists]]
[[Category:English writers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Kent]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Music hall performers]]
[[Category:Musicians from Kent]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:People educated at Sevenoaks School]]
[[Category:People from Covent Garden]]
[[Category:Royal Armoured Corps soldiers]]
[[Category:Singers from London]]
[[Category:Military personnel from London]]
[[Category:World War II prisoners of war held by Germany]]