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1-50 of 171
- Actor
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born on July 23, 1989 in Fulham, London, England, to casting agent Marcia Gresham (née Jacobson) and literary agent Alan Radcliffe. His father is from a Northern Irish Protestant background, while his mother was born in South Africa, to a Jewish family (from Lithuania, Poland, Russia, and Germany). Daniel began performing in small school productions as a young boy. Soon enough, he landed a role in David Copperfield (1999), as the young David Copperfield. A couple of years later, he landed a role as Mark Pendel in The Tailor of Panama (2001), the son of Harry and Louisa Pendel (Geoffrey Rush and Jamie Lee Curtis). Curtis had indeed pointed out to Daniel's mother that he could be Harry Potter himself. Soon afterwards, Daniel was cast as Harry Potter by director, Chris Columbus in the film that hit theaters in November 16, 2001, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001). He was recognized worldwide after this film was released. Pleasing audiences and critics everywhere, filming on its sequel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), commenced shortly afterwards. He appeared again as Harry in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) directed by Alfonso Cuarón, and then appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) directed by Mike Newell. Shortly afterwards, he finished filming December Boys (2007) in Adelaide, Australia, Kangaroo Island, and Geelong, Australia which began on the 14 November 2005 and ended sometime in December. On January 27, 2006, he attended the South Bank Awards Show to present the award for "Breakthrough Artist of the Year" to Billie Piper. Daniel reprised his famous character once again for the next installment of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007). In February 2007, he took on his first stage role in the West End play Equus, to worldwide praise from fans and critics alike. Also that year, he starred in the television movie My Boy Jack (2007), which aired on 11 November 2007 in the UK.
After voicing a character in an episode of the animated television series The Simpsons in late 2010, Radcliffe debuted as J. Pierrepont Finch in the 2011 Broadway revival How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, a role previously held by Broadway veterans Robert Morse and Matthew Broderick. Other cast members included John Larroquette, Rose Hemingway and Mary Faber. Both the actor and production received good reviews, with USA Today commenting: "Radcliffe ultimately succeeds not by overshadowing his fellow cast members, but by working in conscientious harmony with them - and having a blast in the process." Radcliffe's performance in the show earned him Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations. The production itself later received nine Tony Award nominations. Radcliffe left the show on 1 January 2012. His first post-Harry Potter project was the 2012 horror film The Woman in Black, adapted from the 1983 novel by Susan Hill. The film was released on 3 February 2012 in the United States and Canada, and was released on 10 February in the UK. Radcliffe portrays a man sent to deal with the legal matters of a mysterious woman who has just died, and soon after he begins to experience strange events from the ghost of a woman dressed in black. He has said he was "incredibly excited" to be part of the film and described the script as "beautifully written".
In 2013, he portrayed American poet Allen Ginsberg in the thriller drama Kill Your Darlings (2013), directed by John Krokidas. He also starred in an Irish-Canadian romantic comedy film The F Word directed by Michael Dowseand written by Elan Mastai, based on TJ Dawe and Michael Rinaldi's play Toothpaste and Cigars and then he starred in an American dark fantasy horror film directed by Alexandre Aja Horns. Both of the films premiered at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival. Radcliffe also performed at the Noël Coward Theatre in the stage play revival of Martin McDonagh's dark comedy The Cripple of Inishmaan as the lead, Billy Claven, for which he won the WhatsOnStage Award for Best Actor in a Play. In 2015, Radcliffe starred as Igor in a science fiction horror film Victor Frankenstein (2015), directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Max Landis, which was based on contemporary adaptations of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein. In 2016, he appeared as a wealthy villain in the mystery/action film Now You See Me 2 (2016), and as an oftentimes mobile corpse in the indie fantasy Swiss Army Man (2016).
Now being one of the world's most recognizable people, Daniel leads a somewhat normal life. He has made friends working on the Harry Potter films, which include his co-stars Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.- Actress
- Producer
Lysette Anthony was born on 26 September 1963 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995), Krull (1983) and Husbands and Wives (1992). She was previously married to David Price and Luc Leestemaker.- Ann Lynn was born on 7 November 1933 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Just Good Friends (1983), A Shot in the Dark (1964) and Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973). She was married to Anthony Newley. She died on 30 August 2020 in Oxfordshire, England, UK.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Dandy Nichols was born on 21 May 1907 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Alf Garnett Saga (1972), The Vikings (1958) and The Deep Blue Sea (1955). She was married to Stephen Baguley Waters. She died on 6 February 1986 in Whitechapel, London, England, UK.- Actor
- Soundtrack
The chances are, you have seen Derek Deadman in a movie - but just don't realize it! He is one of those actors to whom you instantly recognize the face, but not the name.
He has starred in a whole array of films and television series since the 1970s, playing normally minor roles, generally as the fall guy who gets kicked around by some nasty villain, or as a comedic sidekicks to people such as Benny Hill.
But it's minor roles that have seemed to keep this actor in business. Work has always seemed to be available to him and, most recently, Derek has starred in one of the Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001), as Tom the Landlord.
He has also appeared in the non-franchised James Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983); Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991); Crush (2001) and other major films.
If you happen to be watching a 1970s or 1980s British movie, look out for Derek Deadman - chances are he's in it!!- John Hollis was born on 12 November 1927 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Flash Gordon (1980) and Superman II (1980). He was married to Sheila Forrester and Gabrielle Hamilton. He died on 18 October 2005 in Richmond upon Thames, London, England, UK.
- Tall, incisive, aquiline-featured British character actor. Born in Fulham, London, Archard won a scholarship to study at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1938. The following year, he made his stage debut opposite Jessica Tandy in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, at the Regent's Park Theatre. A conscientious objector during the war, Archard made the rounds of repertory theatre for several years, with intermittent periods of unemployment. In 1959, he decided to emigrate to Canada for a fresh start. Having already booked his passage, he suddenly received several offers to appear in television dramas. The resulting body of work led to an audition with writer/producer Elwyn Jones for the central role in the projected BBC series Spy-Catcher (1959).
For four seasons (24 episodes), Archard played the role of the real life Lt.Col. Oreste Pinto, who used psychology and guile to unmask foreign spies entering Britain during the Second World War. With the part came recognition and a steady stream of work. Ironically, given his pacifist disposition, Archard was frequently cast as military men or police officers. He performed these to perfection, with his trademark authoritative bearing and icy delivery. He was equally effective as a vicar in Village of the Damned (1960), and a Soviet intelligence operative in The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966). On television, he had a recurring role in Z Cars (1962) and played the ill-fated Egyptologist Marcus Scarman in Doctor Who (1963), 'The Pyramids of Mars'. A frequent face in horror movies, he essayed the vampire hunter Van Helsing in the 'Dracula' instalment of the anthology series Mystery and Imagination (1966). He was also somewhat memorable as Major General Fullard in the film version of Dad's Army (1971), in which he contemptuously referred to Captain Mainwaring as "a damn bank clerk".
On stage he was seen in Terence Rattigan's 'Cause Celebre' at the West End (1977) and in Peter O'Tooles ill-received 'Macbeth' at the Old Vic in 1980. Bernard Archard retired to his home in Somerset after his character in Emmerdale Farm (1972) was killed off. He died in May 2008 at the ripe old age of 91. - Bruce Byron was born on 13 March 1959 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for The Mummy Returns (2001), Mansfield Park (1999) and The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999). He has been married to Tanya Byron since 1997. They have two children.
- Joan Benham was born on 17 May 1918 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Murder Ahoy (1964), Child in the House (1956) and Upstairs, Downstairs (1971). She was married to Martin Case. She died on 13 June 1981 in Westminster, London, England, UK.
- Gerry Cowper was born on 23 June 1958 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Wicker Man (1973), EastEnders (1985) and Telford's Change (1979). She was previously married to Mark Foley.
- Hazel Douglas enjoyed something of an Indian summer playing scatter-brained and often sharp-tongued matriarchs in a career that spanned eight decades.
Having started her professional career with Harry Hanson's Court Players in the early 1940s, she was most recently seen on television as Derek Jacobi's acidic mother in Vicious, seemingly oblivious that his flatmate Ian McKellen was also his life partner.
As Bathilda Bagshot in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2010) she was the resurrected vessel of Voldemort's deadly snake - a far cry from her early days in repertory in Jersey, Aldershot and with the Carl Bernard Company.
Born in Fulham, London, England as Hazel Mary Smith and briefly evacuated to Newbury during preparations for the Second World War, Douglas spent a year at RADA (where one of her peers was Richard Attenborough) and worked briefly as an assistant stage manager before joining the Women's Royal Naval Service.
After the war, she made her West End debut in a Sunday-night performance of Michael Pearson's Against the Tide at the Whitehall Theatre in 1948.
In 1953 she was seen in See How They Run, the inaugural production at the Queen's Theatre, Hornchurch, and returned to the Whitehall Theatre for John Chapman's farce Dry Rot in 1954, her first appearance with Brian Rix's resident company at the venue.
Over the next decade and more, Douglas was a semi-permanent fixture with Rix's farceurs at the Whitehall, while also being seen in Bernard Kops' Change for the Angel (Arts Theatre, 1960), Trelawny of the Wells (Leatherhead Theatre, 1969) and in Michael Pertwee's She's Done It Again (Garrick Theatre, 1969).
Douglas was back in the West End in 1974 sharing the stage with Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray in The Sack Race at the Ambassadors Theatre. The following year, she gave what The Stage described as "a towering performance of all-devouring strength" as Lady Monchensey in TS Eliot's The Family Reunion in Ipswich.
In 1978 she was a founding member of Southern Exchange, the joint touring venture between Swindon's Wyvern Theatre, Poole Arts Centre and the Hexagon Theatre, Reading.
She appeared alongside Anna Neagle in Noel Coward's Relative Values to reopen the Connaught Theatre, Worthing in 1983 and with Harry Worth in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's Rockefeller and the Red Indians at Basingstoke's Haymarket Theatre in 1987.
Earlier the same year, Douglas was seen in the title role of Chris Martin's Who Killed Hilda Murrell? with the TyneWear Theatre Company.
Her sole Broadway appearance was in Bill Naughton's comedy All in Good Time in 1965.
A steady screen career that began in 1947 gathered pace in her later years when she enjoyed spells in Where the Heart Is (1998-99), At Home With the Braithwaites (2000-03), The Worst Week of My Life (2004) and episodes of Gavin and Stacey (2008) and Psychoville (2011).
Hazel Douglas was born on 2 November 1923 and died on 8 September 8 2016 aged 92. - Tommy Rodger is an English actor born in South West London and best known for his portrayal of Timmy in the 'The Cursed' (2021), and Jordie Rietveld in Netflix's 'Shadow and Bone' (2023).
This year, he will also appear as Domenick in Catherine Hardwicke's 'Mafia Mamma', starring Toni Collette.
Tommy began his career in the theatre, playing roles such as Gavroche in the West End Musical 'Les Miserables' and Jem in the Barbican's production of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'. He has also appeared in other film and TV projects such as, 'The Alienist' (2018) and 'Goodbye Christopher Robin' (2017)
Other than that, he sits playing guitar and writing songs for his own enjoyment. - Writer
- Producer
- Actor
Andy Hamilton was born in 1954 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He is a writer and producer, known for Drop the Dead Donkey (1990), Outnumbered (2007) and What We Did on Our Holiday (2014). He has been married to Libby Asher since 1988. They have three children.- Brian Gwaspari was born in 1948 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He is an actor, known for A Bridge Too Far (1977), The Gentle Touch (1980) and Remington Steele (1982).
- Actress
She took ballet lessons at the age of 8 and also succeeded as a fashion model. Her cute appearance caught David Putnam's eyes who gave her the role of Melody Perkins in the movie Melody. She made her debut in Melody (1971). Since then, she has left the movie scene, but has reappeared in movies again in the 1980s.- Mary Austin was a woman who was the love and inspiration of one of Great Britain's biggest celebrities. But she never tried to use that for her own personal gain or to take advantage of others. She grew up in a struggling working-class home in West London, where her father worked as a hand-trimmer for a wallpaper specialist and her mother was a maid. Under such circumstances, she had to grow up quickly. She dropped out of school at the age of 15 and became a receptionist, making a modest income. She moved up some shortly afterwords, when she got a job at Biba. This was a very fashionable place, and the customers included some of the biggest celebrities of the time. She enjoyed it all. Then one night, she attended a rock concert at a nearby college. While there, she ran into a friendly acquaintance who worked nearby, Brian May. They hit it off and they began dating. The relationship was fun, but it never got serious and they broke up on friendly terms. May was a musician and was starting a band with some talented friends, and one day he introduced her to the band. Brian wanted to name the band Build Your Own Boat, which Mary supported. However, the majority of the band chose the name Queen. Though she wasn't aware of it at the time, she attracted the infatuation of the group's lead singer, a co-worker of May's who called himself Freddie Mercury. Mercury soon frequented the store she worked at and they became increasingly friendly. Six months later, he surprised her by asking her out on a date, which she accepted after some hesitation. Both were financially strapped, so they had to do things together that didn't involve spending money. He was a flamboyant person in public, which she found intimidating, being a shy and unassuming person, herself. However, she eventually got to see the side of himself that he didn't show others, a serious and quiet person who was mistrustful of others. They grew close and moved in together in 1973. Money was tight, but his band began to get some gigs and they were able to move into a larger apartment. On one occasions, he took her to a showcase at Eating College of Art. Mary was highly impressed by the quality of her work. So was everyone else there, and she knew then that he would go on to celebrity. Feeling completely out of her element and ill-equipped for that rarefied world, she decided to end the relationship, but Mercury refused to let her go and pleased that they were meant for each other. Reluctantly, she agreed to stay, but didn't think he would stay interested in her. Mercury's band Queen quickly took off and became one of the most popular bands, and Mercury had a presence on stage that commanded attention. Mercury wrote a few songs about her, most notably "Love Of My Life." However, he and Mary were beginning to grow apart and she suspected that something was now missing from the relationship. In 1980, he revealed to her that he had been increasingly unfaithful to her and that his partners were of his own gender. Being rather naive, she was astonished by that aspect of it, though she had long suspected that he had been unfaithful. Shorty afterwords, she decided to move out and get her own place. However, although the break-up was hurtful, she wasn't angry or bitter, and she took an apartment that was near their own place, and they remained close. He hired her to be the secretary to the the band's publishing business, and she often toured with them, getting to see places and people she never imagined she'd see. She enjoyed it all, but never sought to cash in on it. She also began to have a life of her own outside the band, which Mercury wholeheartedly supported. It all came crashing down for her in 1987, when he revealed to her that he had tested positive for the HIV virus. She was the first person he told, and she never repeated it to anyone through the remainder of his life. One of Mercury's top priorities was making sure that Mary was financially secure, but she was interested in making sure he take care of his health. Mercury continued to perform off and on, but rumors about his health increased in the tabloid press. Finally in 1991, his health deteriorated and he passed away near the end of that year at the age of 45. In the settling of his estate, Mary was left with the majority of his vast fortune, more than she had expected. Including that was his palatial mansion, which she agreed to move in to. That turned out to be more complicated than expected, as the mansion had a large staff and the settling of Mercury's estate took several months. After a period of mourning, Mary got on with her life and married. She also started a foundation in Mercury's memory, and also continues to support Queen's musical efforts. She continues to live quietly in the mansion, but occasionally grants interviews.
- Donald Morley was born on 9 June 1923 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Railway Children (1957), Westway (1976) and The Crime of the Century (1956). He was married to Marianne Morley and Enid Irvin. He died on 27 May 1999 in Richmond, Surrey, England, UK.
- Florence Brudenell-Bruce was born on 21 November 1985 in Fulham, West London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for The Sweeney (2012), Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Robocroc (2013). She has been married to Henry Edward Hugh St. George since 6 July 2013. They have one child.
- Jackie Cowper was born on 23 June 1958 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1972), Quatermass (1979) and The Tomorrow People (1973). She died on 19 March 1995 in Hounslow, London, England, UK.
- Stunts
- Actor
- Additional Crew
Bob Simmons was born on 31 March 1922 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Thunderball (1965), Goldfinger (1964) and You Only Live Twice (1967). He died on 21 October 1987.- Eileen Page was born on 31 July 1926 in Fulham, London, Greater London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for John Carter (2012), The Secret Garden (1993) and Affairs of the Heart (1974).
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Arthur Haynes was born on 19 May 1914 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Carnaby, M.D. (1966), Strange Bedfellows (1965) and The Arthur Haynes Show (1956). He was married to Queenie W. Banks. He died on 19 November 1966 in Ealing, London, England, UK.- Actress
- Writer
Valerie Taylor was born on 10 November 1902 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress and writer, known for Repulsion (1965), Berkeley Square (1933) and Went the Day Well? (1942). She was married to Desborough William Saunders (mining engineer) and Hugh Sinclair. She died on 24 October 1988 in Kensington, London, England, UK.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Viva Tattersall was born in London, England, as Vera Tattersall, the second child of Hugh Herbert Tattersall, a British master mariner, and his wife, the former Lilian Elizabeth Webb. Among her siblings were Kathryn; Cecil; Honor; Marjorie (the wife of the Australian economist Colin Clarke); and Emma Lilian (later Lady Henderson), who, as Emmy Nikis, was a French Resistance heroine.
As a young movie actress, Vera "Viva" Tattersall moved to the United States in 1920, settling in New York City, and writing several plays with a co-star, actor Sidney Toler, her future husband.
She died in Cannes, South of France in 1989.- Director
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Tim Fywell was born on 3 October 1951 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for I Capture the Castle (2003), Night and Day (2020) and Happy Valley (2014).- Producer
- Actress
- Additional Crew
Janet Street-Porter was born on 27 December 1946 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is a producer and actress, known for The Vault of Horror (1992), Hollyoaks (1995) and Neighbours (1985).- Jessica Martin was born on 25 August 1962 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Doctor Who (2005), Metroid: Other M (2010) and Privateer 2: The Darkening (1996).
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
- Producer
Derek Cracknell was born on 14 October 1935 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an assistant director and actor, known for Lifeforce (1985), Aliens (1986) and Krull (1983). He was married to Julie Samuel. He died on 4 May 1991 in Hammersmith, London, England, UK.- Director
- Actor
- Producer
Guy Verney was born on 5 November 1915 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was a director and actor, known for This Happy Breed (1944), The Avengers (1961) and City Beneath the Sea (1962). He was married to Joan Verney and Margaret Anderson. He died on 19 September 1970 in Hampton Wick, Surrey, England, UK.- Blonde; game for a laugh; much-loved Northern Irish children's TV presenter and daughter of TV star Gloria Hunniford who is best remembered for presenting Blue Peter (1958).
Caron was one of the most popular Blue Peter presenters in the show's long history. She gave the show a modern edge during her four year stint on the show between 1986-1990, teamed with Yvette Fielding, Mark Curry and John Leslie. Often seen doing daring challenges for the show such as riding on top of a by-plane in mid-flight; jumping under freezing waterfalls, diving with sharks, and abseiling down cliffs and skyscrapers. She was known for her sense of fashion and enabled the show to overcome its rather twee image, with a rather memorable over-hairsprayed look.
After leaving Blue Peter in 1990 she found other work, mainly on BBC Television shows such as Summer Scene (1992) and Holiday (1969).
It is often said that Children's Television presenters find it difficult to 'grow up' in TV words and find the transition to adult television difficult. Not Caron, she was perfectly cast on This Morning (1988) as a guest presenter often standing in for husband and wife team, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
Caron suffered a major setback when diagnosed with breast cancer. She sadly disappeared from our television screens after 2001. She died at her mother's home in Sevenoaks, Kent, in April 2004 surrounded by her children and family after losing her battle with the disease.
Her sparkle and intelligence was an inspiration to all children, she belonged to the good old days when children's television presenters didn't feel the need to shout and wear loud clothes to be interesting. Her passing caused an outpouring of tributes to such a genuine, decent, talented and trustworthy television star. - June Collins was born on 6 November 1913 in Fulham, Middlesex, England, UK. She was a producer, known for Performance (1991), Wogan (1982) and Phil Collins: A Life Less Ordinary (2002). She died in November 2011.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Glamorous, dark-eyed leading lady, touted as Britain's answer to Hollywood's Clara Bow, the 'It Girl'. She was also sometimes referred to as 'Britain's first female sex symbol', reflected by having her initially cast as vamps or flappers. Born Dorothy Irene Boucher, she started out as a typist and then joined her brother at Harrods department store, where she was employed as a fashion model. After being a finalist in a Daily Mirror beauty contest, she became a photographer's model, and, from there, segued into acting. Until 1934, she continued to be billed in some of her pictures as 'Dorothy Bouchier'. However, she had by then adopted her stage name 'Chili', derived from a novelty song, popularised by the Savoy Havana Band in 1923 ("I Love My Chili Bom Bom").
On screen from 1927, Chili was under contract to Herbert Wilcox at British & Dominions. She made a few modestly successful films at the studio, notably Venetian Nights (1931). However, her position as pre-eminent leading lady at the studio was eventually usurped by new discovery Anna Neagle (who was diligently mentored by Wilcox and later became his wife). Chili's film career thus went into decline. The situation was not helped by an unhappy interlude in Hollywood, which came about as a stipulation of her 1935 contract with Warner Brothers. Finding herself essentially unemployed, she returned to Britain, but was henceforth relegated to appearing in second features. She spent the war years entertaining troops as part of ENSA. Chili remained a busy performer on the London stage (into her eighties), interspersed with occasional character parts on screen until 1960.- Actor
- Writer
Arthur Lovegrove was born on 15 July 1913 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor and writer, known for Eye of the Needle (1981), Meet Simon Cherry (1949) and The Avengers (1961). He was married to Cara Dorothea Kathleen Wilson and Marjorie Ruth Herridge. He died on 7 November 1981 in Surrey, England, UK.- Production Manager
- Additional Crew
- Producer
After serving his apprenticeship at Pinewood Studios (in the budgeting department) he later went on to work for United Artists as a production executive, and in 1966 became Head of Production for Paramount Pictures and then 1969-1992 was head of production for Warner Bros. He later became an independent producer on big budget movies such as the first two Mission: Impossible films, The Man In The Iron Mask, Phantom Of The Opera and Fred Claus.
He worked on over 100 films ranging from Khartoum to The Italian Job, Oh What A Lovely War, A Clockwork Orange, Barry Lindon, The Shining, Superman 2 and Batman (1989).- Art Department
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Dominic Wymark was born in 1959 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an art director and production designer, known for Captain America (1990) and Galaxis (1995).- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Popular stage and film comedian Claude Noel Hulbert was born in Fulham, London in 1901, younger brother of the highly well-known comedian, singer and comic dancer Jack Hulbert. Like his brother, he was educated at Cambridge and was a member of the Footlights comedy club as an undergraduate. He began his professional acting career in supporting roles in many of the Aldwych farces with Tom Walls and Ralph Lynn. He appeared in films from 1928 before making his first starring role in Their Night Out (1933) with Binnie Barnes. Perhaps one of his most memorable roles at that time was the silly ass brother to Ralph Lynn in A Cup of Kindness (1934), the starring role in Hello, Sweetheart (1935), and starring as a dithering diplomat in Wolf's Clothing (1936). He played opposite Will Hay in two popular comedies The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941) and My Learned Friend (1943), which were the most successful of his later vehicles. He died in a hospital in Sydney, Australia while ashore from a world cruise with his family.- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Location Management
Robert Lynn was born on 9 June 1918 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was a director and assistant director, known for Superman (1978), Superman II (1980) and Horror of Dracula (1958). He was married to Patricia Nicholson. He died on 15 January 1982 in London, England, UK.- Writer
- Actor
Robin Ray was born on 17 September 1934 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was a writer and actor, known for A Hard Day's Night (1964), Watch Your Stern (1960) and Dig This Rhubarb (1963). He was married to Susan Stranks. He died on 28 November 1998 in Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK.- Jack Davies was born on 25 November 1913 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was a writer and producer, known for Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes (1965), Doctor at Sea (1955) and North Sea Hijack (1980). He was married to Dorothy Holding. He died on 22 June 1994 in California, USA.
- Pauline Olsen was born on 27 July 1925 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She is an actress, known for Star of My Night (1954), Adventures of the Sea Hawk (1958) and Potts and the Night Whistlers (1957).
- Jack Vyvyan was born on 31 March 1889 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Shop at Sly Corner (1946), This Man Is News (1938) and The Interrupted Journey (1949). He died on 28 December 1955 in Chiswick, London, England, UK.
- Neal Arden was born on 27 December 1909 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Life of St. Paul (1938), The Best House in London (1969) and Department S (1969). He was married to Julia Byfield and Dorothy Brown. He died on 4 June 2014 in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.
- George Bishop was born on 4 September 1884 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950), Cards with Uncle Tom (1959) and Heartstrings (1923). He died on 19 October 1978 in Stockleigh Pomeroy, Devon, England, UK.
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Production Manager
- Actor
Patrick Clayton was born in July 1935 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an assistant director and production manager, known for Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Event Horizon (1997) and Doom (2005). He was married to Patricia Mary Browne. He died in March 2023 in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, UK.- Grey Blake was born on 28 April 1917 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Jassy (1947), The Dancing Years (1950) and BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1950). He was married to Lisa Daniely and Ruth Grundy. He died in 1963 in Paddington, London, England, UK.
- Suzanne Fuller was born on 30 April 1939 in Fulham, London, England, UK. She was an actress, known for She Stoops to Conquer (1956), The Tell-Tale Heart (1960) and Scotland Yard (1960). She was married to Keir Dullea and Peter Coe. She died on 5 January 1998 in Fairfield, Connecticut, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Although Lowe will always be recalled by variety lovers as one half of that once highly popular double act, Len and Bill Lowe, he had a lone solo career either side of that particular high point in hilarity. The talented brothers were in fact but two-thirds of a trio, the other brother going under the double stage names of Chester Ladd and, latterly, Don Smoothey. All three were soloists in laughter and were, at one time or another, partners in double acts of traditional crosstalk comedy. Leonard Lowe was born in Fulham, London, in 1915. All three brothers were destined by their parents for stage careers, although variety was not the original aim. A star pupil at the Italia Conti School for juveniles with theatrical ambitions, Len made his first West End appearance in Miss Conti's annual production for parents, Where the Rainbow Ends. From there he went into another West End Christmas regular, Peter Pan, and thence into the original production of Noel Coward's massive docu-drama Cavalcade at Drury Lane. When Fox made the film version in Hollywood, young Len's role was taken by the equally young Dickie Henderson Jnr.
Blessed with a good singing voice and expertise on the guitar, the teenaged Lowe was welcomed into Robert Atkins's first season at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park. He stayed with the company for two annual seasons of Shakespeare plays, in between including an appearance in the popular musical White Horse Inn at the London Coliseum.
Jack Hylton, who virtually invented the "show band" style in the Thirties, had become something of an impresario. On the lookout for new talent, Hylton spotted Lowe doing a turn on the halls and invited the handsome young man, not yet 20, to join his dance orchestra as a guitarist and singer. Lowe thus made his grown-up West End debut in Hylton's star-studded variety spectacular Life Begins at Oxford Circus, the 1935 sensation at the London Palladium. At the end of that year Lowe might be spotted in the band in Hylton's big cinema success She Shall Have Music, which also starred the attractive Hollywood heroine June Clyde and Claude Dampier, the buck-toothed comedian who billed himself as "The Professional Idiot".
As a member of Hylton's band, Lowe was taken to the United States for a tour, in which he was considered very lucky: the American Musicians' Union objected to Hylton's bringing his full band. A live broadcast of the Hylton band in Chicago has been preserved by keen collectors of old- time radio programmes.
In 1938 Lowe teamed up with his brother to form the double act Len and Bill Lowe. Picking up on ideas he had spotted in the US, Lowe groomed the act away from the usual format for crosstalk comics. Rather than the smartly dressed straight man interrupted by the baggy-panted red-nosed funny man, both dressed smartly and in fashion. Philip Hindin, the music- hall memory man, recalls them: "They were the forerunners of the smart double act, where the comedian as well as the straight man wore a Savile Row suit, no baggy trousers and grotesque make-up. Later Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise adopted the same style."
After successful variety tours on the Stoll-Moss circuit, and another West End shop window with the Hollywood stars Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon at the Holborn Empire, the brothers were called up into the RAF. They spent the Second World War as headliners in one of Ralph Reader's several RAF Gang Shows. When the Hollywood star Ann Dvorak came to England to make a propaganda film, There's a Future in It (1943), she stayed on to entertain the American troops. The Lowe brothers, who appeared briefly in the film, were seconded to support her. Their humour, modelled on slick American-style chit-chat, went down well with the GI audiences.
After the war the boys began to turn up on the radio, raising the laughs in such variety shows as Henry Hall's Guest Night and Variety Bandbox. British films, albeit only lowly second features, took them on and they appeared in Date with a Dream (1948) and Melody Club (1949). Both fascinating productions today, the films' co-stars included Terry-Thomas, Jean (not yet Jeannie) Carson, and Harry Green in the first, with Terry-Thomas up to his teeth again in the second. The most significant moment, and a moment was truly all it was, occurred in the first film when a young Norman Wisdom walked on and fell over.
Len and Bill split up the act in 1950, when Bill married his co-star Jean Carson. He went off to start a new career in American television, leaving Len looking for someone else to make laughter with. In next to no time he formed a partnership with his other brother, Don, now known as Chester Ladd (a pun on the phrase "just a lad"). As Lowe and Ladd they made a highly successful tour of Australia and New Zealand, returning home for fun at the seaside in several summer shows. After six years they agreed to part and Chester Ladd became Don Smoothey once again.
Television, which Lowe had first dabbled with in 1951 when he became straight man to Cheerful Charlie Chester in his highly popular BBC series, called again and so did Jack Hylton, who had become comedy provider to London's new commercial station, Associated-Rediffusion. Hylton cast Lowe in his top television series, which starred Dickie Henderson, now old enough to drop his "Junior". The Dickie Henderson Half Hour, which partnered him with Anthea Askey, Big-hearted Arthur's daughter, as Mrs Henderson, was the top ITV comedy series of 1958.
Other notable television series for Lowe included What a Life (1966), a BBC series starring the radio character comedian Al Read, and Kindly Leave the Stage (1968). This latter was a wonderworld for lovers of the kind of comedy that was swiftly dying out, that of the old variety stage. With the eccentric acrobat Billy Dainty top-billed, and reunited with his brother Don, Len co-wrote the scripts which revived many of the old- time variety gags and sketches from the pre-war music halls. Never revived, it would seem sad if this unique series has been dumped into the BBC's dustbin. Lowe also appeared on The Basil Brush Show (1978), a children's series moved up to adult time. In this he co-starred with the conjuror David Nixon, the newsreader Richard Baker and a lady with the unlikely name of Fran Fullenwider.
There were a few more films, including a small part in Charlie Chaplin's Countess From Hong Kong (1966), a memorable experience for any comedian to have had, and Carry On Loving (1970) with the usual gang, Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey.
There would be one more television show with his brother Don. This was 1984's Century of Stars, a massive special hosted by the Duke of Edinburgh celebrating the show-business charity the Grand Order of Water Rats. This was of huge importance to Len Lowe, as he had been not only a Preceptor but also a King Rat. Everyone from Max Bygraves to Wee Georgie Wood was in the show, from contemporary stars like Roy Castle, Les Dawson and Bruce Forsyth to old-timers like Bob and Alf Pearson, Tommy Trinder and the veteran ventriloquist who had been in the Water Rats from the start, Fred Russell.
Lowe's last London stage appearance was in Windy City at the Victoria Palace.
He was survived by his wife and two sons.- Art Department
- Art Director
- Production Designer
John Fenner was born in 1946 in Fulham, London, England, UK. He was an art director and production designer, known for The Phantom of the Opera (2004), Eyes Wide Shut (1999) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). He died on 26 January 2024 in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, England, UK.- Music Department
- Composer
- Actor
Henry ("Harry") Percy South, born in London, England, played piano from an early age and also studied composing and arranging. In the early 50s he was playing in various London-based dance and jazz bands including that led by drummer Basil Kirchin. He led his own small group and also arranged for Ronnie Scott's band. In the mid-50s he played with Tubby Hayes, Sandy Brown, Vic Ash, Cab Kaye and others. In the last few years of the decade he was heard with Joe Harriott, John Dankworth, and was then a member of the Ronnie Ross-Bert Courtley Jazztet.
In the early 60s he played in India in a band that included Dick Morrissey with whom he continued to work for the next few years. The late 60s saw a reunion with Joe Harriott by which time he had also become musical director for Georgie Fame, a role in which he would continue for several years.
His albums with Fame as the Harry South Big Band were memorable slices of jazz meeting pop. He was also a long-term musical associate of Annie Ross. Intermittently, from 1960, South had led a big band that was host to many of London's finest jazz musicians. Among his many compositions is the 'Portraits' suite written for the National Youth Jazz Orchestra. Enormously respected among his fellow musicians, South's contribution to British jazz is exceptional although frequently undersung.- Actor
- Production Manager
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ron Whelan was born on 2 November 1905 in Fulham, Middlesex, England. He was an actor and production manager, known for The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Ben Casey (1961) and Come Up Smiling (1939). He died on 8 December 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA.