Graham Moffatt
Graham Moffatt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Graham Victor Harold Moffatt 6 December 1919 Hammersmith, London, England |
| Died | 2 July 1965 (aged 45) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Comedy actor and publican |
| Spouse |
Joyce Muriel Hazeldine
(m. 1948) |
| Children | Richard, Chris, Jayne |
Graham Victor Harold Moffatt (6 December 1919 – 2 July 1965) was an English comedic character actor. He is best known for a number of films where he appeared with Will Hay and Moore Marriott as 'Albert': a plump cheekily insolent street-savvy youth.[1]
Early life
Moffatt was born on 6 December 1919 in Hammersmith, West London, the son of Frederick Victor Moffatt (1896–1977) and Daisy Eleonora née Whiteside (1895–1969), both of whom outlived him. He had two sisters, one being Rita Doreen Moffatt (1936–1991). He was born exactly 31 years after Will Hay, with whom Moffatt would perform with in a string of successful cinema films in the 1930s.[2] He wanted to act from an early age. He first worked as a call boy at Shepherd's Bush Studios, and often saw actor Tom Walls going in and out of the sound stages. Walls took a liking to Moffatt, and chose him for a bit part in the 1934 film A Cup of Kindness. He then gave up his job as a call boy, and went on to appear in five more films in minor, mostly uncredited roles before getting his big break in Will Hay's films.[3]
Cinema career
His first film with Will Hay was
Post-acting life
In the mid-1940s he semi-retired from show business to become a
In March 1952 he was admitted to hospital in Kettering after two weeks of hiccuping.[5] He still made sporadic cinema film appearances in minor parts, the last being in the 1963 film 80,000 Suspects, directed by Val Guest, who was a writer of many of the films that Moffatt starred in with Will Hay and Moore Marriott.[6][7]
Personal life and death
Moffatt married Joyce Muriel Hazeldine in 1948. He died on 2 July 1965 in Bath, Somerset from heart failure at the early age of 45.[7] His ashes were scattered in the English Channel at the village of Beer in Devon. He is survived by his three children Richard, Jayne and Chris.[8]
Tributes
The Will Hay Appreciation Society was founded in 2009 by British artist
Moffatt's life story was made into a short film by The Will Hay Appreciation Society which features interviews from his three children, Richard, Chris and Jayne. The film is called Graham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy. [1]
On 18 August 2019 The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a plaque commemorating Graham Moffatt at one of the pubs he was landlord at, the Swan Inn, Braybrooke. The unveiling was attended by his children, members of the society and local villagers.[11]
Filmography
- A Cup of Kindness (1934) - Choirboy (uncredited)
- The Clairvoyant (1935) - Page Boy (uncredited)
- Stormy Weather (1935) - Office Boy (uncredited)
- All In (1936)
- It's Love Again (1936) - Callboy (uncredited)
- Where There's a Will (1936) - Willie, The Office Boy
- Windbag the Sailor (1936) - Albert Brown
- Good Morning, Boys (1937) - Albert Brown
- O-Kay for Sound (1937) - Albert, the page boy
- Gangway (1937) - Joe
- Doctor Syn (1937) - Jerry Jerk
- Oh, Mr Porter! (1937) - Albert
- Owd Bob (1938) - Tammas
- Convict 99 (1938) - Albert Brown
- Old Bones of the River (1938) - Albert Brown
- Ask a Policeman (1939) - Constable Albert Brown
- Cheer Boys Cheer (1939) - Albert
- Where's That Fire? (1940) - Albert Brown
- Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940) - Albert Brown
- I Thank You (1941) - Albert
- Hi Gang! (1941) - Albert Tomlin
- Back-Room Boy (1942) - Albert
- The True Story of King Alfred (1943)
- Dear Octopus (1943) - Fred the Chauffeur
- Time Flies (1944) - His Nephew
- A Canterbury Tale (1944) - Sergt. 'Stuffy'
- Welcome, Mr. Washington (1944) - Albert Brown
- I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) - R.A.F. Sergeant
- Lost in the Wash (1946)
- Ghostesses (1946)
- All's Fair (1946)
- Cottage Pie (1946)
- A Smashing Job (1946)
- Stamp Ramp (1946)
- The Voyage of Peter Joe (1946) - Albert Brown
- Stage Frights (1947)
- Robbers Return (1947)
- Woman Hater (1948) - Fat Boy
- Cuckoo College (1949, TV film) - Pupil
- Three Bags Full (1949)
- The Second Mate (1950) - Paddy
- The Dragon of Pendragon Castle (1950) - Paddy
- Mother Riley Meets the Vampire (1952) - The Yokel
- Inn for Trouble (1960) - Jumbo Gudge
- 80,000 Suspects (1963) - Fat Man in Vaccination Line (uncredited) (final film role)
- Graham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy (2018 documentary) - Himself
References
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Will Hay". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1920 1a 433 HAMMERSMITH – Graham V. H. Moffatt
- ^ "Graham Moffatt | Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ Marshall, Tom (21 August 2019). "A Blue Plaque for Graham Moffatt - 'Britain's Favourite Fat Boy'". www.photogra-fix.com.
- ^ PhotograFix YouTube (17 October 2018), Graham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy, retrieved 19 June 2019
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Guest, Val (1911-2006) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
- ^ a b GRO Register of Deaths: SEP 1965 7c 38 – Graham V. H. Moffatt, aged 45
- ^ Graham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy, retrieved 21 August 2019
- ^ "The Will Hay Appreciation Society". PhotograFix: Tom Marshall B.A. (Hons) Photo Colouriser. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "Mr Porter returns to Cliddesden with guests in tow". Basingstoke Gazette. Retrieved 19 June 2019.
- ^ "A Blue Plaque for Graham Moffatt - 'Britain's Favourite Fat Boy'". PhotograFix. Archived from the original on 21 August 2019. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
External links
- Graham Moffatt at IMDb