Leslie Phillips
Leslie Phillips CBE | |
---|---|
Born | Leslie Samuel Phillips 20 April 1924 |
Died | 7 November 2022 London, England | (aged 98)
Resting place | Chingford Mount Cemetery, London, England |
Alma mater | Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1937–2015[1][2][3] |
Known for | Carry On Harry Potter |
Spouses |
|
Children | 4 |
Leslie Samuel Phillips
Early life
Leslie Samuel Phillips was born in
After his father's death, Phillips was sent to the
Career
Early work
Phillips made his stage debut in 1937 as a wolf in Peter Pan alongside Anna Neagle at the London Palladium.[13][14] In the 1938–39 season, he was promoted to the role of John Napoleon Darling, alongside Jean Forbes-Robertson as Peter and Seymour Hicks as Captain Hook.[6] Acting allowed Phillips to earn extra money for his family, who had struggled financially after his father's death.[8]
Phillips made his first film appearance in the 1938 musical comedy Lassie from Lancashire.[15] He made further uncredited appearances in Climbing High (1938) and The Mikado (1939), among the earliest films made at Pinewood Studios.[6] Upon the 70th anniversary of the studios in 2006, Phillips considered himself one of the earliest actors to have worked there still alive and working.[6] A minor part in Ealing Studios' The Proud Valley (1940) afforded Phillips the chance to work alongside Paul Robeson, whom he greatly admired.[6]
In the early years of the
Demobbed as a lieutenant in December 1944, Phillips's acting career initially took in "the murkiest rat-infested old playhouses and music halls in the north of England".[6] He resumed his career as a film player, making uncredited appearances in Anna Karenina and Powell and Pressburger's The Red Shoes (both 1948).[5] His first lead role in a television serial was in the sitcom My Wife Jacqueline (1952).[6]
His big break in the films was in the
Between 1959 and 1977, Phillips became familiar on radio, as Sub-Lieutenant Phillips in the comedy The Navy Lark alongside Jon Pertwee and Ronnie Barker.[19] He also appeared in the film version of The Navy Lark (1959), the only cast member of the radio series to do so.[20]
In 1960, Phillips was cast in Doctor in Love, the fourth film in the Doctor comedy series and the first without Dirk Bogarde.[4] He appeared in two further installments, Doctor in Clover (1966) and Doctor in Trouble (1970).[21] Phillips appeared in several comedy films directed by Ken Annakin, often cast alongside his Doctor co-star James Robertson Justice, including Very Important Person (1961), Raising the Wind (1961) and Crooks Anonymous (1962).[6] In 1962, Phillips and Justice starred with Stanley Baxter in Annakin's The Fast Lady, one of Britain's biggest box office hits of the year.[22] A loose sequel, Father Came Too!, followed in 1964.[23]
During the 1960s, Phillips appeared on television in two plays penned by the comedy writing team
Later work
By the early 1980s, Phillips considered his suave and lecherous roles to be "a bit of a rut" and looked to branch out into dramatic roles.
Phillips appeared in British television sitcoms including
He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1998 Birthday Honours and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours.[13]
Phillips, in conjunction with
He continued to act until 2012[31][32] and continued to make television appearances until 2015 when he was interviewed on the BBC One programme VE Day: Remembering Victory.[1][2][3]
Personal life, illness and death
Phillips married his first wife, actress Penelope Bartley (1925–1981), on 30 May 1948.[33] The couple had four children.[13] In 1962, Phillips began a relationship with actress Caroline Mortimer, daughter of writer Penelope Mortimer and stepdaughter of John Mortimer, who was an understudy in a stage play in which Phillips starred. Phillips and Bartley separated at that point and were divorced in 1965.[33]
After his relationship with Mortimer ended, Phillips embarked on a relationship with Australian actress Vicki Luke,[34] with whom he lived for approximately three years.
Phillips moved in with actress Angela Scoular in 1977, at which time she was pregnant by another actor. He raised her son as his own.[35] While on tour in Australia in 1981, he was notified that Bartley had died in a fire. Phillips chose to continue in the production and did not attend her funeral. He later acknowledged that his family had never forgiven him for this decision.[33]
Phillips married Scoular in 1982. In 1992 Scoular, who suffered from
Phillips received the Freedom of the City of London on 16 November 2010.[37] Phillips was a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, and made an appearance as part of the half-time entertainment during the team's home match against Swansea City on 1 April 2012.[38]
On 20 December 2013, at the age of 89, Phillips married his third wife, Zara Carr.[39]
Phillips suffered two strokes six months apart at the age of 90.[40] After a long illness, he died in his sleep at home in London on 7 November 2022, aged 98.[41][42][43]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1938 | Lassie from Lancashire | Small role | Uncredited | [32] |
1938 | The Citadel | Small role | Uncredited | [32] |
1938 | Climbing High | Small role | Uncredited | [32] |
1939 | The Mikado | Boy | Uncredited | [32] |
1939 | The Four Feathers | Boy at Parade | Uncredited | [32] |
1940 | The Proud Valley | Small Role | Uncredited | [6] |
1940 | The Thief of Bagdad | Urchin | Uncredited | [32] |
1948 | Anna Karenina | Small Role | Uncredited | [32] |
1948 | The Red Shoes | Audience Member | Uncredited | [5] |
1949 | Train of Events | Fireman | [32] | |
1950 | The Woman with No Name | Officer | [32] | |
1951 | Pool of London | Harry | [32] | |
1951 | The Galloping Major | Reporter | Uncredited | [32] |
1952 | The Sound Barrier | Controller | Uncredited | [32] |
1953 | Time Bomb | Police Sergeant | Uncredited | [32] |
1953 | The Limping Man | Cameron | [32] | |
1954 | You Know What Sailors Are | Embassy Secretary | Uncredited | [32] |
1955 | As Long as They're Happy | Box Office Manager | [44] | |
1955 | Value for Money | Robjohns | [32] | |
1956 | The Gamma People | Howard Meade | [32] | |
1956 | The Big Money | Receptionist | [32] | |
1957 | The Barretts of Wimpole Street | Harry Bevan | [32] | |
1957 | Brothers in Law | Shop Assistant | [32] | |
1957 | The Smallest Show on Earth | Robin Carter | [32] | |
1957 | High Flight | Squadron Leader Blake | [32] | |
1957 | Les Girls | Sir Gerald Wren | [32] | |
1957 | Just My Luck | Hon. Richard Lumb | [32] | |
1958 | I Was Monty's Double | Major Tennant | [32] | |
1959 | The Navy Lark | Lt. Pouter | [32] | |
1959 | The Man Who Liked Funerals | Simon Hurd | [32] | |
1959 | The Angry Hills | Ray Taylor | [32] | |
1959 | Carry On Nurse | Jack Bell | [32] | |
1959 | Carry On Teacher | Alistair Grigg | [32] | |
1959 | The Night We Dropped a Clanger | Squadron Leader Thomas | [45] | |
1959 | Please Turn Over | Dr. Henry Manners | [32] | |
1959 | Ferdinando I, re di Napoli | Pat | [46] | |
1959 | This Other Eden | Crispin Brown | [32] | |
1960 | Inn for Trouble | John Belcher | [32] | |
1960 | Carry On Constable | PC Tom Potter | [32] | |
1960 | Doctor in Love | Dr. Tony Burke | [32] | |
1960 | Watch Your Stern | Lt. Cmdr. Bill Fanshawe | [47] | |
1960 | No Kidding | David Robinson | [32] | |
1961 | A Weekend with Lulu | Timothy Gray | [32] | |
1961 | Very Important Person | Flying Officer Jimmy Cooper DFC | [32] | |
1961 | Raising the Wind | Mervyn Hughes | [32] | |
1962 | Crooks Anonymous | Dandy Forsdyke | [32] | |
1962 | In the Doghouse | Jimmy Fox-Upton | [32] | |
1962 | The Longest Day | RAF Officer Mac | [32] | |
1962 | The Fast Lady | Freddie Fox | [32] | |
1964 | Father Came Too! | Roddy Chipfield | [32] | |
1965 | You Must Be Joking! | Young Husband | [32] | |
1966 | Doctor in Clover | Dr. Gaston Grimsdyke | [32] | |
1967 | Maroc 7 | Raymond Lowe | [32] | |
1970 | Some Will, Some Won't | Simon Russell | [32] | |
1970 | Doctor in Trouble | Dr. Tony Burke | [32] | |
1971 | The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins | Dickie | [32] | |
1973 | Not Now, Darling | Gilbert Bodley | [32] | |
1974 | Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! | Sir William Mainwaring-Brown | [32] | |
1975 | Spanish Fly | Mike Scott | [32] | |
1976 | Not Now, Comrade | Commander Rimmington | [32] | |
1985 | Out of Africa | Sir Joseph | [32] | |
1987 | Empire of the Sun | Maxton | [32] | |
1989 | Scandal | Lord Astor | [32] | |
1990 | Mountains of the Moon | Mr. Arundell | [32] | |
1991 | King Ralph | Gordon Halliwell | [32] | |
1992 | Carry On Columbus | King Ferdinand | [32] | |
1996 | August | Professor Alexander Blathwaite | [32] | |
1997 | Caught in the Act | Sydney Fisher | [32] | |
1997 | The Jackal | Woolburton | [32] | |
1998 | The Orgasm Raygun | The Inventor's Voiceover | Voice | [32] |
2000 | Saving Grace | Vicar | [32] | |
2001 | Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | Wilson | [27] | |
2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | Sorting Hat |
Voice | [27] |
2002 | Thunderpants | Judge | [32] | |
2002 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | Sorting Hat | Voice | [27][48] |
2003 | Collusion | Herbert Ames | [49] | |
2004 | Millions | Leslie Phillips | [32] | |
2004 | Churchill: The Hollywood Years | Lord W'ruff | [32] | |
2005 | Colour Me Kubrick | Freddie | [32] | |
2006 | Venus | Ian | [4] | |
2008 | Is There Anybody There? |
Reg | [32] | |
2011 | Late Bloomers | Leo | [50] | |
2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | Sorting Hat | Voice | [27][48] |
2012 | After Death | Jeremiah Jones | Final acting role | [51][48] |
2022 | Darkheart Manor | Jeremiah Jones | Archive footage only[52] | [53] |
Selected television
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
1948 | Morning Departure | Stoker Snipe | TV film | [32] |
1952 | My Wife Jacqueline | Tom Bridger | All 6 episodes | [32] |
1955 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Sir William | Episode: "Friar Tuck" | [5] |
1955 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Count de Waldern | Episode: "Checkmate" | [5] |
1956 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Wat Longfellow | Episode: "A Village Wooing" | [5] |
1958 | The Invisible Man | Sparrow | Episode: "Blind Justice" | [32] |
1960 | The Adventures of Robin Hood | Herbert | Episode: "The Reluctant Rebel" | [5] |
1963 | Comedy Playhouse | Mr. Ferris | Episode: "Impasse" | [6] |
1963 | Our Man at St. Mark's | Reverend Andrew Parker | 7 episodes | [5] |
1969 | The Galton & Simpson Comedy | Howard | Episode: "The Suit" | [54] |
1970 | The Culture Vultures | Dr. Michael Cunningham | All 5 episodes | [54] |
1972 | Father, Dear Father | Basil | Episode: "Unaccustomed as I Am" | [54] |
1973 | Casanova '73 | Henry Newhouse | All 7 episodes | [32] |
1979 | The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe | Mr. Tumnus | Voice; TV film | [55] |
1985 | Mr. Palfrey of Westminster | Rupert Styles | Episode: "Return to Sender" | [32] |
1987 | Super Gran | P.O.W. | Episode: "Supergran and the Birthday Dambuster" | [56] |
1988 | Rumpole of the Bailey | Boxey Horne | Episode: "Rumpole and Portia" | [32] |
1990 | The Comic Strip Presents... |
Sir Horace Cutler | Episode: "GLC: The Carnage Continues..." | [54] |
1990 | The Comic Strip Presents... |
Dean | Episode: "Oxford" | [54] |
1990–1991 | Chancer | James Blake | 18 episodes | [57] |
1990 | Life After Life | Wing Commander Boyle | TV pilot | [32] |
1994 | Bermuda Grace | Sir Philip Harding | TV film | [32] |
1994 | Honey for Tea | Sir Dickie Hobhouse | All 7 episodes | [58] |
1994 | The House of Windsor | Lord Montague Bermondsey | All 6 episodes | [32] |
1994 | Love on a Branch Line | Lord Flamborough | All 4 episodes | [32] |
1994 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Justin Whittaker | 3 episodes | [59] |
1996 | The Canterville Ghost | George, Lord Canterville | TV film | [32] |
1999 | Dalziel and Pascoe | James Westropp | Episode: "Recalled to Life" | [32] |
2000 | Take a Girl Like You | Lord Archie Edgerstone | Episode: "Part 3" | [54] |
2001–2004 | Revolver | The Safecracker | 7 episodes | [60] |
2003 | Midsomer Murders | Major Godfrey Teal | Episode: "Painted in Blood" :Episode #6.3 | [32] |
2006 | Heartbeat | Denzil Witty | Episode: "Risky Business" | [61] |
2006 | The Catherine Tate Show | Teddy Morris | Episode: "Mum, I'm Gay" | [32] |
2006 | Walking with Shadows | Mr. Barness | TV film | [62] |
2007 | The Last Detective | Alistair Robertson | Episode: "The Dead Peasants Society" | [63] |
2008 | Harley Street | Dudley Grainger | Episode: #1.2 | [32] |
2009 | Things Talk | Grandfather Clock | Voice; TV film | [32] |
2015 | VE Day: Remembering Victory | Himself – Interviewee | Final television appearance | [32] |
Selected radio
- The Navy Lark (1959–1977)[4]
- Three Men in a Boat (1962)[64]
- The TV Lark (1963)[65]
Other voice work
- Voice of
- Voice of cat in Iams advertising[68]
- Voice of the captain of the Virgin Atlantic safety video (1996–2004)[69]
References
- ^ a b "VE Day: Remembering Victory (2015)". BFI. Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b "VE Day 70". BBC. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b Bullimore, Emma. "VE Day 2020 timetable – TV schedule and celebrations for 75th anniversary". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Leslie Phillips obituary: The comedy Casanova who made it to Hogwarts". BBC News. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bartlett, Rhett (8 November 2022). "Leslie Phillips, Debonair British Actor of 'Carry On,' 'Doctor' and 'Harry Potter' Films, Dies at 98". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ ISBN 0752868896.
- ^ Moyes, Jonathan (27 June 2007). "Ex-pupil Phillips opens old school". Waltham Forest Guardian. Retrieved 10 May 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Sullivan, Chris (22 September 2020). "Leslie Phillips". The Chap. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ "'Hel-low. Aren't you a gorgeous creature?'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ Walsh, John (20 December 1997). "Oh Leslie, you really are a gorgeous beast". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Happy 95th Birthday to Leslie Phillips". The Oldie. Archived from the original on 23 April 2019. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ a b "The prime of Mr. Leslie Phillips". The Guardian. 4 August 1999. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "CBE for Carry On actor Phillips". BBC News. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ a b "With my reputation?". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 April 2004.
- ^ Galton, Bridget (25 January 2007). "Leslie Phillips has found a use for his old tales – a riveting autobiography". Hampstead and Highgate Express. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ Lawrence, Ben (8 November 2022). "Leslie Phillips, as sexually threatening as a pot of tepid tea, made the common man feel better". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Please Turn Over". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "No Kidding". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Tenniel Evens:Taffy Goldstein in 'The Navy Lark'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 14 June 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ Larman, Alexander (8 November 2022). "'Well, hello!': why the sex-mad, satirical Doctor in Clover was the making of Leslie Phillips". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Most Popular Films of 1963", The Times, London, England, 3 January 1964: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.
- ^ Altria, Bill (17 December 1964). "British Films Romp Home – Fill First Five Places". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 9.
- ^ "Galton And Simpson's Casanova". British Classic Comedy. 10 October 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
- ^ Oliver, John (2003–2014). "Galton, Ray (1930–) and Simpson, Alan (1929–)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
- ^ Lee, Benjamin (8 November 2022). "Carry On star Leslie Phillips dies at 98". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e "Leslie Phillips dead: Carry On and Harry Potter star dies aged 98". The Independent. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "BAFTA Awards winners and nominees". Bafta.org. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Back Door znProductions". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Living The Life – Sky Arts". Sky Arts / BSkyB.
- ^ "Leslie Phillips". IMDb.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb bc bd be bf bg bh bi bj bk bl bm bn bo bp bq br bs bt bu bv bw bx by bz ca cb cc cd ce cf cg ch ci cj "Leslie Phillips". BFI. Archived from the original on 25 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7528-8178-2.
- ^ "Vicki Luke". IMDb.
- ^ a b "Angela Scoular obituary". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ a b "Bond actress Angela Scoular died drinking acid cleaner". BBC News. 20 July 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2012.
- ^ "Veteran Actor Leslie Phillips Recives [sic] The Freedom of the City of London". Getty Images. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
- ^ "Tottenham Hotspur 3 Swansea City 1: Match Report". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
- ^ "Leslie Phillips marries third wife at 89". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 December 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- ^ "Leslie Phillips: Carry On and Harry Potter star dies aged 98". BBC News. 8 November 2022.
- ^ "Leslie Phillips, star of the Carry On films, dies 'peacefully in his sleep' aged 98". The Irish Times. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
- ^ "Harry Potter and Carry On star Leslie Phillips dies aged 98". RTÉ. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (10 November 2022). "Leslie Phillips, 98, British Comic Actor And Sagacious Object in 'Harry Potter'". The New York Times. p. B12. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
- ^ "As Long As They're Happy (1955)". BFI. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "The Night We Dropped A Clanger". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ "The Complete Index To World Film: Ferdinando I, re di Napoli". CITWF.com. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
- ^ "Watch Your Stern". BFI. Archived from the original on 21 November 2017. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
- ^ a b c Holmes, Martin (8 November 2022). "Leslie Phillips Dies: 'Harry Potter,' 'Tomb Raider' and 'Carry On' Actor Was 98". WFMZ.com. WFMZ-TV. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
Phillips reprised his role as the Sorting Hat in 2011 for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and made his last on-screen appearance in the 2012 film After Death.
- ^ "Carrying on regardless even at 80". The Herald. 27 November 2004. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ Kershaw, Tom (8 November 2022). "Carry On and Harry Potter legend Leslie Phillips dead age 98". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "After Death (2012)". IMDb.
- ^ "Darkheart Manor". Martin Gooch. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Darkheart Manor". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "Leslie Phillips dies aged 98". British Comedy Guide. 8 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (1978)". BFI. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Super Gran". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ Parkinson, David. "Leslie Phillips obituary: British star who bridged the worlds of Carry On and Harry Potter". BFI. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Honey for Tea". BFI. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "The Ruth Rendell Mysteries". Radio Times. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Revolver". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Leslie Phillips dies at 98". Chortle. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ISBN 9780748765140. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "The Danger man is back". Manchester Evening News. 19 April 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Three Men in a boat". BBC Radio 4 Extra. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "The TV Lark goes back to the navy". Evening Standard. London: 5. 25 March 1963. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ "Cartoon capers". BBC. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Leslie Philips (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 26 September 2021. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: postscript (link) - ^ Westbrook, Caroline. "Britain's Got Talent 2016: This might be our favourite ever Ant and Dec impersonation on the show". Metro. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- ^ "Virgin Atlantic Airways A340 Safety Video (1996–2004)". Retrieved 19 March 2022 – via YouTube.
External links
- Leslie Phillips at IMDb
- Interview at Britmovie.co.uk
- Interview at Den Of Geek
- Leslie Phillips at the better source needed]
- Obituary at BFI