Richard O'Sullivan
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Richard O'Sullivan | |
---|---|
Born | Chiswick, London, England | 7 May 1944
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1953–1996, 1999, 2006 |
Spouses | Diana Terry
(m. 1971; div. 1971)Christine Smart
(m. 1987; div. 1994) |
Partner | Tessa Wyatt (1978–1985) |
Children | 1 |
Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English comedy actor who is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms Man About the House (1973–1976) and Robin's Nest (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period adventure series Dick Turpin (1979–1982). He also starred in Doctor at Large (1971), Doctor in Charge (1972–1973), Alcock and Gander (1972), Me and My Girl (1984–1988) and Trouble In Mind (1991).
Early life
O'Sullivan was born in 1944, to John and Ellen O'Sullivan (née Fleming) in Chiswick, where he grew up with his younger brother. His early education was at St John the Evangelist's RC Primary School in Brentford, Middlesex. After a family holiday in Ireland as a boy, he returned with a strong Irish accent and was sent to the Corona Theatre School to soften it.[1] He appeared in his first film at the age of eight.
Career as child actor
O'Sullivan's first film appearance was as an extra playing one of the children singing in the Sunday School sequence of The Yellow Balloon, filmed in 1952 when he was eight years old and released in 1953. He then played the main character in The Stranger's Hand, starring Alida Valli and Trevor Howard, in 1953.
Possibly his earliest television work was the part he played in the
Adult acting career
In the early 1960s, O'Sullivan appeared in two
For the remainder of the 1960s, O'Sullivan was a jobbing actor appearing in such TV series as Dr Syn: the Scarecrow,
By then a regular in TV sitcoms, he starred as Robin Tripp, a trainee chef, in the flatshare sitcom Man About the House written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, launched in 1973.[4]
In 1975, he starred in the stage comedy Boeing Boeing, undertaking two record-breaking national tours, alongside two of his Man About The House co-stars, Yootha Joyce and Sally Thomsett.
When the television series ended in 1976, he continued playing Robin Tripp in the spin-off sitcom Robin's Nest,[4] in which Robin sets up a bistro with funding from his girlfriend Vicky's father, James Nicholls (Tony Britton). During his run as Robin, he had relationships with two of his co-stars, Sally Thomsett from Man About the House, and Tessa Wyatt, who played Vicky in Robin's Nest. From the latter relationship, he had a son, Jamie.
Robin's Nest was a big success, and was the first UK sitcom to feature an unmarried couple cohabiting. To tie in with the series, O'Sullivan wrote a recipe book called Man About the Kitchen,and a sequel Roastin’ with Richard which were published in 1980. He also wrote the Robin's Nest theme tune, which was arranged by
In 1979, he starred in the title role of
Later life
O'Sullivan largely retired from public life in 1996. His last appearance on television was as a guest on a 1999 edition of This Is Your Life held in honour of his Doctor... co-star George Layton. O'Sullivan had himself been the subject of the show in 1974. In 2006, O'Sullivan recorded a commentary for the DVD release of Carry On Teacher.
He has lived in Brinsworth House, a retirement home for entertainers in Twickenham,[5] since suffering a stroke in 2003.[4]
Filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1953 | The Yellow Balloon | Boy Singing at Sunday School | uncredited |
1953 | Malta Story | Ninno Gozar | uncredited |
1954 | The Stranger's Hand | Roger Court | |
1954 | Dance Little Lady | Peter | |
1954 | The Green Scarf | Child Jacques | |
1954 | Loves of Three Queens | Benoni | |
1955 | The Dark Avenger | Thomas Holland | |
1955 | Make Me an Offer | Charlie as a Boy | |
1955 | The Secret | John Martin | |
1956 | Raiders of the River | Joey | |
1956 | Jacqueline | Michael | |
1956 | It's Great to Be Young | Lawson | |
1957 | No Time for Tears | William Reynolds | |
1957 | Dangerous Exile | Louis XVII / Richard de Beauvais | |
1959 | The Nun's Story | Pierre | uncredited |
1959 | Carry On Teacher | Robin Stevens | |
1959 | Witness in the Dark | Don Theobald | |
1960 | And Women Shall Weep | Godfrey Lumsden | |
1960 | A Story of David | Abiathar | |
1961 | Spare the Rod | Fred Harkness | |
1961 | The Young Ones | Ernest | |
1962 | The Prince and The Pauper |
Hugo | |
1962 | The Webster Boy | Jimmy Webster | |
1963 | Cleopatra | Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII | |
1963 | Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow | George Ransley | |
1964 | Wonderful Life | Edward | US title: Swingers' Paradise[6] |
1964 | Every Day's a Holiday | Jimmy Dainty | |
1968 | A Dandy in Aspic | Nevil | |
1969 | The Haunted House of Horror | Peter | |
1970 | Futtocks End | The Boots | |
1972 | Au Pair Girls | Stephen | |
1973 | Father, Dear Father | Richard | |
1974 | Man About the House | Robin Tripp | |
1974 | Can You Keep It Up for a Week? | Mr. Rose |
Television
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
1955 | Sherlock Holmes - The Case of the Unlucky Gambler | Andy Fenwick |
1956 | Colonel March of Scotland Yard | Roger |
1957 | Sword of Freedom | Alberto |
1960 | The Four Just Men - The Man with the Golden Touch | Pietro |
1966 | Danger Man | Aldo Shargis |
1967 | Great Expectations | Herbert Pocket |
1968 | The Ronnie Barker Playhouse | Arthur (episode 4, The Incredible Mr.Tanner) |
1971 1972–1973 |
Doctor at Large Doctor in Charge |
Lawrence Bingham |
1971–1973 | Now Look Here | Keith |
1972 | Alcock and Gander | Richard Gander |
1973–1976 1977–1981 |
Man About the House Robin's Nest |
Robin Tripp |
1979–1982 | Dick Turpin | Dick Turpin |
1984–1988 | Me and My Girl | Simon Harrap |
1988 | The Giftie | Paul |
1991 | Trouble in Mind | Adam Charlesworth |
1996 | Holed | Henry |
References
- ^ a b "TV heartthrob Richard O'Sullivan". Retrieved 27 October 2020 – via PressReader.
- ^ a b "O'Sullivan, Richard (1944–)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
- ^ Burton, Paul (3 October 2008). "Richard O'Sullivan: the Elstree credits of a Man About the House". BOREHAMWOOD & ELSTREE TIMES. Retrieved 1 September 2022.
- ^ a b c d Lawson, Mark (15 August 2023). "'Naughty rather than dirty': 50 years of Man About the House, the sitcom that introduced sex to British TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
- ^ "Richard O'Sullivan and Mike Yarwood at Brinsworth House where they are residents". twitter.com. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ Overview for Swingers' Paradise (1965)", Turner Classic Movies page
External links
- Richard O'Sullivan at IMDb