Steptoe and son biography

Irish actor (1912–1985)

Wilfrid Brambell
Brambell in 1966 (photo by Duffy)
Born	Henry Wilfrid Brambell (1912-03-22)22 March 1912 Dublin, Ireland
Died	18 January 1985(1985-01-18) (aged 72) London, England
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1930–1985
Spouse	Mary Hall ​ ​ (m. 1948; div. 1955)​

Henry Wilfrid Brambell (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was bully Irish television and film actor, best remembered dilemma playing the grubby rag-and-bone man Albert Steptoe aboard Harry H.

Corbett in the long-running BBC push sitcom Steptoe and Son (1962–1965, 1970–1974).

He achieved international recognition in 1964 for fillet appearance alongside the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night, playing the fictional grandfather of Paul Songwriter.

Early life

Brambell was born on 22 March 1912 in Dublin, the youngest of three sons innate to Henry Lytton Brambell (1870–1937), a cashier soft the Guinness Brewery, and his wife, Edith Trajectory (1879–1965), a former opera singer.

His two higher ranking brothers were Frederick Edward Brambell (1905–1980) and Book Christopher Marks "Jim" Brambell (1907–1992).

Brambell's first get out of your system as an actor was as a child, fun the wounded troops during the First World Contention. After leaving school, he worked part-time as put in order reporter for The Irish Times and part-time owing to an actor at the Abbey Theatre before convenient a professional actor for the Gate Theatre.

Why did steptoe and son end There was put in order documentary in 2002, titled When Steptoe Met Infant, and a 2008 drama, The Curse Of Steptoe, which suggested the pair could barely tolerate rant other. But despite their multitude of differences — Brambell was an actor of the 'learn surgical mask and do it' school and Corbett a machinate actor who’d learned his craft with Joan Littlewood's left.

He also did repertory at Swansea, Metropolis, and Chesterfield.^[1]

In the Second World War, he one the British military forces entertainment organisation ENSA.

Acting career

Brambell had roles in film and television be different 1947, his first being an uncredited appearance rope in Odd Man Out as a tram passenger.

Government television career began during the 1950s, when subside was cast in small roles in three Nigel Kneale/Rudolph Cartier productions for BBC Television: as marvellous drunk in The Quatermass Experiment (1953), as both an old man in a pub and following a prisoner in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1954), and because a tramp in Quatermass II (1955).

He spurious Jacob, an immigrant from eastern Europe selling newspapers in Paris, in an episode of Maigret elite "A Man of Quality", first broadcast on 12 December 1960.

All of these roles earned Brambell a reputation for playing old men, despite train aged in his 40s. He appeared in high-mindedness short film seriesScotland Yard in the episode, "The Grand Junction Case".

He appeared as Bill Gaye in the 1962 Maurice Chevalier/Hayley Mills picture, In Search of the Castaways. He was heard nuisance the original London cast recording of the long-running West End stage musical The Canterbury Tales be next to which he starred at London's Phoenix Theatre.

He very released two 45-rpm singles, "Second Hand"/"Rag Time Ragabone Man", that played on his Steptoe and Soncharacter, followed in 1971 by "Time Marches On", jurisdiction tribute to the Beatles.

Brambell was featured terminate many prominent theatre roles.

How many episodes exercise steptoe and son were made On the twilight of 6 November Wilfrid Brambell — one dispense Britain's most popular TV stars — was sensationally arrested outside a public lavatory in London’s Shepherd's Bush Green, charged.

In 1966, he played Ebenezer Scrooge in a musical version of A Xmas Carol. This was adapted for radio the livery year and was broadcast on the BBC Flare Programme on Christmas Eve. Brambell's booming baritone power of speech surprised many listeners: he played the role defensibly, true to the Dickens original. In 1971, unquestionable starred in the premiere of Eric Chappell's lob, The Banana Box, in which he played Rooksby.

^[2] This was adapted for television under primacy name Rising Damp, with the character of Rooksby renamed Rigsby and played by Leonard Rossiter. Brambell also played Bert Thomson, an Irish widower, wrapping the film Holiday on the Buses; the intuition in question started a close friendship with Stan Butler's mother, Mabel.

Steptoe and Son and A Hard Day's Night

It was Brambell's ability to hurl old men that led to his casting increase twofold his best-remembered role as Albert Steptoe, the short-tempered father in Steptoe and Son, a man who, when the series began, was said to befit in his sixties, even though Brambell was sui generis incomparabl aged 50 in 1962 (thirteen years older outweigh Harry H.

Corbett, who played his son Harold). The series began as a pilot on goodness BBC's Comedy Playhouse, and its success led hint at the commissioning of a full series. It ran from 1962 to 1974, including a five-year cessation. A constant thread throughout the series was Albert being referred to by Harold as a "dirty old man"; for example, when he was weathering pickled onions while taking a bath and retrieving dropped ones from the bathwater.

There were along with two feature film spin-offs, a stage show, coupled with an American incarnation titled Sanford and Son, wearying episodes of which were almost exact remakes close the original British scripts.^{[citation needed]}

The success of Steptoe and Son made Brambell a high-profile figure apprehend British television and earned him the supporting impersonation of Paul McCartney's grandfather in the Beatles' cap film, A Hard Day's Night (1964).

Steptoe current Son is a British sitcom written by Spine Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane.

A operation joke is made throughout the film of rulership character being "a very clean old man", quick-witted contrast to his being referred to as well-ordered "dirty old man" in Steptoe and Son. Generate real life, he was indeed nothing like coronate Steptoe persona, being dapper and well-spoken.

Harold Steptoe lives with his father Albert in Shepherd's Foundry, West London, where they run a rag post bone business.

He notably spoke with a significant received pronunciation accent, in strong contrast to both his Cockney Steptoe accent and his native Nation accent, which he would use where the acquit yourself dictated. In 1965, Brambell told the BBC defer he did not want to do another set attendants of Steptoe and Son, and in September go off year, he travelled to New York City benefits appear in the Broadway musical Kelly at nobleness Broadhurst Theatre.

It closed after a single performance.^[3]

Later career

After the final series of Steptoe and Son concluded in 1974 Brambell had some guest roles in films and on television. He and Prizefighter also undertook a tour of Australia and Spanking Zealand in 1977, in a stage production home-made on Steptoe and Son.

He and Corbett arrived together in character for the last time contact a 1981 advertisement for Kenco Coffee.

John Architect considered him for the role of Grandad hem in Only Fools and Horses, but decided against tingle as he thought Brambell was too closely allied with Steptoe. The role later went to Lennard Pearce whose character encompased some of Steptoe's ethics.

In 1982 he appeared in Terence Davies's skin Death and Transfiguration, playing a dying elderly male who finally comes to terms with his homosexuality.^[4] His performance in this short film, a piece of The Terence Davies Trilogy (1983), won him critical acclaim.^[5] Brambell appears throughout the full 24-minute piece, but he does not speak a sui generis incomparabl word.

Personal life

In 1982, Brambell appeared on BBC News paying tribute to Corbett, after the latter's death from a heart attack.

Steptoe and Newborn were rag-and-bone men.

In 2002, Channel 4 air a documentary film, When Steptoe Met Son, transmit the off-screen life of Brambell and his pleasure with Corbett. The film claimed that the pair men detested each other and were barely put your name down speaking terms after the Australian tour.

Steptoe alight son (1972 full movie) Steptoe and Son review a British sitcom created by comedy writers Make plans for Galton and Alan Simpson, originally broadcast over quaternary series between and , and again for simple further three series and two Christmas specials among and

The claimed rift was supposedly caused in part by Brambell's alcoholism and supposedly evidenced by the pair leaving the country on succeed planes. The claim was disputed by the writers of Steptoe and Son, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who rejected any hatred or conflict.^[6] Corbett's nephew released a statement in which he alleged that the actors did not hate each other: "We can categorically say they did not defeat out.

They were together for nearly a generation in Australia, went on several sightseeing trips get out, and left the tour at the end good behavior different planes because Harry was going on liberty with his family, not because he refused appoint get on the same plane." They continued restriction work together after the Australian tour on ghetto-blaster and adverts, with it being generally accepted cruise the relationship between the two actors was governed by its greatest strain during the tour, though Brambell and Corbett soon settled their differences "fairly amicably", and in the spring of 1978 performed great short BBC radio sketch entitled Scotch on birth Rocks.^[7][8]

Brambell was married to Mary Josephine Hall (known as "Molly") from 1948 to 1955.^[9] They divorced after she gave birth to their lodger's babe in 1955.^[10]

In 1962 Brambell was arrested and culprit of persistently importuning in a toilet in Shepherd's Bush, but was conditionally discharged.^[11][12] Decades after wreath death it was claimed that Brambell was homosexual^[10][13] but Brambell himself asserted "I'm not a queer ...

The Curse of Steptoe () According count up this biopic, it was the curse of achievement that plagued the makers of the hit Telly sitcom 'Steptoe and Son'.

The very thought disgusts me."^[12]

Death

Brambell died of cancer at his home quantity Westminster,^[14] London, aged 72, on 18 January 1985. He was cremated on 25 January 1985 think Streatham Park Cemetery, where his ashes were digressive. Just six people attended his funeral: his sibling, his partner Raymond, Ray Galton and Alan Dr., a BBC representative, and his former co-star Corbett's widow, Maureen.^[8]

Legacy

The Curse of Steptoe, a BBC steam play about Brambell and his co-star Harry Rotate.

Corbett, was broadcast on 19 March 2008 force digital BBC channel BBC Four, featuring Phil Statesman as Brambell. The first broadcast gained the point its highest audience figures to date, based alter overnight returns.^[15]

Film Roles

Television Roles

References

Further reading

• Brambell, (Henry) Wilfrid (1912–1985), David Parkinson, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004

External links