Arnold Ridley
| Arnold Ridley | |
|---|---|
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| Born | William Arnold Ridley 7 January 1896 Bath, Somerset, England[1] |
| Died | 12 March 1984 (aged 88) Hillingdon, London, England[2] |
| Occupation | Actor, playwright |
| Years active | 1923–84 |
| Spouse | Althea Parker (m. 1945–1984) (his death) |
Major William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 – 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor, first notable as the author of the play The Ghost Train and later in life for portraying the elderly Private Charles Godfrey in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army (1968–77).
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[edit] Early life
Ridley was born in Walcot, Bath, England where his father was a gymnastics instructor and ran a boot and shoe shop. Arnold attended the Clarendon School and the Bath City Secondary School where he was a keen sportsman. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from the Education Department of the University of Bristol, played Hamlet in a student production and undertook teaching practice at an Elementary School in Bristol.[3]
[edit] Career
Ridley was a student teacher and had made his theatrical debut in Prunella at the Theatre Royal, Bristol when he volunteered for British Army service in August 1914. He was rejected due to a toe injury, but in 1915 was able to enlist as a private in the Somerset Light Infantry. He saw active service in the First World War, sustaining several serious injuries: his left arm was left virtually useless by injuries sustained on the Somme,[4][5] his legs were riddled with shrapnel and the legacy of a blow to the head by a German soldier's rifle butt left him prone to blackouts. He was medically discharged from the army with the rank of Lance Corporal[3] and after the war he went into acting. In 1918, he joined Birmingham Repertory Theatre, staying for two years and playing 40 parts, before moving on to Plymouth, where he eventually had a break from the stage when his war injuries began to trouble him.
After spending an evening stranded at Mangotsfield railway station, near Bristol, Ridley was inspired to write the play, The Ghost Train (1923) (later a film with Arthur Askey). It was a tale of passengers stranded at a haunted railway station in Cornwall, with one of the characters playing a detective trying to catch smugglers. The show became a huge success, enjoying 665 performances in London's West End and two revivals. He also wrote over 30 other plays including The Wrecker (1924), Keepers of Youth (1929) and The Flying Fool (1929) and Recipe for Murder (1936).[6]
Having unsuccessfully attempted to establish a film company between the wars, Ridley rejoined the army in 1939 with the rank of Major and again saw active service with the British Expeditionary Force in France during the Second World War, but was discharged on health grounds. During this time he adapted the Agatha Christie novel Peril at End House into a West End play. He worked regularly as an actor, including an appearance in the 1964 British comedy Crooks in Cloisters. He was also known for playing Doughy Hood in the radio soap The Archers in the 1960s. However he only became a household name during the 1970s when he was offered the role of Private Charles Godfrey, the gentle platoon medic in one of the most successful British sitcoms, Dad's Army. He continued to appear into his eighties. He was appointed an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List of 1982, for services to the theatre.
He was married three times. Firstly from January 1926 to 1939, then a short marriage beginning in 1939[7] before his final marriage to actress Althea Parker (1911–2001) on 3 October 1945;[8] they had one son Nicholas (b 1947).[9] Arnold Ridley died in hospital in Northwood in 1984 after falling at his home[10] at the age of 88 and was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium.
His collection of theatrical memorabilia was left to the University of Bristol and has been made available online.[11][12]
[edit] Filmography
- The Interrupted Journey (1949)
- Green Grow the Rushes (1951)
- Stolen Face (1952)
- Wings of Mystery (1963)
- Crooks in Cloisters (1964)
- A Man for All Seasons (1966)
- Dad's Army (1971)
- Carry on Girls (1973)
- The Amorous Milkman (1975)
[edit] References
- ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1896 5c 543 BATH – William Arnold Ridley
- ^ GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1984 13 934 HILLINGDON, MIDDLESEX – William Arnold Ridley, DoB = 7 Jan 1896 aged 88
- ^ a b Ridley, Nicholas (2009). Godfrey's Ghost From Father to Son. Mogzilla Life. ISBN 9781906132989.
- ^ "Godfrey's secret war horror" p13 of Sunday Telegraph (Issue 2,459- dated 27 July 2008)
- ^ Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1058810/Dads-Armys-Godfrey-tried-strangle-son-flashback-horrors-Somme.html
- ^ The Times, obituary, 14 March 1984
- ^ Nicholas Ridley, Godfrey's Ghost, Mogzilla, 2009 pp191-93
- ^ Nicholas Ridley, Godfrey's Ghost, Mogzilla, 2009 p194
- ^ Nicholas Ridley, Godfrey's Ghost, Mogzilla, 2009 p1
- ^ The Times, death announcement, 13 March 1984
- ^ BBC News 6 January 2008
- ^ University of Bristol Theatre Collection Arnold Ridley Archive
[edit] Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968–1977 | Dad's Army | Private Godfrey |
[edit] External links
- Arnold Ridley at the Internet Movie Database
- "Arnold Ridley". Find a Grave. http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=7599165. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
- Arnold Ridley archive at the University of Bristol Theatre Collection, University of Bristol
- performances by Arnold Ridley listed in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
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- English actors
- Officers of the Order of the British Empire
- People from Bath, Somerset
- British dramatists and playwrights
- Alumni of the University of Bristol
- British Army personnel of World War I
- People educated at City of Bath Boys' School
- British Army General List officers
- Somerset Light Infantry soldiers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- 1896 births
- 1984 deaths
