Simon Cadell
| Simon Cadell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Simon John Cadell 19 July 1950 London, England |
| Died | 6 March 1996 (aged 45) Westminster, London, England |
Simon John Cadell (19 July 1950 – 6 March 1996) was an English actor.
Born in London, he was the grandson of the Scottish character actor Jean Cadell, the brother of the actress Selina Cadell, and the cousin of the actor Guy Siner. He was educated at Bedales School at Petersfield where his close friends included Gyles Brandreth, who remained a friend until Cadell's death.[1] Cadell trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.
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[edit] Career
His first successes were found in the theatre in the mid to late 1970s. He then provided the voice of Blackberry in Watership Down, the animated adaptation of Richard Adams' novel of the same name, and went on to play parts in a number of British television programmes, including series such as Enemy at the Door. He also appeared in a few films.
He is most remembered for his role as the well-meaning but out-of-place holiday camp manager Jeffrey Fairbrother in the BBC Situation comedy Hi-de-Hi!, and for playing the disingenuous civil servant Dundridge in the screen adaptation of Blott on the Landscape, both in the mid-1980s.
On radio he played the elven-king Celeborn in the 1981 BBC adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. He starred in the BBC sitcom Life Without George alongside Carol Royle which ran for three series from 1987 to 1989.
He appeared in the British comedy series Singles and cameoed in several shows, including Minder, Bergerac, The Kenny Everett Television Show, and Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected. He was also in heavy demand as a voice-over for television commercials.
He also narrated the acclaimed children's television series Bump for the BBC which is all about a baby elephant (who always bumps into things) and his friend Birdie.
[edit] Personal life
Cadell married actress Rebecca Croft in 1985.
[edit] Death
In January 1993, Cadell suffered a near-fatal heart attack after giving a recital with Joanna Lumley at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in London. The doctors singled out smoking as a contributory cause - at one stage Cadell smoked 80 cigarettes a day - but he was back at work playing in Travels with My Aunt four months after a triple bypass operation. In September the same year, cancer was detected. On 6 March 1996 Cadell died at the age of 45.[2][3]
[edit] Television Roles
[edit] Drama
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 to 1980 | Enemy at the Door | Hauptmann Reinicke |
| 1978 | Edward & Mrs. Simpson | Major John Aird |
| 1984 | Tales of the Unexpected | Sam Luke in the episode Have a Nice Death |
[edit] Comedy
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 to 1984 | Hi-de-Hi! | Prof. Jeffrey Fairbrother |
| 1985 | Blott on the Landscape | Mr. Dundridge |
| 1987 to 1989 | Life Without George | Larry Wade |
| 1988 to 1991 | Singles | Denis Duvall |
[edit] References
- ^ Nicholas Shakespeare "The Diary of a Lifetime by Gyles Brandreth: review", Daily Telegraph, 31 October 2009
- ^ GRO Register of Deaths: MAR 1996 A38C 170 WESTMINSTER - Simon John Cadell, DoB 19 Jul 1950, aged 45
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-simon-cadell-1340890.html
