Kenneth Connor: Difference between revisions
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| caption = Publicity photo of Connor in the 1960s.{{fact}} |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|6|6|df=y}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1918|6|6|df=y}} |
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| birth_place = [[London]], [[England]], [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|UK]] |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|11|28|1918|6|6|df=y}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|11|28|1918|6|6|df=y}} |
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| death_place = London, England, UK |
| death_place = London, England, UK |
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| spouse = Margaret <small>(?–1993)<br />(his death)</small> |
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| occupation = Actor |
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| years_active = 1920–93 |
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| years_active = 1920-93 |
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'''Kenneth Connor''', [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (6 June 1918<ref name="D">Fade to Black 4th Ed - Paul Donnelley, Omnibus Press, 2010</ref> |
'''Kenneth Connor''', [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]] (6 June 1918<ref name="D">Fade to Black 4th Ed - Paul Donnelley, Omnibus Press, 2010</ref>–28 November 1993) was an [[English people|English]] comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for the [[Carry On films|''Carry On'' films]]. |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Born the son of a naval officer in [[London]], Connor first appeared on the stage at the age of 2 and by 11 had his own act. After periods at drama school and the army during which time he participated in the British invasion of Rome, he returned to the stage, but found most success in BBC radio comedy, particularly in comedian [[Ted Ray]]'s ''Ray's a Laugh'' in which he played the brother-in-law and other 'odd' characters including 'Sidney Mincing'. He had a small role as a taxi driver in ''[[The Ladykillers]]'' (1955), and was an occasional guest on ''[[The Goon Show]]'' on radio, being called upon to fill in during regular cast members' illness. |
Born the son of a naval officer in [[London]], Connor first appeared on the stage at the age of 2 and by 11 had his own act. After periods at drama school and the army during which time he participated in the British invasion of Rome, he returned to the stage, but found most success in BBC radio comedy, particularly in comedian [[Ted Ray]]'s ''Ray's a Laugh'' in which he played the brother-in-law and other 'odd' characters including 'Sidney Mincing'. He had a small role as a taxi driver in ''[[The Ladykillers]]'' (1955), and was an occasional guest on ''[[The Goon Show]]'' on radio, being called upon to fill in during regular cast members' illness. |
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Revision as of 08:24, 20 December 2010
Kenneth Connor | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photo of Connor in the 1960s.[citation needed] | |
| Born | 6 June 1918 |
| Died | 28 November 1993 (aged 75) London, England, UK |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1920–93 |
| Television | Carry On films |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret (?–1993) (his death) |
Kenneth Connor, MBE (6 June 1918[1]–28 November 1993) was an English comedy stage, radio, film and TV actor, best known for the Carry On films.
Career
Born the son of a naval officer in London, Connor first appeared on the stage at the age of 2 and by 11 had his own act. After periods at drama school and the army during which time he participated in the British invasion of Rome, he returned to the stage, but found most success in BBC radio comedy, particularly in comedian Ted Ray's Ray's a Laugh in which he played the brother-in-law and other 'odd' characters including 'Sidney Mincing'. He had a small role as a taxi driver in The Ladykillers (1955), and was an occasional guest on The Goon Show on radio, being called upon to fill in during regular cast members' illness.
In 1958 he was cast in the first Carry On film, Carry On Sergeant. He became one of the regulars of the series, appearing in 17 of the 30 original films and many of the television productions. In his earlier Carry On appearances he frequently played sympathetic straight roles, often as the romantic lead. His appearances subsided during the middle period of the Carry On film run; however, he returned in the later films. In his later appearances he often played married men with a wandering eye, various lascivious and lusty men, and pompous unsympathetic characters. His son Jeremy[2] appeared as his son in Carry On Nurse.
Together with Kenneth Williams and Eric Barker, Connor was the only star of the Carry Ons to appear in the first Carry On Sergeant and last Carry On Emmanuelle of the original set of Carry On films excluding Carry On Columbus.
He also starred with fellow Carry On stars Sid James and Esma Cannon in the 1961 British comedy What a Carve Up!.
Connor appeared as various characters in the 'Four Feather Falls' puppet series of the early 1960s.
Between 1971 and 1973 Connor joined Dad's Army stars Arthur Lowe and Ian Lavender on the BBC radio comedy Parsley Sidings. In contrast with some of his Carry On co-stars, Connor found further success on the London stage playing a leading role alongside Frankie Howerd in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and he also appeared in West End revues. On television he appeared in The Black and White Minstrel Show, in the children's show Rentaghost (1983 – 1984), and as Monsieur Alfonse in 'Allo 'Allo! (1984 – 1992) and Uncle Sammy Morris in Hi-de-Hi! (1986 – 1988). He also made guest appearances in sitcoms, including That's My Boy, You Rang, M'Lord? and he made a memorable cameo in an episode of Blackadder the Third in 1987, alongside fellow veteran comic star Hugh Paddick.
His final TV appearance as Mr Warren in The Memoirs Of Sherlock Holmes episode The Adventure of the Red Circle was broadcast posthumously in 1994. He was in over fifty movies and was honoured by the Queen with an MBE in 1991.
He made his first stage appearance at the age of two and was still working just 2 days before his death, with an appearance on Noel Edmond's Telly Addicts.
Connor died of cancer at his home in Harrow, London in 1993,[1] and was survived by his wife Margaret (Miki), his son and three grandchildren, Thomas, Hayley and Rose, all of whom have been accomplished child actors.
Television roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 to 1976 | Carry On Laughing | Various |
| 1983 to 1984 | Rentaghost | |
| 1984 to 1992 | 'Allo 'Allo | Monsieur Alfonse |
| 1986 to 1988 | Hi-de-Hi | Uncle Sammy Morris |
| 1987 | Blackadder the Third | Enoch Mossop |
| 1994 | Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes | Mr. Warren |
Selected filmography
- Poison Pen (1939)
- Don't Say Die (1950)
- Miss Robin Hood (1952)
- There Was a Young Lady (1953)
- Marilyn (1953)
- The Black Rider (1954)
- The Ladykillers (1955)
- Davy (1957)
- Carry on Sergeant (1958)
- Make Mine a Million (1959)
- Carry on Nurse (1959)
- Carry on Teacher (1959)
- Watch Your Stern (1960)
- Carry on Constable (1960)
- Dentist in the Chair (1960)
- Nearly a Nasty Accident (1961)
- His and Hers (1961)
- Carry on Regardless (1961)
- A Weekend with Lulu (1961)
- Dentist on the Job (1961)
- What a Carve Up! (1961)
- Carry on Cruising (1962)
- Carry on Cabby (1963)
- Carry on Cleo (1964)
- Gonks Go Beat (1965)
- Cuckoo Patrol (1967)
- Rhubarb (1969)
- Captain Nemo and the Underwater City (1969)
- Carry on Up the Jungle (1970)
- Carry on Henry (1971)
- Carry on Matron (1972)
- Carry on Abroad (1972)
- Carry on Girls (1973)
- Carry on Dick (1974)
- Carry on Behind (1975)
- Carry on England (1976)
- Carry on Emmannuelle (1978)
References
- ^ a b Fade to Black 4th Ed - Paul Donnelley, Omnibus Press, 2010
- ^ Jeremy Connor at IMDb