Brian Hall (actor)
Encyclopedia
Brian Charles Hall was an English
actor
perhaps best known for his role in the British
sitcom
Fawlty Towers
where he played the hotel chef Terry.
was an enjoyable casting against type. He played leading roles in police drama Softly, Softly: Taskforce
(1971–1972), crime drama McVicar
(1980), and sitcom You Must Be The Husband
(1987). He also had several guest-starring roles in The Professionals
, The Long Good Friday
, The Bill
, The Sweeney
and Minder
in Series 1 episode You Gotta Have Friends.
As well as Fawlty Towers, Hall had a string of movie and TV roles, including playing bodyguard to Bob Hoskins
in the gangster film The Long Good Friday
.
.
John Cleese
told of his sadness after his fellow Fawlty Towers star had died, saying, "I am very upset. I was particularly fond of Brian and had several conversations with him this year" (1997). "I admire profoundly the way in which he dealt with the cancer. I do not know where he found the strength." A year before his death, Hall told The Mirror: "Cancer is a bully and I hate bullies. This old boy cancer will get about as much change out of me as all the other bullies I've met - nothing."
One of Hall's closest friends, Billy Murray
, also paid tribute. He said: "Brian and I grew up in the East End together. "He was one of the most likeable, down- to-earth guys you could wish to meet and he confronted this terrible illness with the bravery and humour he showed throughout his life."
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
perhaps best known for his role in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
where he played the hotel chef Terry.
Career
Hall was probably most familiar playing hard-boiled tough guy Cockney roles: his role as the amiable chef Terry in Fawlty TowersFawlty Towers
Fawlty Towers is a British sitcom produced by BBC Television and first broadcast on BBC2 in 1975. Twelve television program episodes were produced . The show was written by John Cleese and his then wife Connie Booth, both of whom played major characters...
was an enjoyable casting against type. He played leading roles in police drama Softly, Softly: Taskforce
Softly, Softly: Taskforce
Softly, Softly the popular BBC television police drama series, was revamped in 1969, partly to coincide with the coming of colour broadcasting to BBC 1...
(1971–1972), crime drama McVicar
McVicar (film)
McVicar is a British drama film released in 1980 by The Who Films, Ltd., starring Roger Daltrey of The Who in the title role of John McVicar...
(1980), and sitcom You Must Be The Husband
You Must Be The Husband
You Must Be the Husband is a British comedy television series starring Tim Brooke-Taylor in the title role of Tom Hammond, and Diane Keen as his wife, Alice Hammond, with Sheila Steafel as Alice's literary agent, Miranda Shaw....
(1987). He also had several guest-starring roles in The Professionals
The Professionals (TV series)
The Professionals was a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mk1 Productions and London Weekend Television that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon...
, The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
, The Bill
The Bill
The Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
, The Sweeney
The Sweeney
The Sweeney is a 1970s British television police drama focusing on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police specialising in tackling armed robbery and violent crime in London...
and Minder
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
in Series 1 episode You Gotta Have Friends.
As well as Fawlty Towers, Hall had a string of movie and TV roles, including playing bodyguard to Bob Hoskins
Bob Hoskins
Robert William "Bob" Hoskins, Jr. is an English actor known for playing Cockney rough diamonds, psychopaths and gangsters, in films such as The Long Good Friday , and Mona Lisa , and lighter roles in family films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Hook .- Early life :Hoskins was born in Bury St...
in the gangster film The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday
The Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film...
.
Personal life
Hall died on 17 September 1997, aged 59, after a three-year battle with cancerCancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
told of his sadness after his fellow Fawlty Towers star had died, saying, "I am very upset. I was particularly fond of Brian and had several conversations with him this year" (1997). "I admire profoundly the way in which he dealt with the cancer. I do not know where he found the strength." A year before his death, Hall told The Mirror: "Cancer is a bully and I hate bullies. This old boy cancer will get about as much change out of me as all the other bullies I've met - nothing."
One of Hall's closest friends, Billy Murray
Billy Murray (actor)
Billy Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare...
, also paid tribute. He said: "Brian and I grew up in the East End together. "He was one of the most likeable, down- to-earth guys you could wish to meet and he confronted this terrible illness with the bravery and humour he showed throughout his life."
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 1972 in film The year 1972 in film involved some significant events.-Top grossing films :- Awards :Academy Awards:*Avanti!, directed by Billy Wilder, starring Jack Lemmon and Juliet MillsB... |
Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (film) Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall is a film adaptation of the similarly titled first volume of Spike Milligan's autobiography. It starred Jim Dale as the young Terence "Spike" Milligan. Spike played the part of his father, Leo Milligan.... |
MP Sergeant | |
| 1973 1973 in film The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra.... |
Yellow Dog | Bertrum | |
| 1974 1974 in film The year 1974 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 7 - Blazing Saddles is released in the USA.*August 7 - Peter Wolf, lead singer of The J... |
Confessions of a Window Cleaner Confessions of a Window Cleaner Confessions of a Window Cleaner is a 1974 British sex comedy film, directed by Val Guest.Like the other films in the Confessions series; Confessions of a Pop Performer, Confessions of a Driving Instructor and Confessions from a Holiday Camp, it concerns the erotic adventures of Timothy Lea, based... |
2nd Removal Man | |
| 1975 1975 in film The year 1975 in film involved some significant events, with Steven Spielberg's thriller Jaws topping the box office.-Events:*March 26 - The film version of The Who's Tommy premieres in London.... |
The Land That Time Forgot | Schwartz | |
| 1978 1978 in film The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California.... |
Sweeney 2 Sweeney 2 Sweeney 2 is a 1978 film that is a sequel to the 1977 film Sweeney! which was itself a spin-off from the popular British TV show The Sweeney. Some of the action was transferred from the usual London setting to Malta. Denholm Elliot appears as a corrupt ex-officer, who asks his former subordinates... |
Haughton | |
| 1980 1980 in film - Events :* May 21 - Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is released and is the biggest grosser of the year .... |
Sweet William | ||
| McVicar McVicar (film) McVicar is a British drama film released in 1980 by The Who Films, Ltd., starring Roger Daltrey of The Who in the title role of John McVicar... |
Terry Stokes | ||
| The Long Good Friday The Long Good Friday The Long Good Friday is a British gangster film starring Bob Hoskins and Helen Mirren. It was completed in 1979 but, because of release delays, it is generally credited as a 1980 film... |
Alan | ||
| 1981 1981 in television The year 1981 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1981.For the American TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule.- Events :... |
Break in the sun Break in the Sun Break in the Sun is a British television serial made by the BBC in 1981.The series, written by Bernard Ashley, was considerably more gritty and controversial than standard BBC children's serial fare up until that time, dealing with a young girl, Patsy running away from her violent stepfather and... |
Stepfather | |
| 1991 1991 in film The year 1991 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*April 28 - Bonnie Raitt marries actor Michael O'Keefe in New York* Terminator 2: Judgment Day, became one of the landmarks for science fiction action films with its groundbreaking visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic.*November... |
The Grass Arena | George |