Harry H. Corbett
Encyclopedia
Harry H. Corbett OBE
(28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor.
Corbett was best known for his starring role in the popular and long-running BBC Television
sitcom Steptoe and Son
in the 1960s and 70s. Early in his career he was dubbed "the English Marlon Brando
" by some sections of the British press.
. His father was a British Army
officer stationed in the country as part of the Colonial defence forces. Corbett was sent back to England after his mother died when he was three, and there he was raised by an aunt in Wythenshawe
, Manchester
.
Corbett served in the Royal Marines
during the Second World War, following which he trained as a radiographer, before taking up acting as a career, initially in repertory
. In the early 1950s, he added the initial "H" to avoid confusion with the television entertainer Harry Corbett
, known for his act with the glove-puppet Sooty
. He joked that "H" stood for "hennyfink" – a Cockney pronunciation of "anything".
In 1956 he appeared on stage in "The Family Reunion" at the Phoenix Theatre in London.
From 1958 he began to appear regularly in film
s, coming to public attention as a serious, intense performer in contrast to his later reputation in sitcom. He appeared in television dramas such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (as four different characters in four different episodes between 1957 and 1960) and Police Surgeon
. He also worked early with Joan Littlewood
's Theatre Workshop
at the Theatre Royal in Stratford, London
.
, changed Corbett's life.
And so in 1962, Corbett appeared in "The Offer", an episode of the BBC
's anthology series of one-off comedy plays, Comedy Playhouse
, written by Galton and Simpson
. He played Harold Steptoe, a rag-and-bone man living with his irascible father Albert, played by Wilfrid Brambell
, in a junkyard with only their horse for company.
The play was a success and a full series ran, with breaks, until 1974, when the Christmas special became the final episode. Although the popularity of Steptoe and Son made Corbett a star, it ended his serious acting as he became irreversibly associated with Steptoe (even during his appearance as a lead character in Carry On Screaming!) in the public eye. Before the series began Corbett had played Shakespeare's Richard II to great acclaim; however, when he played Hamlet in 1970 he felt both critics and audiences alike were not taking him seriously, because they could only see him as Harold Steptoe. Production was made stressful as Brambell was an alcoholic often ill-prepared for rehearsals, forgetting his lines or movements. A tour of a Steptoe and Son stage show in Australia
in the late 1970s proved a disaster. Brambell drank heavily, which sometimes affected his acting. However, the two re-united in 1981 for one final performance as Steptoe and Son in a commercial for Kenco
coffee.
The Curse of Steptoe
, a BBC
TV play about Corbett and Brambell, was broadcast on 19 March 2008 on digital BBC
channel BBC Four
, featuring Jason Isaacs
as Corbett. The first broadcast gained the channel its highest audience figures to that date, based on overnight returns.
, Corbett returned to stage plays. He played James Ryder in the 1963 British movie Ladies Who Do
.
Steptoe and Son led Corbett to comedy films, starring in Carry On Screaming! in 1966 and appearing in Terry Gilliam
's Jabberwocky
(1977). He also appeared in the 'Lust' segment of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
. In 1964 he starred with Ronnie Barker
in The Bargee
, written by Galton and Simpson. There were two Steptoe and Son films: Steptoe and Son
(1972) and Steptoe and Son Ride Again
(1973). He also had the leading role in two other television series, Mr. Aitch in 1967 (written especially for him) and Grundy in 1980.
After the Steptoe and Son series officially finished, he played the character again on radio (in a newly written sketch in 1979) as well as two television commercials for Ajax Soap power and one for Kenco Coffee.
He had a supporting role in the David Essex
movie Silver Dream Racer
in 1980 and also appeared in the controversial movie Hardcore
in 1977.
Corbett also released a string of 45rpm record releases, most of which were novelty songs based upon the rag and bone character, including "Harry You Love Her" and "Junk Shop". In 1973 he also recorded an album titled Only Authorised Employees To Break Bottles which was a 'showcase of accents', with songs from Corbett in a range of accents including Liverpool, Birmingham, and Mancunian. Including the album, he released over 30 songs.
campaigner, had appeared in a party political broadcast
, and was a guest of Harold Wilson
. Harold Steptoe had been Labour Party secretary for Shepherd's Bush West in the sixth series episode, "Tea for Two". In 1969 Harry appeared as Harold Steptoe in a Labour Party Political Broadcast, where Bob Mellish had to defend Harold Steptoe's accusation that all parties are the same. This was not in any way affiliated with Galton and Simpson who wrote Steptoe.
As Prime Minister, Wilson wished to have Corbett awarded an OBE
, but the middle initial "H" was lost in the process and the award went to the Sooty puppeteer, Harry Corbett
, instead. Both were eventually included the same New Year's Honours list on 1 January 1976.
in 1979. He appeared in pantomime at the Churchill Theatre
, Bromley
, within two days of leaving hospital. He was then badly hurt in a car accident. He appeared shortly afterwards in the BBC detective series Shoestring, his facial injuries obvious. Other work included a Thames Television
/ITV
comedy series Grundy and the film Silver Dream Racer
with David Essex
, both in 1980. In Grundy Corbett plays an old man discovering the permissive society after a lifetime of clean living. Corbett's final role was an episode of the Anglia Television
/ITV series Tales of the Unexpected
, "The Mole". It featured a man who planned to tunnel into a bank, only to have forgotten that the following day was Bank Holiday Monday and there would be no money in the vaults. Filmed shortly before his death, it was transmitted two months afterwards, in May 1982.
in March 1982 in Hastings
, East Sussex
. He was 57. He is buried in the churchyard at Penhurst
, East Sussex
.
Corbett married twice, first to the actress Sheila Steafel
, and then to Maureen Blott, who bore him two children, one of whom, Susannah Corbett
, is an actress, known for the role of Ellie Pascoe in the BBC
's television adaptations of Reginald Hill
's Dalziel and Pascoe
detective novels.
He is commemorated in the name of the Corbett Theatre at the East 15 Acting School
at Loughton
, which was founded by Margaret Bury and Jean Newlove, two members of Theatre Workshop, where Corbett worked.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(28 February 1925 – 21 March 1982) was an English actor.
Corbett was best known for his starring role in the popular and long-running BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
sitcom Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC from 1962 to 1965, followed by a second run from 1970 to 1974. Its theme tune, "Old...
in the 1960s and 70s. Early in his career he was dubbed "the English Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
" by some sections of the British press.
Early life
Corbett was born in Burma, then a province of the British Indian EmpireBritish Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
. His father was a British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
officer stationed in the country as part of the Colonial defence forces. Corbett was sent back to England after his mother died when he was three, and there he was raised by an aunt in Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe
Wythenshawe is a district in the south of the city of Manchester, England.Formerly part of the administrative county of Cheshire, in 1931 Wythenshawe was transferred to the City of Manchester, which had begun building a massive housing estate there in the 1920s to resolve the problem of its inner...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Corbett served in the Royal Marines
Royal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
during the Second World War, following which he trained as a radiographer, before taking up acting as a career, initially in repertory
Repertory
Repertory or rep, also called stock in the United States, is a term used in Western theatre and opera.A repertory theatre can be a theatre in which a resident company presents works from a specified repertoire, usually in alternation or rotation...
. In the early 1950s, he added the initial "H" to avoid confusion with the television entertainer Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett OBE was a British puppeteer, known as the creator in 1948 of the long running 'Sooty' glove puppet character.He was born in Bradford to coal miner James W...
, known for his act with the glove-puppet Sooty
Sooty
Sooty is a British glove puppet bear and TV character popular in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and other countries. The children's television show which bears his name has continued in various forms since the 1950s and, according to the Guinness Book of Records, is the...
. He joked that "H" stood for "hennyfink" – a Cockney pronunciation of "anything".
In 1956 he appeared on stage in "The Family Reunion" at the Phoenix Theatre in London.
From 1958 he began to appear regularly in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s, coming to public attention as a serious, intense performer in contrast to his later reputation in sitcom. He appeared in television dramas such as The Adventures of Robin Hood (as four different characters in four different episodes between 1957 and 1960) and Police Surgeon
Police Surgeon
Police Surgeon was a television series made by the Associated British Corporation and starring Ian Hendry as Dr Geoffrey Brent. Its twelve half-hour episodes were broadcast on ITV at 7pm on Saturday nights from 10 September to 3 December 1960....
. He also worked early with Joan Littlewood
Joan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
's Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop is a theatre group noted for their director, Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company...
at the Theatre Royal in Stratford, London
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
.
Steptoe and Son
A chance meeting with writers Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, who had been successful with Hancock's Half HourHancock's Half Hour
Hancock's Half Hour was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr...
, changed Corbett's life.
And so in 1962, Corbett appeared in "The Offer", an episode of the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's anthology series of one-off comedy plays, Comedy Playhouse
Comedy Playhouse
Comedy Playhouse was a long-running British anthology series of one-off unrelated sitcoms that aired for 120 episodes from 1961 to 1975. Many episodes later graduated to their own series, including Steptoe and Son, Till Death Us Do Part, All Gas and Gaiters, The Liver Birds, Are You Being Served?...
, written by Galton and Simpson
Galton and Simpson
Ray Galton OBE , and Alan Simpson OBE , are British scriptwriters who met in 1948 at a tuberculosis sanatorium, the Surrey county sanatorium near Godalming, on which the sitcom Get Well Soon was based...
. He played Harold Steptoe, a rag-and-bone man living with his irascible father Albert, played by Wilfrid Brambell
Wilfrid Brambell
Henry Wilfrid Brambell was an Irish film and television actor best known for his role in the British television series Steptoe and Son. He also performed alongside The Beatles in their film A Hard Day's Night, playing Paul McCartney's fictional grandfather.- Early life :Brambell was born in Dublin...
, in a junkyard with only their horse for company.
The play was a success and a full series ran, with breaks, until 1974, when the Christmas special became the final episode. Although the popularity of Steptoe and Son made Corbett a star, it ended his serious acting as he became irreversibly associated with Steptoe (even during his appearance as a lead character in Carry On Screaming!) in the public eye. Before the series began Corbett had played Shakespeare's Richard II to great acclaim; however, when he played Hamlet in 1970 he felt both critics and audiences alike were not taking him seriously, because they could only see him as Harold Steptoe. Production was made stressful as Brambell was an alcoholic often ill-prepared for rehearsals, forgetting his lines or movements. A tour of a Steptoe and Son stage show in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the late 1970s proved a disaster. Brambell drank heavily, which sometimes affected his acting. However, the two re-united in 1981 for one final performance as Steptoe and Son in a commercial for Kenco
Kenco
Kenco is a brand of instant coffee, and roast & ground coffee distributed by Kraft Foods in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Originally known as the Kenya Coffee Company, they started distributing coffee to Britain in 1923...
coffee.
The Curse of Steptoe
The Curse of Steptoe
The Curse of Steptoe is a television play which was first broadcast on 19 March 2008 on BBC Four as part of a season of dramas about television personalities. It stars Jason Isaacs as Harry H. Corbett and Phil Davis as Wilfrid Brambell...
, a BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV play about Corbett and Brambell, was broadcast on 19 March 2008 on digital BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
channel BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
, featuring Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
as Corbett. The first broadcast gained the channel its highest audience figures to that date, based on overnight returns.
Other work
As well as pantomimePantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
, Corbett returned to stage plays. He played James Ryder in the 1963 British movie Ladies Who Do
Ladies Who Do
Ladies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
.
Steptoe and Son led Corbett to comedy films, starring in Carry On Screaming! in 1966 and appearing in Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky (film)
Jabberwocky is a 1977 British fantasy black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Michael Palin as a young cooper who is forced through clumsy, often slapstick misfortunes to hunt a terrible dragon after the death of his father...
(1977). He also appeared in the 'Lust' segment of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins is a 1971 British comedy film directed and produced by Graham Stark. Its title is a conflation of The Magnificent Seven and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each representing a sin and written by an array of British comedy-writing...
. In 1964 he starred with Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
in The Bargee
The Bargee
The Bargee is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, and starring Harry H. Corbett, Hugh Griffith, Eric Sykes and Ronnie Barker. The screenplay was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.-Plot:...
, written by Galton and Simpson. There were two Steptoe and Son films: Steptoe and Son
Steptoe and Son (film)
Steptoe and Son is a 1972 British comedy drama film and a spin-off from the popular British television comedy series of the same name about a pair of rag and bone men. It starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett as the eponymous characters, Albert and Harold Steptoe respectively...
(1972) and Steptoe and Son Ride Again
Steptoe and Son Ride Again
Steptoe and Son Ride Again is the 1973 sequel to the 1972 film Steptoe and Son. Again the film starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett.-Plot:...
(1973). He also had the leading role in two other television series, Mr. Aitch in 1967 (written especially for him) and Grundy in 1980.
After the Steptoe and Son series officially finished, he played the character again on radio (in a newly written sketch in 1979) as well as two television commercials for Ajax Soap power and one for Kenco Coffee.
He had a supporting role in the David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
movie Silver Dream Racer
Silver Dream Racer
Silver Dream Racer is a film starring David Essex and Beau Bridges. Essex stars as Nick Freeman, a motorcycle racer who, following the death of his brother, inherits a revolutionary prototype motorcycle, and is determined to race it at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.The opening title scenes...
in 1980 and also appeared in the controversial movie Hardcore
Hardcore (1977 film)
Hardcore is a 1977 British comedy film directed by James Kenelm Clarke and starring Fiona Richmond, Anthony Steel, Graham Stark, Graham Crowden and Harry H. Corbett...
in 1977.
Corbett also released a string of 45rpm record releases, most of which were novelty songs based upon the rag and bone character, including "Harry You Love Her" and "Junk Shop". In 1973 he also recorded an album titled Only Authorised Employees To Break Bottles which was a 'showcase of accents', with songs from Corbett in a range of accents including Liverpool, Birmingham, and Mancunian. Including the album, he released over 30 songs.
OBE
Corbett was a Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
campaigner, had appeared in a party political broadcast
Party political broadcast
A party political broadcast is a short television or radio broadcast made by a political party....
, and was a guest of Harold Wilson
Harold Wilson
James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, FSS, PC was a British Labour Member of Parliament, Leader of the Labour Party. He was twice Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the 1960s and 1970s, winning four general elections, including a minority government after the...
. Harold Steptoe had been Labour Party secretary for Shepherd's Bush West in the sixth series episode, "Tea for Two". In 1969 Harry appeared as Harold Steptoe in a Labour Party Political Broadcast, where Bob Mellish had to defend Harold Steptoe's accusation that all parties are the same. This was not in any way affiliated with Galton and Simpson who wrote Steptoe.
As Prime Minister, Wilson wished to have Corbett awarded an OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, but the middle initial "H" was lost in the process and the award went to the Sooty puppeteer, Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett
Harry Corbett OBE was a British puppeteer, known as the creator in 1948 of the long running 'Sooty' glove puppet character.He was born in Bradford to coal miner James W...
, instead. Both were eventually included the same New Year's Honours list on 1 January 1976.
Later life
A heavy smoker, Corbett had his first heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1979. He appeared in pantomime at the Churchill Theatre
Churchill Theatre
The Churchill Theatre in Bromley, south east London was built by the London Borough of Bromley to designs by its borough architect's department.It is carefully integrated into the central library complex overlooking Church House Gardens and Library Gardens...
, Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
, within two days of leaving hospital. He was then badly hurt in a car accident. He appeared shortly afterwards in the BBC detective series Shoestring, his facial injuries obvious. Other work included a Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
/ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
comedy series Grundy and the film Silver Dream Racer
Silver Dream Racer
Silver Dream Racer is a film starring David Essex and Beau Bridges. Essex stars as Nick Freeman, a motorcycle racer who, following the death of his brother, inherits a revolutionary prototype motorcycle, and is determined to race it at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.The opening title scenes...
with David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
, both in 1980. In Grundy Corbett plays an old man discovering the permissive society after a lifetime of clean living. Corbett's final role was an episode of the Anglia Television
Anglia Television
Anglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
/ITV series Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
Tales of the Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. Filming began in 1978.The series was an anthology of different tales...
, "The Mole". It featured a man who planned to tunnel into a bank, only to have forgotten that the following day was Bank Holiday Monday and there would be no money in the vaults. Filmed shortly before his death, it was transmitted two months afterwards, in May 1982.
Personal life and death
Harry H Corbett died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in March 1982 in Hastings
Hastings
Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
. He was 57. He is buried in the churchyard at Penhurst
Ashburnham and Penhurst
Ashburnham and Penhurst are civil parishes in the Rother district of East Sussex, England, situated to the west of Battle. The two parishes share a joint parish council which also covers the settlements of Brownbread Street, Ponts Green and Ashburnham Forge...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
.
Corbett married twice, first to the actress Sheila Steafel
Sheila Steafel
Sheila Steafel is a South African-born actress who has lived all her adult life in the United Kingdom.Steafel, who was born in Johannesburg, appeared in many classic television series, including: The Frost Report, Z-Cars, Sykes, The Kenny Everett Television Show, Minder, The Ghosts of Motley Hall,...
, and then to Maureen Blott, who bore him two children, one of whom, Susannah Corbett
Susannah Corbett
Susannah Corbett is an English actress and author. Her acting career began in 1991 and she has performed on television, film and radio. As an author she writes children's books.-Early life:...
, is an actress, known for the role of Ellie Pascoe in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's television adaptations of Reginald Hill
Reginald Hill
Reginald Charles Hill is an English crime writer, and the winner in 1995 of the Crime Writers' Association Cartier Diamond Dagger for Lifetime Achievement.- Biography :...
's Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe
Dalziel and Pascoe consist of Detective Superintendent Andrew Dalziel and Detective Sergeant Peter Pascoe....
detective novels.
He is commemorated in the name of the Corbett Theatre at the East 15 Acting School
East 15 Acting School
East 15 is a British drama school in Debden, Loughton, Essex. At the main campus, Loughton, it occupies an 18th century mansion, Hatfields, and has its own theatre, the Corbett, which is adjacent. The Corbett Theatre is an adaptation of a 15th-century barn...
at Loughton
Loughton
Loughton is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located between 11 and 13 miles north east of Charing Cross in London, south of the M25 and west of the M11 motorway and has boundaries with Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill...
, which was founded by Margaret Bury and Jean Newlove, two members of Theatre Workshop, where Corbett worked.
Filmography
- Passing Stranger (1954)
- Nowhere to GoNowhere to Go (1958 film)Nowhere to Go is a 1958 British crime film directed by Seth Holt and starring George Nader, Maggie Smith, Bernard Lee, Harry H. Corbett and Lionel Jeffries. It was Maggie Smith's first film....
(1958) - The ShakedownThe Shakedown (1959 film)The Shakedown is a 1959 crime-drama film directed by John Lemont.It was banned in Finland .-Cast:* Terence Morgan as Augie Cortona* Hazel Court as Mildred Eyde* Donald Pleasence as Jessel Brown...
(1959) - Cover Girl KillerCover Girl KillerCover Girl Killer is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Terry Bishop and starring Harry H. Corbett, Felicity Young, Victor Brooks and Spencer Teakle.-Cast:* Harry H...
(1959) - Floods of FearFloods of FearFloods of Fear is a 1959 British thriller film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Howard Keel, Anne Heywood and Harry H. Corbett. A convict framed for murder escapes during a flood and aids a woman in distress.-Cast:* Howard Keel as Donovan...
(1959) - Shake Hands with the DevilShake Hands with the Devil (1959 film)Shake Hands with the Devil is a 1959 film directed by the English director Michael Anderson.It is set in 1921 Dublin, where the Irish Republican Army battles the "Black and Tans," the ex-British soldiers sent to suppress the IRA with excessively harsh measures.The film stars James Cagney as Sean...
(1959) - In the Wake of a StrangerIn the Wake of a StrangerIn the Wake of a Stranger is a 1959 British thriller film directed by David Eady and starring Tony Wright, Shirley Eaton and Danny Green. A group of murderers try to frame an innocent sailor for their crime.-Cast:* Tony Wright - Tom Cassidy...
(1959) - The ShakedownThe Shakedown (1959 film)The Shakedown is a 1959 crime-drama film directed by John Lemont.It was banned in Finland .-Cast:* Terence Morgan as Augie Cortona* Hazel Court as Mildred Eyde* Donald Pleasence as Jessel Brown...
(1960) - The Unstoppable ManThe Unstoppable ManThe Unstoppable Man is a 1960 British crime drama film directed by Terry Bishop and starring Cameron Mitchell, Harry H. Corbett, Marius Goring and Lois Maxwell.-Plot:...
(1960) - The Big Day (1960)
- Wings of DeathWings of DeathWings of Death is a shoot 'em up game released in 1990 for Atari ST and Amiga, developed by Eclipse Software and distributed by Thalion Software. The two versions of the game are mostly the same, the only noticeable difference is in the sounds...
(1961) - Some PeopleSome PeopleSome People is a 1962 film directed by Clive Donner. It stars Kenneth More and Ray Brooks.-Cast:* Kenneth More as Mr. Smith* Ray Brooks as Johnnie* Anneke Wills as Anne* David Andrews as Bill* Angela Douglas as Terry* David Hemmings as Bert...
(1962) - Sammy Going SouthSammy Going SouthSammy Going South, retitled A Boy Ten Feet Tall for its later US release, is a 1963 British adventure film directed by Alexander Mackendrick, photographed by Erwin Hillier, and starring Edward G. Robinson, Fergus McClelland and Constance Cummings. The film was based on a novel by W.H. Canaway and...
(1963) - Sparrows Can't SingSparrows Can't SingSparrers Can't Sing is a 1962 British film. Based on a 1960 play, it was directed by Joan Littlewood and was from a story by Stephen Lewis. The producer was Don Taylor and the incidental music was composed by Stanley Black...
(1963) - What a Crazy WorldWhat a Crazy WorldWhat a Crazy World was a stageplay and film written by Alan Klein and directed by Michael Carreras. The film was released in 1963.- Cast :Joe BrownSusan MaughanMarty WildeHarry H CorbettAvis BunnageGrazina FrameMichael GoodmanMichael Landis...
(1963) - Ladies Who DoLadies Who DoLadies Who Do 1963 British comedy film starring Peggy Mount, Robert Morley and Harry H. Corbett.-Cast:*Peggy Mount as Mrs. Cragg*Robert Morley as Colonel Whitforth*Harry H. Corbett as James Ryder*Miriam Karlin as Mrs. Higgins...
(1963) - The BargeeThe BargeeThe Bargee is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, and starring Harry H. Corbett, Hugh Griffith, Eric Sykes and Ronnie Barker. The screenplay was written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.-Plot:...
(1964) - Rattle of a Simple ManRattle of a Simple ManRattle of a Simple Man is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin. After travelling down from Manchester to watch the FA Cup final, a naive young man becomes involved with a prostitute.-Selected cast:* Diane Cilento as...
(1964) - Joey BoyJoey Boy (film)Joey Boy is a 1965 British comedy war film directed by Frank Launder and starring Harry H. Corbett, Stanley Baxter, Bill Fraser, Percy Herbert, Lance Percival, Reg Varney and Thorley Walters.-Synopsis:...
(1965) - The Sandwich ManThe Sandwich ManThe Sandwich Man is a 1966 British comedy film starring Michael Bentine, Dora Bryan, Harry H. Corbett, Bernard Cribbins, Diana Dors, Norman Wisdom, Terry-Thomas and Ian Hendry. It was written by Bentine in conjunction with Robert Hartford-Davis...
(1966) - Carry on Screaming! (1966)
- Crooks and CoronetsCrooks and CoronetsCrooks and Coronets is a 1969 British crime comedy film and/or heist movie written and directed by Jim O'Connolly. It starred Telly Savalas, Edith Evans, Warren Oates, Cesar Romero and Harry H...
(1969) - The Magnificent Seven Deadly SinsThe Magnificent Seven Deadly SinsThe Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins is a 1971 British comedy film directed and produced by Graham Stark. Its title is a conflation of The Magnificent Seven and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each representing a sin and written by an array of British comedy-writing...
(1971) - Steptoe and SonSteptoe and Son (film)Steptoe and Son is a 1972 British comedy drama film and a spin-off from the popular British television comedy series of the same name about a pair of rag and bone men. It starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett as the eponymous characters, Albert and Harold Steptoe respectively...
(1972) - Steptoe and Son Ride AgainSteptoe and Son Ride AgainSteptoe and Son Ride Again is the 1973 sequel to the 1972 film Steptoe and Son. Again the film starred Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett.-Plot:...
(1973) - Percy's ProgressPercy's ProgressPercy's Progress is a 1974 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas. It was written by Sid Colin, Harry H. Corbett and Ian Le Frenais. It was released in the United States under the title It's Not the Size That Counts...
(1974) - HardcoreHardcore (1977 film)Hardcore is a 1977 British comedy film directed by James Kenelm Clarke and starring Fiona Richmond, Anthony Steel, Graham Stark, Graham Crowden and Harry H. Corbett...
(1977) - JabberwockyJabberwocky (film)Jabberwocky is a 1977 British fantasy black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It stars Michael Palin as a young cooper who is forced through clumsy, often slapstick misfortunes to hunt a terrible dragon after the death of his father...
(1977) - Adventures of a Private EyeAdventures of a Private EyeThe Adventures of a Private Eye is a 1977 British sex comedy film starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It was the second in the trilogy of 'Adventures' films after the 1976 film Adventures of a Taxi Driver...
(1977) - What's Up Superdoc! (1978)
- The PlankThe Plank (1979 film)The Plank is a popular 30-minute, 1979 British slapstick comedy, which was a remake of an earlier 1967 version of the film which was written and directed by Eric Sykes. The 1967 version of "The Plank" was, in turn, based on an episode called "Sykes and A Plank", which Eric Sykes wrote for his...
(1979) - Silver Dream RacerSilver Dream RacerSilver Dream Racer is a film starring David Essex and Beau Bridges. Essex stars as Nick Freeman, a motorcycle racer who, following the death of his brother, inherits a revolutionary prototype motorcycle, and is determined to race it at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.The opening title scenes...
(1980)