Patrick Newell
Encyclopedia
Patrick David Newell was a British
actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles. It has been written that his entry in Who's Who On Television in the late 1970s, Newell described himself as "Actor with a weight problem--the more he diets, the less work he seems to get."
His most notable role was as "Mother
," the spymaster in The Avengers
. He had previously appeared in two earlier Avengers episodes: "The Town of No Return" (Diana Rigg
's debut) and "Something Nasty in the Nursery" as a Government official (sometimes suggested as an earlier incarnation of Mother).
Other cult television appearances included roles in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
, the Doctor Who
story The Android Invasion
, The Young Ones
and Kinvig
, and the character of Sutton/Blessington in ITV's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
production of The Resident Patient
. In 1980 he played Inspector Lestrade
in a Sherlock Holmes TV series made in Poland. He also turned up as a Playboy Bunny in one of the Benny Hill
comedy specials. Film appearances include the Gluttony segment of The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
(1971).
Later in life, Newell succeeded in losing a substantial amount of weight, but this did not prevent his early death from a heart attack. He was married with two children.
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...
actor known for his large size. It is reputed he gained weight as a deliberate attempt to boost his career, marking him out for some niche roles. It has been written that his entry in Who's Who On Television in the late 1970s, Newell described himself as "Actor with a weight problem--the more he diets, the less work he seems to get."
His most notable role was as "Mother
Mother (The Avengers)
"Mother" is a fictional character in British TV series The Avengers. "Mother" is a codename. In the series the incumbent in the role is a wheelchair using male British government official. He made his debut in The Forget-Me-Knot, which was Emma Peel's final episode and Tara King's first. In...
," the spymaster in The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
. He had previously appeared in two earlier Avengers episodes: "The Town of No Return" (Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg
Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE is an English actress. She is probably best known for her portrayals of Emma Peel in The Avengers and Countess Teresa di Vicenzo in the 1969 James Bond film On Her Majesty's Secret Service....
's debut) and "Something Nasty in the Nursery" as a Government official (sometimes suggested as an earlier incarnation of Mother).
Other cult television appearances included roles in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
, the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
story The Android Invasion
The Android Invasion
The Android Invasion is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from 22 November to 13 December 1975. It marks the last appearance of UNIT Character Sergeant Benton...
, The Young Ones
The Young Ones (TV series)
The Young Ones is a British sitcom, first broadcast in 1982, which ran for two series on BBC2. Its anarchic, offbeat humour helped bring alternative comedy to television in the 1980s and made household names of its writers and performers...
and Kinvig
Kinvig
- Synopsis :Des Kinvig runs an electrical repair shop in the small town of Bingleton.One day his store is visited by Miss Griffin , who is from the planet Mercury and in need of Des' help...
, and the character of Sutton/Blessington in ITV's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is a collection of twelve stories by Arthur Conan Doyle, featuring his famous detective and illustrated by Sidney Paget....
production of The Resident Patient
The Resident Patient
The Resident Patient is the third solo studio album by Wu-Tang Clan member Inspectah Deck. Originally put out as a mixtape, its status as an official release is somewhat contested, and it is now generally considered a "street album"--an informal album released somewhat under the radar...
. In 1980 he played Inspector Lestrade
Inspector Lestrade
Inspector G. Lestrade is a fictional character, a Scotland Yard detective appearing in several of the Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle. Doyle used the name of a friend from his days at the University of Edinburgh, a Saint Lucian medical student by the name of Joseph Alexandre Lestrade....
in a Sherlock Holmes TV series made in Poland. He also turned up as a Playboy Bunny in one of the Benny Hill
Benny Hill
Benny Hill was an English comedian and actor, notable for his long-running television programme The Benny Hill Show.-Early life:...
comedy specials. Film appearances include the Gluttony 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...
(1971).
Later in life, Newell succeeded in losing a substantial amount of weight, but this did not prevent his early death from a heart attack. He was married with two children.
Selected filmography
- The Dock BriefThe Dock BriefThe Dock Brief is a 1962 black-and-white British legal satire directed by James Hill, starring Peter Sellers and Richard Attenborough, and based on the play of the same name written by John Mortimer .Richard Attenborough was nominated for the 1963 BAFTA Award for best British Actor for his...
(1962) - The BoysThe Boys (1962 film)The Boys is a 1962 British courtroom drama film, directed by Sidney J. Furie and with a screenplay by Stuart Douglass.-Plot:A night watchman at a garage is found murdered, and four teddy boys are put on trial for the crime...
(1962) - Every Day's a HolidayEvery Day's a Holiday (1965 film)Every Day's a Holiday is a 1965 British musical comedy film directed by James Hill and starring John Leyton, Michael Sarne and Peter Birrell. A group of teenagers take up jobs working in a seaside resort for the summer. It is also known as Seaside Swingers.-Cast:* John Leyton ... Gerry Pullman*...
(1965) - The Alphabet MurdersThe Alphabet MurdersThe Alphabet Murders is a 1965 British detective film based on the novel The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie, starring Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot. The part of Poirot had originally been intended for Zero Mostel but the film was delayed because Agatha Christie objected to the script. The...
(1965) - A Study in TerrorA Study in TerrorA Study in Terror is a 1965 British thriller film directed by James Hill and starring John Neville as Sherlock Holmes and Donald Houston as Dr. Watson...
(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) - The Long DuelThe Long DuelThe Long Duel is a 1967 British adventure film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yul Brynner, Trevor Howard, Charlotte Rampling and Harry Andrews...
(1967) - 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) - Go for a TakeGo for a TakeGo for a Take is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Harry Booth and featuring Dennis Price, Bob Todd, Reg Varney, Norman Rossington, Sue Lloyd, and Anouska Hempel.-Cast:* Johnny Briggs ... Assistant Director* John Clive ... Hotel Waiter...
(1972) - VampiraVampira (film)Vampira is a 1974 comedy/horror film spoofing the vampire genre. It stars David Niven and Teresa Graves. Following the success of Young Frankenstein, Vampira was renamed Old Dracula for release in the United States in an attempt to cash in on Young Frankenstein's success.-Plot:Count Dracula is an...
(1974) - Man About the House (1974)
- The Incredible SarahThe Incredible SarahThe Incredible Sarah is a 1976 British drama film directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Glenda Jackson. It presents dramatization of the acting career of Sarah Bernhardt.-Cast:* Glenda Jackson - Sarah Bernhardt* Daniel Massey - Victorien Sardou...
(1976) - The Shillingbury Blowers (1980)
- Young Sherlock HolmesYoung Sherlock HolmesYoung Sherlock Holmes is a 1985 mystery/adventure film directed by Barry Levinson, produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Chris Columbus, based on characters by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle...
(1985) - Consuming PassionsConsuming PassionsConsuming Passions is a 1988 black comedy film conceived - though not actually written by - Michael Palin and Terry Jones. The film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Jonathan Pryce, and Sammi Davis and was directed by Giles Foster...
(1988)