#royal central school of speech and drama

[safedistancefrombeingsmart]

London’s Central drama school axes audition fees to end elite grip on the arts

Martin–as a former graduate– chimes in. 🙂

“None of us want drama schools to be the preserve of the well off. Ideally, they are places where people from all backgrounds can come together and learn from each other,” said Freeman, a Central graduate and star of The Responder, Sherlock and The Office. “Without my grant from Richmond council many years ago, I would never have been able to enjoy my three years at Central. That seems to have become harder and harder in recent years; who knows how many young actors are lost to us, due to lack of funds. I hope this inspires others to follow suit in trying to make attending drama school fairer for all.”

[speculativism]

NEW WRITING!!!!!!

[highly-flammable]

Charlie Vickers went to the Andrew Garfield school of acting. No, literally. They are from the same alma mater and it just makes so much sense. The insane ability to disappear into roles and the layers and layers in the performances - they are truly teaching something special in that place.

[neil-gaiman]

hi neil! i’ve recently been accepted onto the writing for performance course at royal central school of speech and drama (london), and i’m petrified to have my writing scrutinised. i’ve always been ‘the writer’ - i currently attend a film school for sixth form and there aren’t many writers - so it’s going to be weird for me.

i know getting scrutinised is what will make me a better writer, but i’m still a little nervous about the thought of it. do you have any advice on how to receive criticism about writing without it feeling too personal?

thanks :)

When the actors at Central are getting criticised, they are being criticised for their performance and that’s them standing there doing something. You have it much easier. If someone criticises something you’ve written they aren’t criticising you.

Learn from them. Get good.

[theholmwoodfoundation]

THE HOLMWOOD FOUNDATION PILOT EPISODE CAST/CREW - PART ONE

REBECCA ROOT - MADDIE TOWNSEND/MINA HARKER

Rebecca trained at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. Theatre credits include A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare’s Globe, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for the National Theatre (UK and Ireland tour); Rathmines Road for Fishamble at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin; Trans Scripts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts; The Bear / The Proposal at the Young Vic; and Hamlet at the Gielgud Theatre and Athens International Festival. TV, Film and Video Game credits include Monsieur Spade, This Is Christmas, Irvine Welsh’s Crime, Hogwarts Legacy, Horizon Forbidden West, Heartstopper, Annika, The Rising, Sex Education, The Gallery, The Queen’s Gambit, Finding Alice, Creation Stories, Last Christmas, The Sisters Brothers, Colette, The Danish Girl, Flack, The Romanoffs, Moominvalley, Hank Zipzer, Boy Meets Girl, Doctors, Casualty, The Detectives, and Keeping Up Appearances.  Radio credits include Clare In The Community, Life Lines, The Hotel, and 1977 for BBC Radio 4. Guest appearances include Woman’s Hour, Front Row, Loose Ends, Saturday Live, and A Good Read.  She plays Tania Bell in the award-winning Doctor Who: Stranded audio dramas. Rebecca has also recorded numerous documentary narrations, audiobooks, and voice-overs. Rebecca is also a voice and speech coach, holding the MA in Voice Studies from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

SEAN CARLSEN - JEREMY LARKIN/ JONATHAN HARKER

Born in South Wales, Seán trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. He has worked extensively in audio drama, television, theatre and film.  Seán is perhaps best known to Doctor Who fans as Narvin in the Doctor Who audio series Gallifrey and has appeared on TV in Doctor Who - The Christmas Invasion and Torchwood. Recent TV credits include Mudtown (BBCiplayer/S4C), Dal y Mellt (Netflix), His Dark Materials (BBC1), All Creatures Great and Small (Channel 5), A Mother's Love (Channel 4) and Series 5 of Stella (Sky1).  Films include supporting leads in Boudica - Rise of the Warrior Queen, cult horror The Cleansing,  the lead in Forgotten Journeys and John Sheedy’s forthcoming film ‘Never Never Never’

SAM CLEMENS - ARTHUR JONES

Samuel Clemens trained at the Drama Centre London and is an award-winning director with over twenty years’ experience. Samuel has recently written and directed his debut feature film ‘The Waterhouse’ with Take The Shot Films & Featuristic Films and represented by Raven Banner Entertainment, which is due for release this coming year.  In addition, he has directed fourteen short films, winning awards all over the world including shorts ‘Surgery (multi-award winning), A Bad Day To Propose (Straight 8 winner 2021), Say No & Dress Rehearsal’. Samuel also directs critically acclaimed number one UK stage tours and fringe shows (Rose Theatre Kingston, Swansea Grand, Eastbourne, Yvonne Arnaud, Waterloo East Theatre) and commercials include clients JD Sports, Shell and Space NK. Samuel is also a regular producer and director for Big Finish Productions & Anderson Entertainment. He has cast, directed, produced and post supervised numerous productions of ‘Doctor Who – (BBC), The Avengers (Studio Canal), Thunderbirds, Stingray (Anderson Entertainment), Callan, Missy, Gallifrey’& Shilling & Sixpence Investigate’ and many more. Samuel has directed world class talent such as, Sir Roger Moore, Ben Miles, Tom Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Alex Kingston, Frank Skinner, Rita Ora, Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Rufus Hound, David Warner, Celia Imrie, Samuel West, Youssef Kerkour, Sophie Aldred, Ian McNiece, Colin Baker, Olivia Poulet, Stephen Wight, Jade Anouka, Mimi Ndwendi, Michelle Gomez, Peter Davidson, Paul O’Grady and many more. Samuel is one of the founding members and directors at Take The Shot Films Ltd and is Head of Artistic Creation and Direction. Lastly, Samuel is a regular tutor at The London Film Academy, The Giles Foreman Centre for Acting & The Rose Youth Theatre and is a member of The Directors Guild UK. As for upcoming projects, Sam is currently in pre-production on his next feature film “On The Edge of Darkness”, which is based on his dad’s stage play “Strictly Murder”.

ATTILA PUSKAS - DRACULA

Attila Puskás is a native Hungarian Voice Actor born in Transylvania – Romania, so Romanian is in his bag of tricks too, but most of his work is done in English, in a Transatlantic Eastern European Accent, but is quite capable of Hungarian, Romanian and International Eastern European accents, plus Standard American. His voice range is Adult to Middle Aged (30-40+) due to his deep voice. Vocal styles can range from authoritive, brooding to calming and reassuring and much more. He’s most experienced in character work, like Animations and Games, but his skills encompass Commercials to Narration as well. He’s received training through classes and workshops, pushing him to the next level to achieve higher standards. Now on a journey to perfect these skills and put them to good use!

PART TWO: HERE

PART THREE: HERE

[scotianostra]

Happy Birthday actress Sara Stewart, born on June 28, 1966 in Edinburgh.

Sara’s parents were from the US and she spent some of her childhood, there before joining the illustrious Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, in London, whose former pupils include, Laurence Olivier, Vanessa Redgrave, Judi Dench and Harold Pinter.

Sara is a very hard working actress, as well a theatre work she has starred in so many well known TV series I can’t name them all but they include, Taggart (of course), Drop the Dead Donkey, EastEnders, Fresh Meat, Holby City, Monarch of the Glen, Rebus, Unforgotten, Doctor Foster and Ashes to Ashes.

Perhaps her most famous role is that of Stella in the Channel four drama series Sugar Rush which ran for two seasons in 2005 -2006.

Of late Sara has been in Shakespeare & Hathaway, La Fortuna and Father Brown as well as two crime series Grace, with the excellent John Simm and Dalgliesh. Last year she appeared in Mrs Sidhu Investigates

Next up for her is an adaptation of the BBC Radio 4 play Mrs Sidhu Investigates

On stage Sara has played leading roles at the National Theatre, RSC, Donmar Warehouse, the Old Vic, and the Royal Court. In the West End she played Esther in The Price, Myra in Hay Fever and Claudia in Enron. She has just finished appearing in Murder on the Orient Express, directed by Jonathan Church, at Bath Theatre Royal.

Sara is a breast cancer survivor and advocates for causes that promote awareness of and fighting the disease. Her best pal in nursery and primary schools in Edinburgh was Shirley Manson of Goodbye Mr MacKenzie and Garbage.

[ca-suffit]

https://www.tumblr.com/ca-suffit/759917664545243136/im-not-anon-so-i-can-send-you-this-but-if-you?source=share

This is very true. People often praise British actors for being trained or having a theatre background but the big drama schools have a connections monopoly and are also notoriously racist and anti working class. It is very hard to be successful in the upper echelons of acting in the UK and not have been to drama school, and even if you do as a poc you'll still start way at the bottom once you graduate Vs your white peers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-52968493

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jun/06/drama-schools-accused-of-hypocrisy-over-anti-racism-statements

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/guildhall-drama-school-racism-report-b2393229.html this one is from just last year.

(post link)

thank u sm for sharing more info!!

[jalwyn21]

Is it true that Joe’s exes still follow him? And that he’s in good terms all of them and Taylor made him unfollow one of them? 👀

Yup, Joe’s exes still follow him, some on instagram some on X, some on both. All but one.. 🙄 TS unfollowed him 🤭 So, yeah, it's safe to assume Joe is on good terms with all of them.. Don't think he's on good terms with TS though... 🤷‍♀️

To be fair I don't know if TS made him unfollow one of them, cause I don't know Joe personally 😅😅😅 but ... Back in 2020 Joe still followed her on insta, and during the first part of the lockdown he was stuck in California with TS. So, there was this online meeting with his former classmates from The Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Celebrating 5 years since graduation or something... idk.. The ex was on that online chat too..

The next day Joe unfollowed her on insta. 😹😹😹 A bit suspicious, don't you think? So, yeah, I just assumed TS didn't want him following an ex on insta and made him unfollow her ... 😹😹😹 Like, why else would he just unfollow her in 2020? 😹😹😹 But, I don't know, you decide... 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

Do the girls back home follow you on instagram like I do? 😹😹😹😹😹

[lboogie1906]

Joseph Marcell (August 18, 1948) is a British actor and comedian. He is known for his role as Geoffrey Butler, the butler on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-96).

Born in Saint Lucia, he moved to the UK, when he was 9 years old and grew up in Peckham, South London. He lives in Banstead, Surrey.

He studied speech and dance at the Central School of Speech and Drama.

As a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, he appeared in productions of Othello and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He has appeared in feature films and on television in Britain. He serves on the board of the Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London where he is featured in a nationwide production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and King Lear.

He played Gonzalo in Shakespeare’s play The Tempest at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse in May 2016. He played Solly Two Kings in the play by August Wilson, Gem of the Ocean at the Tricycle Theatre, in London, in January 2016. He began rehearsals as Titus Andronicus, in July 2017, for the La Grande Shakespeare Company, in La Grande, Oregon. He married Judith M. Midtby (1975-80). He married Joyce T. Walsh (1995). He has two children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[ladyaislinn]

November 4, 2024

Rufus Sewell Loves Grappling with His ‘The Diplomat’ Wife Keri Russell

Never have the power dynamics in a marriage been more intimate and sexy. "The mischief he's making is in order to put her forward, which is key," Sewell tells IW.

Russell and Sewell display a convincing intimacy that is great fun to watch. I spoke to Sewell on Zoom, and learned a few things you may or may not know about him and the show.

1. He is a respected British stage and television actor.  In “The Diplomat,” he deploys a perfect American accent. He lives in Los Angeles now, but he was nurtured back in the day by Judi Dench. “When we were at drama school at Central School of Speech and Drama, or Central School of Screech and Drama, as we called it at the time,” he said on Zoom, “she directed The Scottish Play, and I played the porter. That got me my start, because she, unbeknownst to me, got her agent to come and see me, and she even got me my first job.”

He got his start playing a Franciscan friar in “The Royal Heart of the Sun,” and a crazed skinhead stand-up comedian in “Comedians.” “I played a Scottish heroin addict,” he said. “I played a Dublin Bus driver with Albert Finney, very working class. After a few years of playing out there parts and and feeling that that was my niche, I played someone who was supposed to be the young guy, the young buck. And it was a struggle for me, because I wasn’t used to not having a mask to liberate me. I did play Will Ladislaw in ‘Middlemarch.’ It changed the way I was seen. It took me a long time to be able to just get the idea of how people saw me out of my head. That’s why I love my career now, because it feels like as I’m getting older, I’m able to go back to the parts I did before that and still have the benefit of actually being able to play the dude sometimes.”

2. Americans see Sewell differently than Brits.  He plays a mature dude in “The Diplomat.” “I don’t think I would have got this role in a British production,” said Sewell, “[unless] it had been an upper-class part, some remote Lord or some wanker on a horse. But this role came via the Americans, who don’t have the same ideas of types of actors, kind of class, etc. I’m actually coming from quite a poor background, but because of those jobs, I read as quite posh, which meant that for a long time, I haven’t got near a lot of parts that I could do. I feel like I’m getting closer. It’s about being allowed to do parts that I probably wouldn’t like. It’s the same with playing Prince Andrew [Netflix’s “Scoop”]. It was so liberating in so many ways. It’s posh, but It was less of a challenge, weirdly enough, than the things that people think are second nature for me.”

6. Hal Wyler’s goal is to ensure Kate’s success.  Having had a top diplomatic career of his own, sidelined, Wyler is now navigating his wife’s rising fortunes. As Sewell sees it, “the success that she has is something that he has been behind the scenes trying to instigate. All of his back-room machinations are in the service of putting her up where he believes — and she does not — that she belongs, which is at the top. So the fantastic thing about the dynamic is that when he’s at his most sneaky, it is in service of her and in the service of everything that they both believe is good and and that is the saving grace. He has always been her biggest advocate and supporter, to the extent that early on any decision that she would have wanted to take, which would have put their relationship ahead of her career, he would be very much against. He played backup for her the way she has played backup for him. He’s not naturally as shape-changing as he wishes to be, his frame is not the right size naturally to play backup. So it’s a learning process for him.”

7. The couple’s struggles are key to their mutual attraction.  “The mischief he’s making is in order to put her forward, which is key,” said Sewell. “So all of those struggles are about his nature and the way he does things which are like oil and water between the two of them, but it’s also a massive part of their attraction. So this is, and always has been, and always will be, their key struggle. All of their dynamic, the entire DNA of their relationship, all of their fights, all of their struggles, are tied up with what they think is sexy about each other. What they can’t get away from is also what makes them want to strangle each other, and that’s what makes it delicious [to have sex], sometimes in the same night or in this bush, who knows?”

8. The relaxed intimate marital scenes are not hard to do.  When Sewell first read the script, “in one way, you could recognize it as a comedy of divorce,” he said. “But it’s so well-written. I was so excited by what one is not used to seeing in this kind of format television. The biggest thing was that people recognize the sniffing of each other’s arm pits, and they’re taking a pee whilst talking, and fighting over the crumbs of a croissant, and then, the sex and all of these things going together just made it feel so much more real, with their humor and the dynamic.”

9. It works when it’s funny.  “When we go to these places, and when we meet a lot of diplomats, the people in this world, it’s very accurate, that gallows humor,” said Sewell, “that Terminator scan of a room, not only who are the people to wine and dine, who are the people to avoid, but who are the people to kill. Humor is not a thing sprinkled on the top. It’s absolutely integral.”

These are people who do hardcore plotting and political intrigue in bed, “with the munchies and the sex all tied together,” Sewell said. “Like the strap in the bushes in Season 1, which was the North Star in terms of tone, not that the tone should be fighting in the bushes, but the fact it can go from something so serious and real to something so ridiculous and also real, and back again in the way that life can. It was: ‘the parameters are here.’ That feeling of freedom and the ridiculousness of reality is so much fun because it’s funny. You don’t have to fake it. You just make it real. We laugh a lot.”

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

Goodbye to Julian Sands, who was a lovely actor. Such a sweet man. You would have adored him, funny, generous and beautiful. 💔

British actor Julian Sands, known for his films like “A Room with a View” and “The Killing Fields,” has been found dead after going missing in the San Gabriel mountains in Southern California in January. He would have been 65.

A Room with a View (1985) It was with an impulsive kiss in an Italian poppy field that the late Julian Sands achieved his version of immortality. The scene is remembered as the most iconic moment in Edwardian society the most beloved English period piece of its era.

Sands, who was born, raised and began acting in England, worked constantly in film and television, amassing more than 150 credits in a 40-year career. During a 10-year span from 1985 to 1995, he played major roles in a series of acclaimed films.

After studying at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, Sands embarked on a career in stage and film, playing small parts in films including “Oxford Blues” and “The Killing Fields.” He first gained international recognition playing British journalist Jon Swain in Roland Joffe’s far darker drama The Killing Fields (1984), set in Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge’s genocide against its own people.

The film provided breakthrough roles for both Bonham Carter and Sands

He landed the starring role of George Emerson, who falls in love with Helena Bonham Carter's Lucy Honeychurch while on holiday in Tuscany, in the 1985 British romance, “A Room With a View.”

The film from director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award (BAFTA) for best film and was nominated for eight Oscars, winning three.

In the wake of its success, Sands moved to the United States to pursue a career in Hollywood.

RIP 💔

1958-2023

#JulianSands #ARoomWithaView #OxfordBlues #TheKillingFields #Edwardiansociety #Bafta #GeorgeEmerson #HelenaBonhamCarter #LucyHoneychurch #London #JamesIvory #OMioBabbinoCaro #KiriTeKanawa #Tuscany #IsmailMerchant

[shakespearenews]

On 23 April 2024, in commemoration of the English Language Day 2024 at the United Nations, the UN Movie Society of the United Nations Staff Recreation Council will inaugurate the “Shakespeare at the UN”– an exploration of how the timeless works of Shakespeare, in reflecting the human experience, can resonate with the core values ​​of the UN, such as promoting understanding of humanity and strengthening global connections. The project will be launched on the official global channels of the United Nations – UN Web TV and UN YouTube. 

--

Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE Principal and CEO of The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London

Lady Macbeth's speech from Act I Scene 5, from Macbeth, by William Shakespeare ~ Performed in American Sign Language by Dawn Jani Birley with audio translation by Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE 

The Chorus' speech from Act III Prologue, from Henry V, by William Shakespeare ~ Performed in Mandarin Chinese by Diana Feng

Shakespeare's Sonnet 19, by William Shakespeare ~ Performed in Farsi by Lanna Joffrey, with translation from Farokh Soltani

King Lear's speech from Act III Scene 4, from King Lear, by William Shakespeare ~ Performed by Danny Sapani 

[denouncermedia]

Erika (@erikasandersonactor) trained at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

A highly versatile character actor, her stage career has spanned over three decades during which she has created a myriad of roles in a variety of genres from children's theatre to classical plays and musical theatre.

An award-winning voice actor, she can regularly be heard on The NoSleep Podcast, as well as appearing in other audio dramas and video games.

[carmenvicinanza]

Judi Dench

Judi Dench, pluripremiata attrice britannica, è una immensa interprete di cinema e teatro.

Dopo tanti successi nella Royal Shakespeare Company, dalla metà degli anni Ottanta, è diventata nota anche sul grande schermo, grazie alla sua incisiva carica comunicativa, interpretando ruoli di donne eccentriche o vendicative in film di successo.

Nel 1999 ha vinto l’Oscar alla miglior attrice non protagonista per il suo ruolo della regina Elisabetta I in Shakespeare in Love.

Ha ricevuto ben otto nomination per gli Oscar, di cui l’ultima nel 2021, ha vinto anche undici Premi BAFTA, due Golden Globe, otto Olivier Awards, due Screen Actors Guild Award  e un Tony Award. Nel 2011 è stata insignita della BAFTA fellowship, il più alto riconoscimento assegnato, ogni anno, dalla British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Fa parte della Royal Society of Arts.

Diverse Università tra cui quella del Surrey, di Durham, la Queen Margaret, la St. Andrews, East Anglia e Leeds le hanno conferito Dottorati Honoris Causa per il suo contributo alla cultura cinematografica e televisiva. 

Nata col nome di Judith Olivia Dench, il 9 dicembre 1934 nella provincia di York, ha ascendenze nobiliari britanniche e danesi. Entrata a contatto col teatro grazie al padre, medico di alcune compagnie, ha studiato alla Central School of Speech and Drama di Londra prima di entrare nella Royal Shakespeare Company nel 1961. Ha debuttato al cinema tre anni dopo. Negli anni Settanta e Ottanta ha girato svariati film tv per la BBC e riscosso grandi soddisfazioni teatrali.

La prima importante interpretazione al cinema è stata nel film di James Ivory Camera con vista del 1986.

Nel 1988 è stata insignita dalla Regina del titolo di Dame, l’equivalente del cavalierato maschile, che ha seguito la nomina di Ufficiale dell’Ordine dell’Impero Britannico nel 1970.

La grande celebrità è arrivata con il ruolo di M nella serie di film di James Bond a partire da GoldenEye del 1995 fino a Spectre del 2015. Da allora è stato tutto un susseguirsi di importanti interpretazioni diretta dai più grandi registi hollywoodiani.

Straordinaria interprete, utilizza al meglio il linguaggio della recitazione per arrivare al cuore del pubblico e farlo riflettere sugli assilli dell’anima.

Sostiene da molti anni Survival International, organizzazione che difende i diritti dei popoli indigeni di tutto il mondo.

Nel 2012 le è stata diagnosticata la degenerazione maculare senile, malattia degli occhi che le rende sempre più difficile lavorare. Ma, nonostante abbia costante bisogno di aiuto, non ha mai smesso di recitare e si è guadagnata l’ultima nomination agli Oscar nel 2022 per il suo lavoro in Belfast. 

Non ha alcuna intenzione di lasciare i set, nonostante i gravi problemi di vista. È talmente determinata a vivere il presente e ciò che la vita ha ancora da offrirle che, a 81 anni, si è tatuata la scritta “carpe diem” sul polso.

Molto impegnata per l’ambiente, ha recentemente rivelato che, da un po’ di anni, ogni volta che una persona amica le muore, fa piantare un albero nel suo giardino. Per rendere metaforicamente la  morte un’occasione per restituire al pianeta una nuova vita.

Questo dice molto sullo spirito di questa donna inarrestabile che, ogni giorno, sceglie di cogliere la vita dal suo lato più bello e reagire alle cattive notizie chiedendosi cosa fare per bilanciare le cose.

[erikasandersonactor]

From Benedek Productions:

It’s time for a brand new episode of 3 minutes to curtain call! 🎉

For our 6th episode our creative director Beatrice Benedek sat down with Buckinghamshire-based actor, director and voice actor Erika Sanderson 🎭

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama alumna delighted us with her exciting stories about her career path and development, the unconventional way she got to where she is now, and the beautiful ‘accidents' that propelled her to being an award-nominated voice actor and a sought after character actress! 💯

Her voice has brought a myriad of characters to life in video games, podcasts, audio dramas and movies and has captivated audiences all over the world! 🤩

Keep and eye out on our socials and stay tuned for this month's episode, airing on Friday the 25th of August! You will not want to miss it! 😎

Photo Credit @ Unbound Theatre | Dario Knight

[scotianostra]

John Paton Laurie was born on 25th March 1897.

Laurie was born at Dumfries, to William Laurie, a clerk in a tweed mill and later a hatter and hosier, and Jessie Ann Laurie née Brown Laurie attended Dumfries Academy, before abandoning a career in architecture to serve in the First World War as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company. Upon his demobilisation, he trained to become an actor under Elsie Fogerty at the Central School of Speech and Drama, then based at the Royal Albert Hall, London and first acted on stage in 1921.

A prolific Shakespearian actor, Laurie spent much of the time between 1922 and 1939, playing Shakespearian parts including Hamlet, Richard III and Macbeth at the Old Vic or Stratford-upon-Avon.

He starred in his friend Laurence Olivier's three Shakespearean films, Henry V Hamlet and Richard III He and Olivier also appeared in "s You Like It. During the Second World War, Laurie served in the Home Guard - the only future Dad's Army cast member to do so.

His early work in films included Juno and the Paycock, directed by Alfred Hitchcock. His breakthrough third film was Hitchcock's The 39 Steps in which his menacing, understated performance as a crofter (opposite Peggy Ashcroft) is particularly memorable. Other work included Peter Manson in The Edge of the World, Clive Candy's batman in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, the farmer recruit in The Way Ahead, the brothel proprietor in Fanny by Gaslight, the repugnant Pew in Disney's Treasure Island and Doctor MacFarlane in Hobson's Choice. In the 1945 film I Know Where I'm Going!, Laurie had a small speaking part in a céilidh sequence for which he was also credited as an adviser.

It was on the small screen that we remember Laurie most fondly as Private Frazer in Dad’s Army with his 'Wur doomed, wur awl doomed....” catchphrase. He cropped up in four episodes of the popular classic TV Show, The Avengers, playing a different role each time and in three episodes of Dr. Finlay's Casebook again playing different roles. Of course with a voice like his he was a natural as a storyteller on the bairns TV show Jackanory.

One of his final appearances, looking slightly frail, was in Return to the Edge of the World, directed by Michael Powell in 1978.

John Laurie died aged 83 in the Chalfont and Gerrards Cross Hospital, Chalfont St Peter, from emphysema, he was cremated and his ashes were scattered at sea.