5 Oct 2010

Comedy actor Sir Norman Wisdom dies

Comedian and actor Sir Norman Wisdom died last night at the age of 95. His family said the star, famous for his slapstick roles, died peacefully at his nursing home.

Actor Sir Norman Wisdom dies aged 95 (Reuters)

Sir Norman died at Abbotswood Nursing Home on the Isle of Man after suffering a series of strokes over the last six months.

In a statement, his family said: “He had maintained a degree of independence until a few days ago. However, over the last few days his condition rapidly declined. He was in no pain or distress and peacefully passed over.”

They asked for time to grieve a “much loved father and grandfather”.

Sir Norman is also much loved not only by the British public, but by audiences worldwide.

He appeared in 32 television sitcoms and 19 films and a number of Royal Command performances.

The 5 ft 4in performer became so popular that Charlie Chaplin once said: “If anyone’s going to replace me – it’s Norman Wisdom.”

<!–

–>
Actor Sir Norman Wisdom, who has died aged 95 (Reuters), performing in 1953

Born Norman Wisden on 4 February 1915, he had a tough upbringing when his parents divorced, and money was often in short supply. He left school at 13 and before his big break, worked as an errand boy for Lipton’s Teas for 50p a week and as a cabin boy on a ship to Buenos Aires.

In 1946 he starred in a music hall performance in Islington and won a place at his first Royal Command Performance in 1952.

He played the downtrodden little man in the cloth cap and ill-fitting jacket, singing songs like “Don’t Laugh at Me ‘Cos I’m a Fool”, and throwing his body around for laughs.

He also proved himself as a serious actor in a BBC play in 1981, playing a retired salesman in Going Gently.

He married showgirl Fred Simpson when he was 27 and they had two children, Nick and Jacqui, but divorced in 1967.

Tributes

Sir Norman’s friends and colleagues paid tribute to him.

Phil Day, who has been his publicist since 1969, said: “I have never met anyone in the profession who didn’t like him, right up to royalty…He never turned down any request. He never threw a tantrum. He was 100 per cent professional all of the time. Of all the artists I’ve ever worked with, he’s been the closest. It’s a sad day.”

Kevin Powis, who directed Sir Norman in his last film role, Expresso, in 2007, said: “Sir Norman was a true legend and it was a great honour to have even been in a room with him, let alone direct him…Sir Norman was just a great pleasure to be around. He never stopped entertaining and the crowds who came to see him just couldn’t get enough of him.”

Jan Kennedy, Managing Director of Billy Marsh Associates – the agency which discovered Sir Norman in the 1950s – said: “Norman was simply a beloved comic genius…We all loved and admired him as a true icon of the entertainment world. He will be sorely missed and our heartfelt thoughts are with his family at this sad time.”