Famous names from Birmingham Home | Birmingham | Visitor's Guide | Famous Local From Birmingham famous faces There’s plenty of famous names who were born in the houses of Birmingham. From comedians to artists, from writers to pioneers, take a wander around their birth places for a unique history lesson. George Cadbury was born in Edgbaston 19th September 1839, the son of John Cadbury, a tea and coffee merchant in Bull Street. With his brother Richard he took over the cocoa factory 1861. George was interested in social reform and in the provision of decent housing for working people. He was elected to the Town Council 1877 and enthusiastically supported Joseph Chamberlain’s municipal initiatives. To escape the pollution of the town George rebuilt the cocoa factory on a greenfield site at Bournville in 1879, where he began to develop good quality and affordable housing for the workers, known as Bournville Building Estate which became Bournville Village Trust in 1900. And during his life George Cadbury was also a prominent member of the Society of Friends.

George Cadbury died at his home, the Manor House, Northfield, on the 24th of November 1922 and was cremated at Perry Barr crematorium. English Heritage has unveiled the very first Blue Plaques in Birmingham for brothers Richard Cadbury (1835-1899) and George Cadbury (1839-1922), at 17 Wheeley’s Road, where Richard Cadbury lived from 1861 to 1871, and just round the corner from where George Cadbury lived (32 George Road) from 1872 to 1881. Today the factory at Bournville [ map ] is very much alive and visitors are welcome to take trips around the area, as well as to enjoy the museum and the Cadbury World adventure. John Ronald Reuel (JRR) Tolkien was born in 1892 and spent much of his childhood swapping between life in industrial Birmingham and the beautiful clean country air of nearby Worcestershire and Severn Country. In the end the grim industrialised Birmingham won out and he was sent to study at King Edward’s School [ map ].

His parents then moved to Edgbaston where he continued his childhood. Tolkien became a major scholar of English language at Oxford University and it was here that he met other writers Owen Barfield, Charles Williams and CS Lewis. This group of friends became known as “The Inklings” and held regularly meetings where they drank and gave readings from works-in-progress. Whilst grading student papers Tolkien suddenly wrote on a blank piece of paper: “In a hole in the ground there lived a Hobbit”. He then decided he needed to discover what a Hobbit was and where exactly it lived. This grew into a much loved bedtime story for the Tolkien children, and by 1937 The Hobbit had been published. Between 1954-1955 The Lord of The Rings was written and published and proved to be one of the most popular books of all time. The Middle-earth trilogy has also been made into a series of films, which have won numerous Oscars and other accolades, making them some of the most successful blockbusters in the history of cinema. Birmingham-born Tony Hancock is probably remembered as the best known comedian of the 1960s and is still admired by many contemporary British comedians.

And recently he was named the greatest comedian of all time in a BBC poll. He was born at 42 Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, on 12 May, 1924 but within three years his family moved to Bournemouth. He served in the forces throughout the Second World War, as a member of the Royal Air Force. Drawing on his experience as a young amateur entertainer he was quick to sign up for Ralph Reader’s RAF Gang Show, and after his demob in 1946 he was experienced enough to find himself continual engagements in pantomime and occasionally as a straight actor. In 1948 he was employed by the Windmill Theatre in London, which led to BBC radio and then to television. From 1951 to 1953 he added a new voice to the radio show, Educating Archie. In 1954 his lugubrious character appeared on radio in Hancock’s Half Hour and then from 1956 to 1960 on television.

He left Britain in March 1968 to work on a proposed comedy series for Australian television, but was found dead in his Sydney flat on the 26th of June 1968 with an empty Vodka bottle and an empty bottle of sleeping pills at his side. A commemorative plaque on the exterior of 42 Southam Road [ map ] commemorates his birth. A statue in his memory stands in Old Square - appropriately also the then home of the Birmingham Blood Transfusion Service. HOME LINKS Tony Hancock Tony Hancock Tony Hancock was a British Actor and comedian; born on the 12th of May 1924 at Southam Road Hall Green Birmingham UK he still stands as my all time favourite funny man Tony Hancock roger Wilmut's book Tony Hancock was a British Actor and comedian; born on the 12th of May 1924 at Southam Road Hall Green Birmingham UK he still stands as my all time favourite funny man, and although he was born in Birmingham from the early age of three he was brought up by his father John, He ran The Railway hotel in Bournemouth and was also a comedian and entertainer.

John died in 1934 so Tony and his brothers moved in with their mother, Tony joined the RAF in 1942 he auditioned for ENSA The entertainment arm of the forces, his big break was with the Ralf Reader show and after the war he got the position as resident comedian at the Windmill in London and from there getting radio slot on the BBC with workers playtime and verity bandbox. It all started to happen in 195b]1 when he got a big break working on the Educating Archie Show as Archie’s Teacher, he coined his first catchphrase “Flipping kids” also in 1951 he made an appearance on the TV show Kaleidoscope and three years later in 1953 got his own radio show “Hancock’s Half Hour” his radio show it lasted for five years. The show metamorphoses to a TV version in 1956 with the same name.

The show was set in Railways cuttings in East Cheam London, Tony basically played himself along with Sid James, Bill Kerr and the wonderful Kenneth Williams and although the male side of the cast remained the same the show featured two other female characters before Hattie Jacques finally became the regular fifth member. The other two were Moira Lister and Andrée Melly the show came in another format called “The Tony Hancock Show” this ran for two series between 1956/7. The show ended with the name Hancock Tony had a drink problem Statue in Old Square, Corporation Street, Birmingh To recall some of the most popular episodes we had, The Blood Donor, The Radio Ham, The Wild man of the Woods and a Sunday Afternoon at Home. In March 1968 Tony made his way to Australia. To work for ABC and Seven Network It was well know that Tony had a drink problem and in the end it started to affect his performances while in Australia he was known to regularly visit gay bars and nightclubs in Sydney.

He made five film appearances Orders Are Orders in 1954 The Rebel in 1961 The Punch and Judy Man in 1962 Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines in 1965 And finally The Wrong Box in 1966 Tony tragically died on the 24th June in Sydney Australia after committing suicide he was 44. If you are a fan you might be interested in Tony Hancock Appreciation Society At his death Spike Milligan said "He went around closing doors on everybody and eventually closed the door on himself” and Sir Harry Secombe said. "The demands of his profession shaped him, destroyed him and eventually killed him. If anyone paid dearly for his laughs it was the lad himself. May he lie sweetly at rest?" See Also Birmingham - Tony Hancock Birmingham Birmingham 1924 - Sydney, Australia 1968 English comedian and actor Description A memorial made of bronze and glass. It is an enlarge photo of Hancock hanging on a tap with a cup of tea. Both sides are identical, but mirror-reversed.

Inscription(s) TONY HANCOCK 1924 - 1968 I do not think I ever met a man as modest and humble Tony Hancock Born in Hall Green, Birmingham, Tony Hancock was the most celebrated and innovative comedian of the 1950's and 1960's when his television and radio series 'Hancock's Half Hour' were the most popular programmes in Britain. Unveiled by Sir Harry Secombe on 13 May 1996. Sculptor Bruce Williams, British sculptor ( Website ). Sources & Information Location N 52°28'55" W 1°53'40" Item Code: gbwm060; Photograph: 24 June 2014 Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts. If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German). © Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt Tony Hancock - The Full Wiki The Full Wiki More info on Tony Hancock Wikis Note: Many of our articles have direct quotes from sources you can cite, within the Wikipedia article!

This article doesn't yet, but we're working on it! See more info or our list of citable articles . Related top topics For the association football player, see Tony Hancock (footballer) . Tony Hancock Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Born Saint Dunstan's Church, Cranford Park, London Nationality Cicely J. E. Romanis (1950–1965 div) Freda (Freddie) Ross (Dec 1965–1968 div) Parents John Hancock & Lucie Lilian Sennett Anthony John "Tony" Hancock (12 May 1924 – 24 June 1968) was a British actor and comedian. Contents 11 External links Early life and career Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green , Birmingham , England, [1] but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth , where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in Holdenhurst Road, worked as a comedian and entertainer.

After his father's death in 1934, Tony and his brothers lived with their mother and stepfather at a small hotel then called The Durlston Court (now renamed The Quality Hotel). He attended Durlston Court Preparatory School, a boarding school at Durlston in Swanage (moved during World War II and now located in Barton-on-Sea, Hampshire [2] ) and Bradfield College in Reading, Berkshire , but left school at the age of fifteen. In 1942, during World War II , Hancock joined the RAF Regiment . Following a failed audition for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), he ended up on The Ralph Reader Gang Show . After the war, he returned to the stage and eventually worked as resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre , home to many comedians and actors of the period [3] and worked on radio shows such as Workers' Playtime and Variety Bandbox. In 1951, Hancock joined the cast of Educating Archie , where he played the tutor and foil to the nominal star, a ventriloquist's dummy. This brought him recognition and a catchphrase he used frequently in the show ("Flippin' kids!") became popular parlance.

The same year, he made regular appearances on BBC Television's popular light entertainment show Kaleidoscope . In 1954, he was given his own BBC radio show, Hancock's Half Hour . Hancock's peak years Working with scripts from Ray Galton and Alan Simpson , Hancock's Half Hour lasted for five years and over a hundred episodes in its radio form, and from 1956 ran concurrently with an equally successful BBC television series with the same name . The show starred Hancock as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock, a more expansive version of Hancock himself, living in the shabby "Railway Cuttings" in East Cheam. Most episodes portrayed his everyday life as a struggling comedian with aspirations toward straight acting. Some episodes, however, changed this to show him as being a successful actor and/or comedian, or occasionally as having a different career completely (notably episodes where he is portrayed as a struggling barrister). Radio episodes were also prone to more surreal storylines, which would have been impractical on television, such as portraying Hancock buying a puppy that grows to be as tall as himself.

Sidney James (as Sid James was then billed) featured heavily in both the radio and TV versions, while the radio version also included regulars Bill Kerr , Kenneth Williams and over the years Moira Lister , Andrée Melly [4] and Hattie Jacques . The series rejected the variety format then dominant in British radio comedy and instead pioneered a style drawn more from everyday life: the situation comedy , with the humour coming from the characters and the circumstances in which they found themselves. Hancock also made an ITV series, The Tony Hancock Show , during this period, which ran for two series in 1956–57 either side of the first BBC television series. During the run of his BBC radio and television series, Hancock became an enormous star in Britain. Like few others, he was able to clear the streets while families gathered together to listen to the eagerly awaited episodes. His character changed slightly over the series, but even in the earliest episodes the key facets of 'the lad himself' were evident. Later episodes were regarded as classics, even in their time. "Sunday Afternoon at Home" and "Wild Man of the Woods" were top-rating shows and were later released as an LP.

As an actor with considerable experience in films, Sid James became more important to the show when the television version began. The regular cast was reduced to just Hancock and James, allowing the humour to come from the interaction between the two men. James was the realist of the two, with a down to earth approach that would puncture Hancock's pretensions. His character would often be dishonest and exploit Hancock's apparent gullibility during the radio series, but in the television version there appeared to be a more genuine friendship between the two men. Hancock became anxious that his work with James was turning them into a double act and the last BBC series in 1961, retitled simply Hancock, was without James. Two episodes are among his best-remembered: The Blood Donor , in which he goes to a clinic to give blood, contains famous lines such as, "A pint? Why, that's very nearly an armful!" (The doctor's response: "You won't have an empty arm... or an empty anything!") Another well-known instalment is The Radio Ham, in which Hancock plays an amateur radio enthusiast who receives a mayday call from a yachtsman in distress, but his incompetence prevents him from taking its position.

Both of these programmes were later re-recorded for a commercial 1961 LP in the style of radio episodes, and these versions have been continuously available ever since. Returning home with his wife from recording " The Bowmans " episode, a parody of The Archers , Hancock was involved in a minor car accident. He was not badly hurt, despite going through the car windscreen, but he did suffer concussion and he was unable to learn his lines for "The Blood Donor", the next show to be recorded. The result was that Hancock had to perform by reading from teleprompters (TV monitors displaying the relevant sections of script). Viewers of the programme may notice that he is not always looking at the other actors, but in another direction entirely. Hancock came to rely on teleprompters instead of learning scripts whenever he had career difficulties. Up until the Hancock series, every British television comedy show was performed live. Hancock's highly strung personality made the demands of live broadcasts a constant worry, with the result that starting in 1958 his programmes came to be pre-recorded, a few episodes on telerecordings, then his was the first Variety show to use the new Ampex 2" video tape .

At this time, it was usually only practical to shoot individual scenes, because the tape had to be edited physically rather than electronically; any serious problems would only necessitate returning to the beginning of a scene as television then faded to black between scenes. The difference this made to the flow and continuity of a show was immediately apparent. Introspection In early 1960, Hancock appeared on the BBC's Face to Face , a half-hour in-depth interview programme conducted by former Labour MP John Freeman . Freeman asked Hancock many searching questions about his life and work. Hancock, who deeply admired his interviewer, often appeared uncomfortable with the questions, but answered them frankly and honestly. Hancock had always been highly self-critical, and it is often argued that this interview heightened this tendency, contributing to his later difficulties. According to Roger, his brother, "It was the biggest mistake he ever made. I think it all started from that really. ...Self-analysis - that was his killer." [5] The usual argument is that Hancock’s mixture of egotism and self-doubt led to a spiral of self-destructiveness.

Cited as evidence is his gradual ostracisation of those who contributed to his success: Bill Kerr, Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Hattie Jacques, and finally his scriptwriters, Galton and Simpson. His reasoning was that to refine his craft, he had to ditch his catch-phrases and become realistic. He argued, for example, that whenever an ad-hoc character was needed, such as a policeman, it would be played by someone like Kenneth Williams, who would appear with his well known oily catchphrase 'Good evening'. Hancock believed the comedy suffered because people did not believe in the policeman, they knew it was just Williams doing a funny voice. Hancock read huge amounts, desperately trying to find out the 'why we are here' of life. He read large numbers of philosophers, classic novels and political books. He was a supporter of the Labour Party , and admired Michael Foot above any other politician. The break with Galton and Simpson Hancock starred in the 1960 film The Rebel (released as Call Me Genius in the US) where he played the role of an office worker-turned-artist who finds himself successful after a move to Paris, but only as the result of mistaken identity.

Although a success in Britain the film was not well received in the United States; owing to a conflict with a contemporary television series , the film had to be renamed and the new title inflamed American critics. Bosley Crowther in The New York Times thought Hancock "even less comical" than Norman Wisdom . [6] His break with Galton and Simpson took place at a meeting held in October 1961, where he also broke with his long-term agent Beryl Vertue . During the previous six months the writers had developed without payment three scripts for Hancock's second starring film vehicle in consultation with the comedian. Worried that the projects were wrong for him, the first two had been abandoned incomplete; the third was written to completion at the writers' insistence, only for Hancock to reject it. Hancock is thought not to have read any of the screenplays. The result of the break was that Hancock chose to separately develop something previously discussed and the writers were ultimately commissioned to write a Comedy Playhouse series for the BBC, one of which, "The Offer", emerged as the pilot for Steptoe and Son , played by two straight actors, Wilfrid Brambell and Harry H. Corbett .

To write that "something previously discussed", which became The Punch and Judy Man, Hancock hired writer Philip Oakes, who moved in with the comedian to co-write the screenplay. In The Punch and Judy Man (1962), Hancock played a struggling seaside entertainer who dreams of a better life; after Billie Whitelaw withdrew, Sylvia Syms played his nagging social climber of a wife, and John Le Mesurier a sand sculptor. The depth to which the character played by Hancock had merged with that of the actor is clear in the film. When Hancock first read the scene, he looked at Phillip Oakes, and his only comment was "You bastard..." Hancock knew that the film was going to be about him, and the film owes much to Hancock’s memories of his childhood in Bournemouth. Later years He moved to ATV in 1962 with different writers, though Oakes, retained as an advisor, did not value their work, and the two men severed their professional relationship.

The principal writer of Hancock's ATV series, Godfrey Harrison, had scripted the successful George Cole radio and television series A Life Of Bliss, and also Hancock's first regular television appearances on Fools Rush In (a segment of Kaleidoscope ) more than a decade earlier. Harrison had trouble meeting deadlines, so other writers assisted, including Terry Nation . [7] Coincidentally, the transmission of the series clashed in the early months of 1963 with Steptoe and Son written by Hancock's former writers, Galton and Simpson. Critical comparisons did not favour Hancock's series. Around 1965 Hancock made a series of TV adverts [8] for the Egg Marketing Board. Hancock starred in the adverts with Patricia Hayes which were a pastiche of the Galton and Simpson style of scripts. Hancock continued to make regular appearances on British television until 1967, but by then alcoholism had affected his performances. After hosting two unsuccessful variety series for ABC Television The Blackpool Show and Hancock's, he was contracted to make a 13-part series called Hancock Down Under for the Seven Network of Australian television. Hancock went to Australia in March 1968, but only completed three programmes.

Death Hancock committed suicide, by overdose, in Sydney on 24 June 1968, being found dead in his Latimer Road, Bellevue Hill apartment with an empty vodka bottle and an empty bottle of sleeping pills at his side. In one of his suicide notes he wrote: "Things just seemed to go too wrong too many times". His ashes were brought back to the UK in an Air France hold-all by satirist Willie Rushton and in deference to his fame and knowing love of cricket, his ashes travelled back in the first class cabin. [9] Spike Milligan commented in 1989: "Very difficult man to get on with. He used to drink excessively. You felt sorry for him. He ended up on his own. I thought, he's got rid of everybody else, he's going to get rid of himself. And he did." [10] Personal life In June 1950, Hancock married model Cicely Romanis, [11] after a brief courtship. The situation became more complicated as Freddie Ross (who worked as his publicist from 1954) became more involved in his life, eventually becoming his mistress.

He divorced his first wife in 1965, and married Freddie in December of that year. [12] This second marriage was short-lived. During these years Hancock was also involved with Joan Le Mesurier (née Malin), the new wife of actor John Le Mesurier , Hancock's best friend and a regular supporting character-actor from his television series. Joan was later to describe the relationship in her book Lady Don't Fall Backwards, [13] including the claim that her husband readily forgave the affair. If it had been anyone else, he said, he wouldn't have understood it, but with Tony Hancock, it made sense. In July 1966, Freddie took an overdose but was saved from dying. Arriving in Blackpool to record an edition of his variety series, Hancock was met by pressmen asking about his wife's attempted suicide. The final dissolution of the marriage took place a few days ahead of Hancock's suicide. Cicely developed her own problems with alcohol and died from a fall in 1969, the year after the death of her former husband.

Freddie Hancock survived the tragedy of her broken marriage and resumed her career as a prominent publicist and agent in the film and television industry. She has been based in New York City for many years. She was the founder of - and is a prominent member of - the East Coast chapter of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts . Legacy Statue in Old Square, Corporation Street, Birmingham Commemorative plaque at the foot of the Birmingham statue There is a sculpture by Bruce Williams (1996) in his honour in Old Square , Corporation Street , Birmingham, a plaque on the house where he was born in Hall Green , Birmingham and a plaque on the wall of the hotel in Bournemouth where he spent some of his early life. In a 2002 poll, BBC radio listeners voted Hancock their favourite British comedian. Commenting on this poll, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson observed that modern-day creations such as Alan Partridge and David Brent owed much of their success to mimicking dominant features of Tony Hancock's character. "The thing they've all got in common is self-delusion," they remarked in a statement issued by the BBC.

"They all think they're more intelligent than everyone else, more cultured, that people don't recognise their true greatness – self-delusion in every sense. And there's nothing people like better than failure." Mary Kalemkerian, Head of Programmes for BBC 7, commented "Classic comedians such as Tony Hancock and the Goons are obviously still firm favourites with BBC radio listeners. Age doesn't seem to matter – if it's funny, it's funny." Dan Peat of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society said of the poll: "It's fantastic news. If he was alive he would have taken it one of two ways. He would probably have made some kind of dry crack, but in truth he would have been chuffed." In a 2005 poll to find 'The Comedian's Comedian' Hancock was voted the twelfth greatest comedian by fellow comics and 'comedy insiders'. The last eight or so years of Tony Hancock's life was the subject of a 1991 BBC 'Screen One' television movie, called Hancock, starring Alfred Molina .

Hancock's affair with Joan Le Mesurier was also dramatised in Hancock and Joan on BBC Four and transmitted on 26 March 2008 as part of the Curse of Comedy series. Hancock was portrayed by Ken Stott and Joan by Maxine Peake . The British singer/songwriter Harvey Andrews wrote a tribute song to Hancock in 1974 titled "Mr. Homburg Hat". [1] The title was a reference to Hancock's trademark headwear. The lyrics also alluded to his familiar jacket with its astrakhan collar: "Now there´s no more Homburg hat and astrakhan. Just empty places on the seating plan. But now they flock to say... the greatest of his day. That funny man. How sad he ran.." The Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers named their 2007 album, Send Away the Tigers , after a phrase Hancock used to refer to "battling one's inner demons by getting drunk".

[14] The album opens with lines referring to Hancock's final days: "There’s no hope in the colonies / So catch yourself a lifeline / Things have gone wrong too many times / So catch yourself a slow boat to China". [15] Musician Pete Doherty is a fan of Hancock and entitled the first album by his band The Libertines Up the Bracket after one of Hancock's catch phrases ("Are you looking for a punch up the bracket?" / "I'll give you a punch up the bracket"). He also wrote a song called "Lady Don't Fall Backwards" in his honour. The title is the same as the book in the Hancock's Half Hour episode "The Missing Page". [16] The Libertines mention him in their song "You're My Waterloo", stating, "But I’m not Tony Hancock baby" after the line "But you’re not Judy Garland". The opening track of Up the Bracket also features an approximation of a line from Hancock's Half Hour episode "The Poetry Society": "Lead pipes are fortune made".

The Dogs D'Amour referenced Hancock in two of their songs, "Wait till I'm dead" which was taken from a line in The Rebel and closed with a spoken comment taken from the film, and "Kiss this Joint" which opens with the line "He took 'is life back in 68". Pop Will Eat Itself mentioned Hancock in a song entitled "Eat Me Drink Me Love Me Kill Me" from their Looks or the Lifestyle album. The line states "Drain myself away like Hancock in Sydney". Recordings Episodes (and anthologies) from the radio series were released on vinyl LP in the 1960s, as well as several re-enactments of television scripts; an annual LP was issued of radio episodes (without the incidental music) in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Much of this material was also available on cassette in later years. More recently, the BBC has issued CDs of the surviving seventy-four radio episodes in six box sets, one per series, with the sixth box containing several out-of-series specials.

This was followed by the release of one large boxed set containing all the others in a special presentation case; while it includes no extra material, the larger box alone (without any CDs) still fetches high prices on online marketplaces like eBay , where Hancock memorabilia remains a thriving industry. There have also been VHS video releases of the BBC TV series. So far five Region 2 DVDs have been released: Hancock's Half Hour: Volume One contains the surviving episodes of the second and third series, including a Christmas special. No episodes of the first series are known to exist. Hancock's Half Hour: Volume Two contains the five surviving episodes from the fourth series. Hancock's Half Hour: Volume Three contains all ten episodes from the fifth series. Hancock's Half Hour: Volume Four contains all ten episodes from the sixth series. Hancock: The Best Of Hancock (the first Hancock DVD released) features only five of the six episodes from the last series. Hancock: The DVD BOX SET. Episodes of the radio series may be heard on the digital radio station BBC Radio 7 each Tuesday, for instance on-line at 19:00 London time (GMT during the winter months) at the official BBC 7 site .

Film appearances The Wrong Box (1966) Tributes In April 2010, the Old Hamptonians' Amateur Dramatic Society are staging six half-hours in a show entitled Hancock, with the full support of Alan Simpson and Ray Galton, by arranmgement with Tessa Le Bars Management. For details visit Biographies David Nathan and Freddie Hancock Hancock, (1969 [1996]), William Kimber, BBC Consumer Publishing, ISBN 0-563-38761-0 Roger Wilmut Tony Hancock: 'Artiste', A Tony Hancock Companion, 1978, Eyre Methuen - with full details of Hancock's stage, radio, TV and film appearances. Edward Joffe Hancock's Last Stand: The Series That Never Was, June 1998, foreword by June Whitfield , Book Guild Ltd Publishing, ISBN 1-85776-316-5 - a fascinating insight into Hancock's final days, written by the man who found Hancock's body after his suicide. Cliff Goodwin When The Wind Changed: The Life And Death Of Tony Hancock, 2000, Arrow - an extended, comprehensive biography.

John Fisher Tony Hancock: The Definitive Biography, 2008, Harper, ISBN 0007266774 Film biographies Hancock (1991) A BBC1 'Screen One' production, starring Alfred Molina Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (2006) A BBC Four drama about Kenneth Williams , featuring Martin Trenaman as Hancock Hancock and Joan (2008) A BBC Four drama, starring Ken Stott . [17] References photo of dead photo of dead Tony Hancock Iekos rezultatai. Biographical information and career higlights, club events and news, media library (including tapes, books, and video), membership information, and merchandise.. Anthony John "Tony" Hancock (born 12 May 1924 24 June 1968) was a popular British actor and comedian.. Tony Hancock John Fisher Our price: �18.00. RRP: �20.00. Publisher: HARPER COLLINS PUBLISHERS. Publcation Date : 01/10/2008 . Hardback.

In stock, usually despatched within 24 . 1924 - 1968 Tony Hancock was born on the 12th May 1924 the second of three sons to Jack and Lily Hancock, at 41 Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham (Birmingham's Tourist . Originally made for the Egg Marketing Board in 1965, these adverts are little comedy classics in their own right. Watch and weep at the talent that went to waste.. advertisement. Overview. Date of Birth: 12 May 1924, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, UK more. Date of Death: 25 June 1968, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia more. Heritage: Hancock, Tony This page may be referred to as: To many people Tony Hancock was probably the best known comedian of the 1960s.. Tony Hancock the great comedian and actor appeared on radio and television Middle son of Jack and Lily, Tony Hancock was born in Hall Green . Resource website for Tony Hancock fans Early life and career. He was born in Birmingham, England, but brought up in Bournemouth where his mother and stepfather ran a small .

Tony Hancock (eigentlich Anthony John Hancock, * 12. Mai 1924 in Birmingham, England; 24. Juni 1968 in Sydney, Australien) war ein britischer Komiker, der in den 1950er und . Tony Hancock. AKA Anthony John Hancock. Born: 12-May-1924 Birthplace: Birmingham, England Died: 25-Jun-1968 Location of death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Yahoo!Xtra Movies get the latest news on what movies and films are coming soon to a cinema near you. . Tony Hancock is the archetype. First airing on BBC radio in 1954, the show came along during an era when comedy was steeped in the fast-talking knockabout antics of the music hall.. Tony Hancock: The Definitive Biography: John Fisher: Amazon.co.uk: Books Review Praise for Tommy Cooper: Always Leave them Laughing: 'A monumental and masterly biography of the . The Tony Hancock BBC Collection (8 Disc Box Set): Tony Hancock, Sid James, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson: Amazon.co.uk: DVD.

The Tony Hancock Show was a black-and-white British sketch show starring Tony Hancock that was broadcast for two series from 1956 to 1957. It was written by Eric Sykes, Larry . The Homepage of the Tont Hancock Appreciation Society This is the official home page of the Tony Hancock Appreciation Society which was founded in 1976 and boasts among its . Comedian, Actor. At the height of his comedic powers in the late 1950s/early 1960s, Tony Hancock (aided by the brilliant writing of Ray Galton and Alan Simpson) arguably took . Press Releases Ken Stott to play Tony Hancock in new BBC Four drama Posted by Robert Carradine advertisement. Overview. Date of Birth: 24 March 1954, Hollywood, California, USA more. Trivia: When "Revenge of the Nerds" premiered on U.S. cable in 1985, a behindmore. Robert Reed Carradine (born March 24, 1954) is an American actor.. Trade Mark. His character from Revenge of the Nerds (1984), Louis Skolnick. Trivia.

Son of John Carradine, half-brother of David Carradine, Bruce Carradine and Michael Bowen.. Filmography of Robert Carradine Born: March 24, 1954 in San Mateo, CA Occupation: Actor Biography: The youngest of four sons of actor John Carradine, Robert Carradine has . Robert Carradine : find the latest news, photos, filmography and awards at Yahoo! Movies This talented, but often underutilized, dark-haired actor of film and TV remained best . Robert Carradine Born: Mar 24, 1954 in San Mateo, California Occupation: Actor Active: '70s-2000s Major Genres: Drama, Comedy Career Highlights: The. Robert Carradine. Born: 24-Mar-1954 Birthplace: San Mateo, CA. Gender: Male Race or Ethnicity: White Sexual orientation: Straight Occupation: Actor. Nationality: United States. Online shopping for Carradine, Robert from a great selection of Movies & TV; ( C ), Actors & Actresses, DVD & more at everyday low prices..

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She was married to actor David Graf from 1985 until his death in 2001. She starred with her husband in Police Academy 5:. advertisement. Overview. Date of Birth: 13 August 1958 more. Trivia: Wrote an autobiographical one-woman play titled "Surviving David," whichmore. Filmography. Kathryn Graf (born 13 August&amp;#32;1958; age 50) played a Bajoran woman in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode &quot;A Man Alone&quot;. She was married to David Graf from 1985 . Actress: 2000s; 1990s; 1980s "Titus". Social Worker (1 episode, 2001)aka Titus (Spain) [es]aka Titus (Finland) [fi]aka Titus (France) [fr]. Trivia. She and her late husband, David Graf, had 2 sons. Wrote an autobiographical one-woman play titled "Surviving David," which examined her coping with life after the sudden .

Kathryn Graf Celebrity Profile - Check out the latest Kathryn Graf photo gallery, biography, pics, pictures, interviews, news, forums and blogs at Rotten Tomatoes!. Soldiers of the Empire&quot;. His widow, Kathryn Graf, is also a DS9 alum, having guest-starred in &quot;A Man Alone&quot;, the second episode filmed for the series.. Kathryn Graf Profile, Biography, Quotes, Trivia, Awards Birth Name: Kathryn MacDonald: Birth: Born on 1958-08-13 at , United States: Sex: F. David Graf (April 16, 1950 April 7, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role as Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series of films. He married Kathryn Graf in . You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update.. A biography and related information. The most popular movies among NYTimes.com readers.. You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update..

Kathryn Graf home page to view photos, read Kathryn Graf news & biography, see interviews, find movies at Hollywood.com.. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"aka DS9 (USA: promotional abbreviation) aka Deep Space Nine (USA: short title) aka Star Trek: DS9 (USA: short title). In a tragic coincidence, David passed away at the same age and condition his father did. David is survived by his wife of 17 years, Kathryn Graf, two sons, Daniel and Sean; mother . He married Kathryn Graf in 1985. Early life . Graf was born in Lancaster, Ohio and fell in love with the stage when he stared in his senior class play, then studied theatre at Otterbein . David Graf (April 16, 1950 April 7, 2001) was an American actor, best known for his role as Sgt. Eugene Tackleberry in the Police Academy series of films. He married Kathryn Graf in . Kathryn Graf find the latest news, biography, career milestones, credits, filmography, photos and video clips on Yahoo! TV . Kathryn Graf: Read the full list of film and television credits.

He married Kathryn Graf in 1985. Early life Graf was born in Lancaster, Ohio, and studied theatre at Otterbein College in Westerville, a suburb of Columbus where he graduated in 1972 Posted by Harry Schumm Resultados de la b�squeda. Harry Schumm (27 September 1877 4 April 1953), was an American film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 37 films between 1913 and 1920. He was born in Chicago, Illinois and . Harry Schumm Born: Sep 27, 1877 in Chicago, Illinois Died: Apr 04, 1953 in Los Angeles, California Occupation: Actor Active: teens Major Genres:. advertisement. Overview. Date of Birth: 27 September 1877, Chicago, Illinois, USA more. Date of Death: 4 April 1953, Los Angeles, California, USA more. Alternate Names:.

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His father, John Hancock, ran The Railway Hotel, Holdenhurst Road, where theatrical people, such as Elsie and Doris Waters, used to stay. He also worked as a comedian and entertainer. After his father's death from cancer in 1934 at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Boscombe, Hancock and his brothers lived with their mother and now stepfather. His mother had subsequently remarried and she and her new husband continued in the hotel business, living in The Durlston Court (was Swanmore Hotel)(then renamed The Quality Hotel) and running among others the Talbot in Wimborne Road, the Marsham Court, and the Harbour Heights. Plaque in St. Dunstan churchyard Cranford Park He had attended Durlston Court Preparatory School, a boarding school at Swanage (moved 1945 after several in-betweens to Barton-on-Sea), and Bradfield College in Reading, Berkshire, but left school at the age of fifteen. There had been concern at the beginning of the war because there had been a major radar installation outside Worth. Hancock had initially in the late 1930's Hancock already tried to follow in his father's footsteps as an entertainer.

In 1939 he failed an audition for Willie Cave's Revels - a variety show that performed on Bournemouth beach. He took a commercial skills course at Bournemouth college in the autumn, then worked briefly for a tailor and also for the Civil Service. He tried stand-up comedy in 1940 at the Avon Road Social Club and made his first radio broadcast in 1941. In the Summer of 1941, after working as a potman at the Pembroke Hotel, he joined George Fairweather's "Black Dominoes" concert party, performing at Boscombe Hippodrome and at local army bases. In 1942, during World War II, Hancock joined the RAF Regiment. Following a failed audition for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA), he ended up on The Ralph Reader Gang Show. After the war, he returned to the stage and eventually worked as resident comedian at the Windmill Theatre, a venue which helped to launch the careers of many comedians at the time, and worked on radio shows such as Workers' Playtime and Variety Bandbox. During his run with BBC radio and television series, Hancock became an enormous star in Britain.

Like few others, he was able to clear the streets while families gathered together to listen to the eagerly awaited episodes. His character changed slightly over the series, but even in the earliest episodes the key facets of 'the lad himself' were evident. "Sunday Afternoon at Home" and "The Wild Man of the Woods" were top-rating shows and were later released as an LP. In 1951 until 1952, Hancock was a cast member of Educating Archie (Peter Bough), in which he mainly played the tutor (or foil) to the nominal star, a ventriloquist's dummy. This appearance in this show is what gave him national recognition, and a catchphrase he used frequently in the show, "Flippin' kids!", became popular parlance. The same year, he made regular appearances on BBC Television's popular light entertainment show Kaleidoscope. In 1954, he was given his own eponymous BBC radio show, Hancock's Half Hour. Hancock's Half Hour lasted for seven years (including television) and over a hundred episodes in its radio form, and from 1956 ran concurrently with an equally successful BBC television series.

The show starred Hancock as Anthony Aloysius St John Hancock living in the shabby "23 Railway Cuttings", (invented as being up-market) in East Cheam which many still believe is a real address. Most episodes portrayed his everyday life as a struggling comedian with aspirations toward straight acting. Some episodes, however, changed this to show him as being a successful actor and/or comedian, or occasionally as having a different career completely such as a struggling (and incompetent) barrister. Radio episodes were also prone to more surreal storylines, which would have been impractical on television, such as Hancock buying a puppy that grows to be as tall as himself. Sidney James featured heavily in both the radio and TV versions, while the radio version also included regulars Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams and over the years Moira Lister, Andr�e Melly and Hattie Jacques. The series rejected the variety format then dominant in British radio comedy and instead used a form drawn more from everyday life: the situation comedy, with the humour coming from the characters and the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Owing to a contractual wrangle with producer Jack Hylton, Hancock had an ITV series, The Tony Hancock Show, during this period, which ran in 1956 and 1957 either side of the first BBC television series. As an actor with considerable experience in films, Sidney James became more important to the show when the television version began. The regular cast was reduced to just the two men, allowing the humour to come from the interaction between them. James' character was the realist of the two, puncturing Hancock's pretensions. His character would often be dishonest and exploit Hancock's apparent gullibility during the radio series, but in the television version there appeared to be a more genuine friendship between them. Up until the Hancock series, every British television comedy show had been performed live owing to the technical limitations of the time. Hancock's highly strung personality made the demands of live broadcasts a constant worry, with the result that, starting from 1959 Hancocks Half Hour, the programmes were recorded before transmission. He was also the first performer to receive a �1,000 fee for his performances in a half-hour show.

Hancock became anxious that his work with James was turning them into a double act and the last BBC series in 1961, retitled simply Hancock, was without James. Two episodes are among his best-remembered: The Blood Donor, in which he goes to a clinic to give blood, contains famous lines such as, "A pint? Why, that's very nearly an armful!" (The doctor's response: "You won't have an empty arm... or an empty anything!") Another well-known instalment is The Radio Ham, in which Hancock plays an amateur radio enthusiast who receives a mayday call from a yachtsman in distress, but his incompetence prevents him from taking his position. Both of these programmes were later re-recorded for a commercial 1961 LP in the style of radio episodes, and these versions have been continuously available. Returning home with his wife from recording "The Bowmans" episode, based around a parody of The Archers, Hancock was involved in a minor car accident. He was not badly hurt, despite going through the car windscreen, but he did suffer concussion and he was unable to learn his lines for "The Blood Donor", the next show due to be recorded.

The result was that Hancock had to perform by reading from teleprompters (TV monitors displaying the relevant sections of script). Viewers of the programme may notice that he is not always looking at the other actors, but in another direction entirely. Hancock came to rely on teleprompters instead of learning scripts whenever he had career difficulties. In early 1960, Hancock appeared on the BBC's Face to Face, a half-hour in-depth interview programme conducted by former Labour MP John Freeman. Freeman asked Hancock many searching questions about his life and work. Hancock, who deeply admired his interviewer, often appeared uncomfortable with the questions, but answered them frankly and honestly. Hancock had always been highly self-critical, and it is often argued that this interview heightened this tendency, contributing to his later difficulties. According to Roger, his brother, "It was the biggest mistake he ever made. I think it all started from that really. ...Self-analysis - that was his killer." The usual argument is that Hancock’s mixture of egotism and self-doubt led to a spiral of self-destructiveness.

Cited as evidence is his gradual ostracism of those who contributed to his success: Bill Kerr, Kenneth Williams, Hattie Jacques and Sidney James, and finally his scriptwriters, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. His reasoning was that to refine his craft, he had to ditch his catch-phrases and become realistic. He argued, for example, that whenever an ad-hoc character was needed, such as a policeman, it would be played by someone like Kenneth Williams, who would appear with his then well known oily catchphrase ’Good evening’. Hancock believed the comedy suffered because people did not believe in the policeman, they knew it was just Williams doing a funny voice. Hancock read huge amounts, desperately trying to find out the 'why we are here' of life. He read large numbers of philosophers, classic novels and political books. He was a supporter of the Labour Party, and admired Michael Foot above any other politician. After the break with Galton and Simpson, Hancock starred in the 1960 film The Rebel, where he played the role of an office worker-turned-artist who finds himself successful after a move to Paris, but only as the result of mistaken identity.

Although a success in Britain the film was not well received in the United States: owing to the existence of a contemporary television series of the same name, the film had to be renamed, and the new title, Call Me Genius, inflamed American critics. Bosley Crowther in The New York Times thought Hancock "even less comical" than Norman Wisdom. His break with Galton and Simpson took place at a meeting held in October 1961, where he also broke with his long-term agent Beryl Vertue. During the previous six months the writers had developed without payment three scripts for Hancock's second starring film vehicle in consultation with the comedian. Worried that the projects were wrong for him, the first two had been abandoned incomplete; the third was written to completion at the writers' insistence, only for Hancock to reject it. Hancock is thought not to have read any of the screenplays. The result of the break was that Hancock chose to separately develop something previously discussed and the writers were ultimately commissioned to write a Comedy Playhouse series for the BBC, one of which, "The Offer", emerged as the pilot for Steptoe and Son.

To write that "something previously discussed", which became The Punch and Judy Man, Hancock hired writer Philip Oakes, who moved in with the comedian to co-write the screenplay. In The Punch and Judy Man (1962), which may have been his original idea because of his Bournemouth links, Hancock played a struggling seaside entertainer who dreamt of a better life; Sylvia Syms played his nagging social climbing wife, and John Le Mesurier a sand sculptor. The depth to which the character played by Hancock had merged with that of the actor is clear in the film. When Hancock first read the script, he looked at Phillip Oakes, and his only comment was "You bastard..." Hancock knew that the film was going to be about him, the film does owe much to Hancock because of of his childhood memories in Bournemouth. It was mainly filmed at Bognor Regis, West Sussex and Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. He moved to ATV in 1962 with different writers, though Oakes, retained as an advisor, did not value their work, and the two men severed their professional relationship.

The principal writer of Hancock's ATV series, Godfrey Harrison, had scripted the successful George Cole's radio and television series A Life Of Bliss, and also Hancock's first regular television appearances on Fools Rush In (a segment of Kaleidoscope) more than a decade earlier. Harrison had trouble meeting deadlines, so other writers were commissioned, including Terry Nation. Coincidentally, the transmission of the series clashed in the early months of 1963 with the second series of Steptoe and Son written by Hancock's former writers, Galton and Simpson. Critical comparisons did not favour Hancock's series. Around 1965 Hancock made a series of 11 TV adverts for the Egg Marketing Board. Hancock starred in the adverts with Patricia Hayes as Mrs Cravatte in an attempt to revive the Galton and Simpson style of scripts. Hancock continued to make regular appearances on British television until 1967, but by then alcoholism had affected his performances. After hosting two unsuccessful variety series for ABC Television, The Blackpool Show and Hancock's, he was contracted to make a 13-part series called Hancock Down Under for the Seven Network of Australian television.

This was to be his first and only television series filmed in colour; however, after arriving in Australia in March 1968 he only completed three programmes. Cranford Park TW5 9RZ Hancock died by suicide, by overdose, in Sydney, on 25 June 1968. He was found dead in his Bellevue Hill apartment with an empty vodka bottle by his right hand and amphetamines by his left. In one of his suicide notes he wrote: "Things just seemed to go too wrong too many times". He was cremated in Sydney, and his ashes flown back to the UK under the care of Willy Rushden. Ironically perhaps, he was outlived by his mother (1890-1969) Spike Milligan commented in 1989: "He was a difficult man to get on with. He used to drink excessively. You felt sorry for him. He ended up on his own.

I thought, "he's got rid of everybody else, he's going to get rid of himself one day and he did." A memorial plaque marks the location of where Tony's and his mother's ashes were scattered at St Dunstan's Churchyard (picture above) in Cranford Park, Hounslow, Middlesex (now Hounslow Greater London TW5 9RZ) (near Heathrow Airport). In June 1950, he married Cicely J E Romanis, a Lanvin model, after a brief courtship. She developed her own problems with alcohol and died from a fall in 1969, the year after the death of her former husband Tony. His life became more complicated as Freddie (Freda) Ross (who worked as his publicist from 1954 whom he had originally met in Blackpool) became more involved in his life, eventually becoming his mistress. He had divorced his first wife in 1965, and married Freddie in December of that year. In July 1966, Freddie had taken an overdose, but survived. The second marriage was short-lived.

Freddie survived her broken marriage and resumed her career as a prominent publicist and agent in the film and television industry. She had been based in New York City for many years. Ultimately, in 1966, Freddie left. She went back to her parents and refused to accept Tony's calls. She was the founder of, and is a prominent member of, the East Coast chapter of BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. During these years Hancock was also involved with Joan Le Mesurier (n�e Malin), the new wife of actor John Le Mesurier, Hancock's best friend and a regular supporting character-actor from his television series. Joan was later to describe the relationship in her book Lady Don't Fall Backwards, including the claim that her husband readily forgave the affair. If it had been anyone else, he said, he wouldn't have understood it, but with Tony Hancock, it made sense. Arriving in Blackpool to record an edition of his variety series, Hancock was met by pressmen asking about his wife's attempted suicide. The final dissolution of the marriage took place a few days ahead of Hancock's own successful suicide.

There is a sculpture by Bruce Williams (1996) in his honour in Old Square, Corporation Street, Birmingham, a plaque on the house where he was born in Hall Green, Birmingham and a plaque on the wall of the hotel in Bournemouth where he spent some of his early life. There is also a plaque, placed by the Dead Poets Society, at 10 Grey Close, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, where he lived in 1947 and 1948. Contracted to make a 13 part series entitled Hancock Down Under for the Seven Network of Australia. He arrived in Australia in March of 1968, but only completed three episodes before his tragic suicide on 25 June 1968. The last eight or so active years of Tony Hancock's life were the subject of a BBC 'Screen One' television movie, called Hancock (1991), starring Alfred Molina. Another BBC drama - Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! (2006) - and saw Martin Trenaman play the role of Hancock with Michael Sheen as Williams.

Hancock's affair with Joan Le Mesurier was also dramatised in Hancock and Joan on BBC Four and transmitted in 2008 as part of the Curse of Comedy season. Hancock was portrayed by Ken Stott and Joan by Maxine Peake. Galton and Simpson became part of his storyline again in a remake of six Hancock's Half Hour episodes starring Paul Merton in 1996 and, although not critically acclaimed, these do represent the most up-to-date revisiting of Hancock's work, over 30 years after his death. Our acknowledgements and thanks to Wikipedia for much of this information.

Question: Which British comedian was born in Hall Green, Birmingham in 1924 and died in Sydney in 1968?
Answer: Tony Hancock