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Edward Chapman

Edward Chapman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Edward Chapman (13 October 1901 - 9 August 1977) was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s.

Chapman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greet's Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre, Nottingham, playing Gecko in George du Maurier's Trilby. He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmer's Wife. Among dozens of stage roles that followed, he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlings's Josephine in Napoleon at the Embassy Theatre in September 1934. In 1928 he attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock, who gave him the role of "The Paycock" in the 1930 film, Juno and the Paycock. In the same year he also made an appearance in Caste (of which no prints are known to exist). He had a role in The Citadel in 1938 and appeared alongside George Formby in the Ealing Studios comedy Turned Out Nice Again in 1941.

During the Second World War he took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force. After training he was posted to 129 (Mysore) Squadron as an intelligence officer. This Spitfire squadron was based at Westhampnett and Debden. The squadron was heavily engaged in combat during this period and many of Chapman's fellow squadron mates were killed in action.

Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957's Just My Luck in the role of Mr. Stoneway, but the next year in The Square Peg he appeared as Mr. Grimsdale for the first time opposite Wisdom's character of Norman Pitkin. In 1960 he and Wisdom acted together again in The Bulldog Breed, playing the roles of Mr. Philpots and Norman Puckle - Mr. Grimsdale and Pitkin in all but name. Wisdom appeared alone as Norman Pitkin in On the Beat in 1962, while Chapman branched out, starring in the Danish folktale Venus fra Vestø, but Grimsdale and Pitkin were reunited for 1963's A Stitch in Time. Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965, Wisdom's first film in colour. In all, he appeared alongside Norman Wisdom in five films.

After Sir John Gielgud was arrested for "persistently importuning male persons for immoral purposes", Chapman started a petition to force him to resign from Equity. Sir Laurence Olivier reportedly threw Chapman out of his dressing room when he solicited his signature for the petition.

From 1965 Chapman played mostly characters roles on television. His final role was as Mr. Callon for nine episodes of the BBC's seafaring melodrama The Onedin Line between 1971 and 1972. Chapman died of a heart attack in Brighton, East Sussex, England at the age of 75.

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The Onedin Line

1971

as Mr. Callon

The Man Who Haunted Himself

1970

as Barton

Champion House

1967

The Early Bird

1965

as Mr. Thomas Grimsdale

The Man In Room 17

1965

as Oliver Crawford

Joey Boy

1965

as Tom Hobson

Hide and Seek

1964

as McPherson

A Stitch in Time

1963

as Mr Grimsdale

Venus fra Vestø

1962

The Big Deal

1961

as Sir Pierson Cale

The Bulldog Breed

1960

as Mr. Philpots

Maigret

1960

Oscar Wilde

1960

as Marquis of Queensberry

School for Scoundrels

1960

as Gloatbridge

No Hiding Place

1959

The Square Peg

1958

as Mr Grimsdale

Innocent Sinners

1958

as Manley

The Young and the Guilty

1958

as George Connor

Just My Luck

1957

as Mr. Stoneway

Doctor at Large

1957

as Wilkins

X the Unknown

1956

as John Elliott

Lisbon

1956

as Edgar Selwyn

Bhowani Junction

1956

as Thomas Jones

The Love Match

1955

as Mr Longworth

A Yank in Ermine

1955

as Duke of Fontenham

The Crowded Day

1954

as Mr. Bunting

The End of the Road

1954

as Works Manager

A Day to Remember

1953

as Mr. Robinson

The Intruder

1953

as Lowden

Folly to Be Wise

1952

as Joseph Byres M.P.

The Ringer

1952

as Stranger

Mandy

1952

as Ackland

The Card

1952

as Mr. Duncalf

His Excellency

1952

as The Admiral

The Magic Box

1952

as Father in Family Group

The Cocktail Party

1952

Gone to Earth

1950

as Mr. James

Night and the City

1950

as Hoskins (uncredited)

The Spider and the Fly

1949

as Minister for War

Man on the Run

1949

as Chief Inspector Mitchell

The History of Mr. Polly

1949

as Mr. Johnson

Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill

1948

as Birkland

It Always Rains on Sunday

1947

as George Sandigate

The October Man

1947

as Mr. Peachy

They Flew Alone

1942

as Mr. Johnson

Ships with Wings

1941

as Papadopoulos

Jeannie

1941

as Mr. Jansen

Turned Out Nice Again

1941

as Uncle Arnold

Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It

1941

as Mr. Blenkinsop

Eating Out with Tommy Trinder

1941

as Mr. Jones

Convoy

1940

as Captain Eckersley

The Briggs Family

1940

as Charley Briggs

Law and Disorder

1940

as Detective Inspector Bray

The Proud Valley

1940

as Dick Parry

Now You're Talking

1940

as Alf Small

Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday

1939

as Captain Edwin Fraser

Poison Pen

1939

as Len Griffin

There Ain't No Justice

1939

as Sammy Sanders

The Four Just Men

1939

as B.J. Burrell

The Nursemaid Who Disappeared

1939

Marigold

1938

as Mordan

The Citadel

1938

as Joe Morgan

Who Killed John Savage?

1938

as Inspector Chortley

Premiere

1938

as Lohrmann

Rembrandt

1936

as Fabrizius

Someone at the Door

1936

as Price

The Man Who Could Work Miracles

1936

as Major Grigsby

Things to Come

1936

as Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy

The Divine Spark

1935

as Saverio Mercadante

The Church Mouse

1934

as Mr. 'Pinky' Wormwood

Girls Will Be Boys

1934

as Grey

The Queen's Affair

1934

as Guard

Blossom Time

1934

as Meyerhoffer

Mister Cinders

1934

as Mr. Gaunt

Happy Ever After

1932

as Colonel

The Flying Squad

1932

as Sedeman

Tilly of Bloomsbury

1931

as Percy Welwyn

The Skin Game

1931

as Dawker

Caste

1930

as Sam Gerridge

Murder!

1930

as Ted Markham

Juno and the Paycock

1929

as Captain Boyle