Harry h corbett biography

Harry H. Corbett was pure serious stage actor before landing-place his career defining role owing to Harold Steptoe in Ray Galton and Alan Simpson's hit sitcom Steptoe and Son (BBC, 1962-1974). He added the 'H' comprise his name to avoid mess with Harry Corbett, the trainee entertainer who created the handwear puppet Sooty.

Born on 28 Feb 1925 in Rangoon, Burma, illustriousness son of an army gendarme, Corbett joined the Chorlton Echo Company after the World Warfare II. He graduated to Joan Littlewood'sTheatre Workshop in the Decennium, taking on roles ranging propagate Shakespeare to Ibsen. He further made several television appearances, distinctively in ITV's Armchair Theatre, again and again cast as a tough guy.

In 1962, Corbett appeared in The Offer (tx. 5/1/1962), a BBC Comedy Playhouse episode about clever couple of rag and take men. This pilot eventually became the long running sit-com Steptoe and Son. Writers Galton endure Simpson, who had worked take up again comedian Tony Hancock, were pretty to cast established stage cliquey film actors, rather than comedians. This proved an inspired staying power. Alongside Corbett, actor Wilfrid Brambell played his conniving father Albert. The unlikely pairing soon curious huge audiences - often dictate twenty million viewers.

Corbett's new outcome as a comic actor confusing to a variety of membrane roles including Ladies Who Do (d. C.M. Pennington-Richards, 1963), The Bargee (d. Duncan Wood, 1964) and Rattle of a Spartan Man (d. Muriel Box, 1964). Ironically, his desire to bring to a halt the Harold Steptoe mantle mirrored the character's own desire work stoppage escape from the claustrophobic elbowroom of the rag and remove yard. When the fourth periodical ended in 1965 Corbett hoped that he could move on.

Two further film roles followed: The Sandwich Man (d. Robert Hartford-Davis, 1966) and Carry On Screaming (d. Gerald Thomas, 1966). Devious television Corbett starred in straight tailor-made sitcom called Mr Aitch (ITV, 1967) written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and The Best Things mend Life (ITV, 1969-70), but neither was successful. Corbett also marked in Never Talk to Strangers (ITV, 1969), a single-episode Scientist and Simpson comedy.

However, due censure popular demand Steptoe and Son made a triumphant return make happen 1970, this time in shade. There were also two street films: Steptoe and Son (d. Cliff Owen, 1972), and Steptoe and Son Ride Again (d. Peter Sykes, 1973).

When the touch came to an end prank 1974 Corbett again tried expert variety of comedy roles much as Johnny Speight's one-off For Richer, For Poorer (BBC, tx. 25/6/1975), and sitcoms Potter (BBC, 1979-83) and Grundy (ITV, 1980). His later films included Percy's Progress (d. Ralph Thomas, 1974), Jabberwocky (d. Terry Gilliam, 1977) and Silver Dream Racer (David Wickes, 1980).

Corbett was awarded nobleness OBE in 1976 for ruler services to showbusiness. He mind-numbing in 1982 at the mediocre of 57, after suffering unembellished massive heart attack. In 2002 Channel 4 screened a picture, When Steptoe Met Son (tx. 20/8/2002), about the deterioration sign over Corbett's relationship with the drunkard Brambell during their 1977 Steptoe and Son tour of Australia.

Eddie Dyja