Leslie Phillips
Leslie Phillips
[Login to edit this page]
Contrary to his public persona, Phillips came from a background of poverty. He was born in Tottenham, North London, England, the son of Cecelia Margaret (née Newlove) and Frederick Samuel Phillips, who worked at Glover and Main, manufacturers of cookers in Edmonton, London; the 'filthy, sulphurous' air of the factory gave him a weak heart and dropsy, leading to his death at the age of 44. In 1931, the family moved to Chingford, London where Phillips attended primary school.
It was his mother who decided that Phillips should be sent to the Italia Conti Academy to receive elocution lessons in order to lose his natural cockney accent. At that time a strong regional accent from any city was a major impediment to an aspiring actor. It proved to be an astute move and by the age of 14 Phillips was the family's main breadwinner, saving his mother from squalor.
Phillips made his first film appearances as a child in the 1930s. He is the only actor still alive who performed at Pinewood Studios during the week it opened in 1936. He also understudied for Binkie Beaumont and H.M Tennent in the West End. In 1938, 14-year-old Leslie Phillips appeared with Graeme Muir in the West End play Dear Octopus where Muir was the juvenile lead. During the Second World War shows were frequently interrupted by air-raid sirens and Phillips recalls in his autobiography that 'audiences would evaporate and head for cellars or Underground stations'.
Due to his acquired upper crust accent, Phillips was selected for officer training at Catterick and duly commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in 1943. He was transferred to the Durham Light Infantry in 1944 but was later declared unfit for service after being diagnosed with a neurological condition that caused partial paralysis. He was initially sent to a psychiatric hospital in error but was then sent to the correct facility for treatment.
Demobbed as a Lieutenant in December 1944, Phillips' acting career initially took in 'the murkiest rat-infested old playhouses and music halls in the North of England'. It was during the 1950s that he became known for playing amusing English stereotypes. His suave, seductive voice is his trademark as well as his catchphrases, "I say, Ding Dong" (originally the catchphrase of Phillips' character Jack Bell in Carry On Nurse), "Hello" and "Lumme!", which were partly, if not wholly, based on those of fellow cad actor Terry-Thomas. He appeared in three of the early Carry On films series (Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher and Carry On Constable) and the 1990s revival Carry On Columbus, as well as several films in the 'Doctor' series. From 1959, Phillips became familiar on radio with a leading role in The Navy Lark.
After his marriage to Angela Scoular in 1982 Phillips decide to move away from the kind of lecherous twits with suave chat-up lines which had characterised much of his previous work. Phillips has remained busy in both stage and television productions, along with character roles in films like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Phillips has also recently provided the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films appearing in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as well as reprising his role for the new attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Islands of Adventure. He has also appeared in British sitcoms, including Honey for Tea with Felicity Kendal. He has appeared in cameo roles in the police series The Bill.
In 2007 he appeared in Hanif Kureshi's film Venus alongside Peter O'Toole and was nominated for a BAFTA for best supporting actor for his role as the veteran actor, Ian.
Phillips' autobiography, Hello was published by Orion in 2006. ISBN 0-7528-8178-7.
Already an OBE, he was appointed a CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Phillips married his first wife actress Penelope Bartley on 30 May 1948. They had four children, Caroline, Claudia, Andrew and Roger, but by 1960 Phillips' work commitments began to take their toll on the marriage. As he put it in his autobiography: "Penny never objected to the money coming in, but she had begun to complain about my absences."
It was his mother who decided that Phillips should be sent to the Italia Conti Academy to receive elocution lessons in order to lose his natural cockney accent. At that time a strong regional accent from any city was a major impediment to an aspiring actor. It proved to be an astute move and by the age of 14 Phillips was the family's main breadwinner, saving his mother from squalor.
Phillips made his first film appearances as a child in the 1930s. He is the only actor still alive who performed at Pinewood Studios during the week it opened in 1936. He also understudied for Binkie Beaumont and H.M Tennent in the West End. In 1938, 14-year-old Leslie Phillips appeared with Graeme Muir in the West End play Dear Octopus where Muir was the juvenile lead. During the Second World War shows were frequently interrupted by air-raid sirens and Phillips recalls in his autobiography that 'audiences would evaporate and head for cellars or Underground stations'.
Due to his acquired upper crust accent, Phillips was selected for officer training at Catterick and duly commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Royal Artillery in 1943. He was transferred to the Durham Light Infantry in 1944 but was later declared unfit for service after being diagnosed with a neurological condition that caused partial paralysis. He was initially sent to a psychiatric hospital in error but was then sent to the correct facility for treatment.
Demobbed as a Lieutenant in December 1944, Phillips' acting career initially took in 'the murkiest rat-infested old playhouses and music halls in the North of England'. It was during the 1950s that he became known for playing amusing English stereotypes. His suave, seductive voice is his trademark as well as his catchphrases, "I say, Ding Dong" (originally the catchphrase of Phillips' character Jack Bell in Carry On Nurse), "Hello" and "Lumme!", which were partly, if not wholly, based on those of fellow cad actor Terry-Thomas. He appeared in three of the early Carry On films series (Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher and Carry On Constable) and the 1990s revival Carry On Columbus, as well as several films in the 'Doctor' series. From 1959, Phillips became familiar on radio with a leading role in The Navy Lark.
After his marriage to Angela Scoular in 1982 Phillips decide to move away from the kind of lecherous twits with suave chat-up lines which had characterised much of his previous work. Phillips has remained busy in both stage and television productions, along with character roles in films like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. Phillips has also recently provided the voice for the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films appearing in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as well as reprising his role for the new attraction, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in Islands of Adventure. He has also appeared in British sitcoms, including Honey for Tea with Felicity Kendal. He has appeared in cameo roles in the police series The Bill.
In 2007 he appeared in Hanif Kureshi's film Venus alongside Peter O'Toole and was nominated for a BAFTA for best supporting actor for his role as the veteran actor, Ian.
Phillips' autobiography, Hello was published by Orion in 2006. ISBN 0-7528-8178-7.
Already an OBE, he was appointed a CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
Phillips married his first wife actress Penelope Bartley on 30 May 1948. They had four children, Caroline, Claudia, Andrew and Roger, but by 1960 Phillips' work commitments began to take their toll on the marriage. As he put it in his autobiography: "Penny never objected to the money coming in, but she had begun to complain about my absences."
0 Comments
Write a comment