| Norman Rossington | |
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 Norman Rossington in 'Sharpe' (1996) |
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| Born | Norman Rossington 24 December 1928 Liverpool, Merseyside, England |
| Died | 21 May 1999 (aged 70) Manchester, Lancashire, England |
Norman Rossington (24 December 1928 – 21 May 1999) was an English actor best remembered for his roles in The Army Game, the Carry On films and the Beatles film A Hard Day's Night. Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary Merseyside is a Metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1365900 England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England, bounded to the west by the Irish Sea England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 563 - The Byzantine church Hagia Sophia in Constantinople is dedicated for the second time after being destroyed by Earthquakes Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 878 - Syracuse Italy is captured by the Muslim sultan of Sicily. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works The Army Game is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1957 to 1961 The Carry On films were a long-running series of low-budget British comedy films directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British Comedy film written by Alun Owen starring The Beatles — John Lennon, Paul McCartney
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Early life
Rossington was born in Liverpool, the son of a publican, and left school at the age of 14. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary After that he lived a rather aimless adolescent life as messenger, office boy, carpentry apprentice, etc. Later, he went to night school and studied industrial design at technical college in order to become a draughtsman. His interest in acting led him to a local theatre group, and Rossington trained at the Bristol Old Vic and began his acting career at the city's Theatre Royal, by the mid 1950s appearing on the stage in plays such as A Midsummer Night's Dream and Salad Days. The Bristol Old Vic is a Theatre complex and theatrical company in the centre of Bristol, England. The 1950s Decade refers to the years of 1950 to 1959 inclusive A Midsummer Night's Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, suggested by " The Knight's Tale " from "Salad days" is an Idiomatic expression referring to a youthful time accompanied by the inexperience enthusiasm idealism innocence or indiscretion that one However, his big break through came in 1957, when he starred as Private 'Cupcake' Cook in the popular sitcom The Army Game. The Army Game is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1957 to 1961 He left after three series in 1959, and in the meantime had appeared in I Only Arsked!, again as 'Cupcake'.
Film roles
His first film role was in the 1956 film Three Men in a Boat. Rossington went on to appear in Carry On Sergeant, the first Carry On film, as well as Carry On Nurse (1959) and Carry On Regardless in 1961. Carry On Sergeant is the first ''Carry On'' film. Its first public screening was on 1 August 1958 at Screen One London. The Carry On films were a long-running series of low-budget British comedy films directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. Carry On Nurse is the second ''Carry On'' film, released in 1959. Carry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of ''Carry On'' films to be made Rossington also played notable serious roles in Saint Joan (1957), and the classic 1960 British "New Wave" film Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, playing alongside Albert Finney in the latter's first starring role. Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a 1960 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe. Albert Finney Jr (born 9 May 1936 is a five-time Academy Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning English Actor.
In 1962 Rossington played the uncredited role of Corporal Jenkins in Lawrence of Arabia, and later appeared in the The Longest Day, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), and The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968). Lawrence of Arabia is a 1962 Epic film based on the life of T The Longest Day is a 3-hour-long War film with a very large cast based on the 1959 history The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin The Charge of the Light Brigade is a British War film made in 1968 by Woodfall Film Productions and distributed by United Artists In 1972, he appeared in Young Winston. Young Winston is a 1972 British film based on the early years of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Rossington is the only performer to work in both a Beatles film, in A Hard Day's Night, and an Elvis Presley film, Double Trouble. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 A Hard Day's Night is a 1964 British Comedy film written by Alun Owen starring The Beatles — John Lennon, Paul McCartney He remembered Presley during filming as a 'quiet man who sat by himself in a corner and who would often borrow my newspaper. '
Television career
From the 1970s onwards, Rossington mainly appeared on television, including roles in His and Hers, The Wednesday Play, Casanova, Carry On Christmas, Crown Court, I, Claudius (1976), Z-Cars, Big Jim and the Figaro Club (1981, in the title role of "Big Jim"), Masada (1981), The Bill and Last of the Summer Wine. This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Wednesday Play was a British Television play which ran on BBC1 from 1964 Casanova is a British television drama serial written by the acclaimed television playwright Dennis Potter. The Carry On Christmas Specials were four one-off Sitcoms produced for Thames Television made between 1969-1970 and 1972-1973 and were an attempt to bring Crown Court was an ITV afternoon television courtroom drama that started in 1972 which was the same year the Crown Court system replaced Assize I Claudius is a 1976 BBC Television adaptation of Robert Graves 's ''I Claudius'' and ''Claudius the God''. Z-Cars (sometimes written as Z Cars) was a British Television drama series centred on the work of beat police in the fictional Masada was an American television Miniseries that aired on ABC in April 1981. The Bill is a long-running British Television Police procedural, named after a slang term for the police. Last of the Summer Wine is a British sitcom written by Roy Clarke that is broadcast on BBC One. His final appearances before his death were Heartbeat in 1996, Sharpe's Regiment as Sergeant Horatio Havercamp, also in 1996, and What's a Carry On? in 1998. Heartbeat is a long-running British TV police drama series set in 1960s Yorkshire. Sharpe's Regiment is a British Television drama, part of a series that follows the career of Richard Sharpe, a British soldier
Theatre
His stage career included time spent with the Royal Shakespeare Company and at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC is a British Theatre company The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Rossington also made many appearances in the West End, with roles in Peter Pan, My Fair Lady (as Alfred Doolittle), Annie Get Your Gun (as Charlie Davenport), Pickwick: The Musical, Guys and Dolls (as Nathan Detroit), and in Beauty and the Beast. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Pickwick was a musical, based on Charles Dickens 's The Pickwick Papers, which opened on July 4, 1963. Guys and Dolls is a musical, with the music and lyrics written by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows, based on Beauty and the Beast ( French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional Fairy tale (type 425C -- search for a lost husband -- in the Aarne-Thompson He also told the stories fromThe Adventures of Portland Bill
Radio
Norman also did some radio, returning to the part of Big Jim in the BBC Radio 4 version of Big Jim and the Figaro Club. The Adventures of Portland Bill is a British Stop motion animated Children's television series made in 1983. He did six half-hour episodes in 1987.
Personal life
Norman Rossington married twice. His second marriage, on 19 January 1999 to Cindy Barnes, lasted until his death aged 70 a few months later. Events 1419 - Hundred Years' War: Rouen surrenders to Henry V of England completing his reconquest of Normandy. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) He died in Manchester after a six month battle with cancer.
Selected Television Roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1957 to 1959 | The Army Game | Private Cupcake Cook |
| 1967 | Hicks and Stokes | Billy Hicks |
| 1969 | Curry and Chips | Norman |
External links
- Norman Rossington at the Internet Movie Database
- BBC News - Actor Norman Rossington dies
- Norman Rossington at Find A Grave
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