| Sid James | |
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| Born | Joel Solomon Cohen 8 May 1913 Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Died | 26 April 1976 (aged 62) Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England |
Sid James (born Joel Solomon Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African actor who made his career in the British film and television industry. Events 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Hillbrow is the inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Sunderland (, or /ˈsʌn(dlən/ is a City in Tyne and Wear, England. 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 589 - Reccared summons the Third Council of Toledo 1450 - Jack Cade's Rebellion: Kentishmen Year 1913 ( MCMXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1467 - The miraculous image in Our Lady of Good Counsel appear in Genazzano, Italy. Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located James, who was often credited as Sidney James, is best remembered for his roles in the Carry On films, Bless This House and Hancock's Half Hour. The Carry On films were a long-running series of low-budget British comedy films directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. Bless This House is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1971 to 1976 Hancock's Half Hour was a ground-breaking and influential BBC Radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock, with Sid James
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Early life
James was born Joel Solomon Cohen, to Jewish parents, later changing his name to Sidney Joel Cohen and then Sid James. [1] His family lived on Hancock Street in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. Hillbrow is the inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa He worked as a diamond cutter, hairdresser, dance tutor and reputedly a part-time boxer in fairgrounds, before becoming a professional actor. Diamond cutting is the art skill and increasingly science of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a Faceted gem
It was at a hairdressing salon in Kroonstad, Orange Free State that he met his future wife. He married Berthe Sadie Delmont, known as Toots, on 12 August 1936 and her father Joseph Delmont, a wealthy Johannesburg businessman, bought a salon for James. Events 1099 - First Crusade: Battle of Ascalon - Crusaders under the command of Godfrey of Bouillon defeat Fatimid Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Within a year, however, James announced that he wanted to become an actor and joined Johannesburg Repertory Players. Through this he got work with the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
He and Delmont divorced in 1940 mainly as a result of James's many relationships with other women; it was a pattern that continued throughout his life. In 1943, he married a dancer, Meg Sergei, née Williams (born 1913). They divorced on 17 August 1952. Events 986 - A Byzantine army was destroyed in the pass of Trajan's Gate by the Bulgarians under the Comitopuli Year 1952 ( MCMLII) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. On 21 August that year he wed Valerie Elizabeth Patsy Assan (born 1928), an actress who used Ashton as her stage name. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan. During their marriage, he had a well publicised affair with his Carry On co-star, Barbara Windsor. Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE (born Barbara Ann Deeks on 6 August 1937) is an English actress.
During the Second World War, he became a lieutenant in the South African Army in an entertainment unit, and subsequently took up acting as a career. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The South African Army is the Army of South Africa, first formed after the Union of South Africa was created in 1910 He came to Britain in 1946 on the back of his service gratuity. Initially he worked in repertory before being spotted by the nascent British post-war film industry. For other meanings of repertory please see Repertory (disambiguation.
Early films
James made his first appearances in Night Beat and Black Memory (1947), both crime dramas. In 1949 he played the alcoholic hero's barman in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Small Back Room. Michael Latham Powell ( 30 September 1905 &ndash 19 February 1990) was a British Film director, renowned for his partnership Emeric Pressburger ( 5 December &ndash 5 February) was an Oscar -winning Hungarian / British screenwriter film director and producer The Small Back Room ( is a film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar
His first major comedy role was in The Lavender Hill Mob (1951): with Alfie Bass he made up the bullion robbery gang headed by Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway. The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 Comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T Alfred Bass (born Abraham Basalinksy; 8 April 1921 &ndash 15 July 1987 was an English Actor. Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE (2 April 1914 &ndash 5 August 2000 was an English Actor. Stanley Augustus Holloway ( October 1, 1890 - January 30, 1982) was an English actor and entertainer famous for his comic and character In the same year he also appeared in Lady Godiva Rides Again and The Galloping Major; in 1956 he had a non-comic supporting role as a journalist in the science-fiction film Quatermass 2. Lady Godiva Rides Again was a 1951 film starring Diana Dors, about a small-town English girl who wins a beauty contest and heads for greater fame Quatermass 2 (also known as Quatermass II) is a 1957 British science-fiction / Horror film based on the BBC Television He also had a supporting part as a TV advertisement producer in Charlie Chaplin's A King in New York (1957). For the 1990 film see King of New York. A King in New York is a 1957 film directed by and starring Charles
Meanwhile, in 1954, he began working with Tony Hancock in BBC radio's Hancock's Half Hour playing a character with his own name (but having the invented middle name Balmoral), who was a petty criminal who would usually manage to con Hancock. Anthony John "Tony" Hancock (born 12 May 1924 &ndash 24 June 1968) was a popular British Actor and Hancock's Half Hour was a ground-breaking and influential BBC Radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock, with Sid James When this was turned into a television series his part was greatly increased to the extent that some viewers considered it to be a double act. Sid James was soon getting as many laughs as his partner. In the final series, the show was renamed simply Hancock and James was not included in the cast. The show was one of the most popular comedy series in Britain on both television and radio.
Carry On
James became a leading member of the Carry On team, originally to replace Ted Ray who had appeared in Carry On Teacher in 1959. The Carry On films were a long-running series of low-budget British comedy films directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. Ted Ray ( November 21, 1905 – November 8, 1977) (real name Charles Olden) was a popular English Comedian Carry On Teacher is the third ''Carry On'' film, released in 1959. It was intended that Ray would become a recurring Carry On star, but he had been dropped after just one film due to a contractual issues (he was contracted to ABC films who had never used him). James ultimately made 19 Carry On films, making him one of the most regular-appearing of the cast.
The characters he portrayed in the films were usually very similar to the wise-cracking, sly, lecherous cockney he was famed for playing on television, and often had the name Sid or Sidney.
Sid and Sidney
Sid James was so identified with the similar characters that he played that they were often also called "Sid" or "Sidney". Apart from Sidney Fiddler, Sid Carter, Sid Plummer, Sidney Bliss, Sidney Boggle and Sir Sidney Ruff-Diamond in the Carry On films, he played Sid Abbot in Bless This House on television and its spin-off film, as well as Sids Jones, Turner, Marks, Stone, and Gibson in addition to four characters called just 'Sid'. A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new Organization or Entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a Television series based on a pre-existing His Sidney Balmoral James from Hancock's Half Hour also appeared in his own Citizen James series. Citizen James was a BBC Sitcom that ran for 3 series between 24th November 1960 and 1962. His trademark "dirty laugh" was employed frequently.
Health
In 1967, James was supposed to play Sergeant Nocker in Carry On Follow That Camel, but suffered a massive heart attack and was replaced by the American comic actor Phil Silvers. Follow That Camel is the fourteenth Carry On film and was released in 1967. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply Phil Silvers ( May 11, 1911 &ndash November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and Comedy actor In the same year in Carry On Doctor James was shown mainly lying in a hospital bed, owing to his real-life health scare. Carry On Doctor ( 1967) is the fifteenth film in the " Carry On " series
He later enjoyed success at the head of casts of TV situation comedies, notably George and the Dragon, Taxi!, Two In Clover, and Bless This House. George and the Dragon, (alternative title Dragon Sword) is a 2004 Sci-Fi Channel Historical fantasy film based in a Medieval Taxi! is a 1932 film starring James Cagney and Loretta Young. Two in Clover was a British sitcom that ran from 1969 to 1970 consisting of thirteen episodes over two series made by Thames Television Bless This House is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1971 to 1976 He suffered a heart attack on 26 April 1976, the opening night of The Mating Season at the Sunderland Empire Theatre and died on stage. Myocardial infarction ( MI or AMI for acute myocardial infarction) also known as a heart attack, occurs when the blood supply The Sunderland Empire Theatre is located in High Street West in Sunderland, North East England. The announcer called for the curtain to close and requested a doctor, whilst the audience (unaware of what was happening) laughed, believing the events to be part of the show. He was 62.
Later it was rumoured that Sid James's ghost haunted the dressing room he occupied on the night of his death. After one experience during a gig there, the comedian Les Dawson refused to play the venue again. Les Dawson (born 2 February 1931 in Collyhurst, Manchester, Lancashire, England died 10 June 1993 was a popular English He never revealed why and would not talk on the subject. [2]
Sid James's fate is touched upon in Bryan Talbot's book Alice in Sunderland (2007). Bryan Talbot (born February 24, 1952, Wigan, Lancashire) is a British Comic book Artist and Writer. Alice in Sunderland An Entertainment is a Graphic novel by comics writer and artist Bryan Talbot.
Biography
In 1995, Virgin Books published Cliff Goodwin's Sid James: A Biography. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 [3]
It goes into detail about James's gambling addiction and the agreement he had with his agent, Michael Sullivan, whereby his wife did not know how much he was being paid, with a portion set aside for gambling. An inveterate gambler, James was also a largely unsuccessful one and lost tens of thousands of pounds over his lifetime.
The biography also tells of James's obsession with Barbara Windsor, and how it led to his returning home one day to find that her husband of the time, Ronnie Knight, had put an axe in his floor. Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE (born Barbara Ann Deeks on 6 August 1937) is an English actress. Ronald J Knight (born 1934 in Hoxton London) is better known as Ronnie Knight, a British Criminal, Conman and
Partial filmography
References
- Sources
- Dictionary of National Biography
- Endnotes
- ^ "The Classic Carry On Film Collection", DeAgostini, 2003. The Small Back Room ( is a film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar Last Holiday is a 1950 British film featuring Alec Guinness in his sixth starring role The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 Comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T The Magic Box is a British film released in 1951. Description The Magic Box was a project of the Festival of Britain Lady Godiva Rides Again was a 1951 film starring Diana Dors, about a small-town English girl who wins a beauty contest and heads for greater fame Emergency Call is a British film released in 1952 by Nettlefold Films. Miss Robin Hood is a 1952 British film directed by John Guillermin. The Titfield Thunderbolt is a 1953 Comedy film about a group of villagers trying to prevent British Railways from closing the fictional Titfield Branch The Weak and the Wicked is a 1953 film directed be J Lee Thompson based on the book by Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and Diana Dors The House Across the Lake is a 1954 British film released in the U Father Brown ( The Detective in the United States) is a 1954 mystery Comedy film. The Belles of St Trinian's is a Comedy Film set in the Fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1954. A Kid For Two Farthings is a 1955 film directed by Carol Reed. The Deep Blue Sea ( 1955) is a film directed by Anatole Litvak, starring Vivien Leigh and Kenneth More, and released by Trapeze is a 1956 circus film directed by Carol Reed and starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis and Gina Lollobrigida, making The Iron Petticoat is a 1956 Cold War Comedy motion picture starring Bob Hope and Katharine Hepburn and directed by The Smallest Show on Earth is a 1957 British Comedy film, directed by Basil Dearden, and starring Bill Travers, Virginia Quatermass 2 (also known as Quatermass II) is a 1957 British science-fiction / Horror film based on the BBC Television Hell Drivers is a 1957 British film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Stanley Baker, Peggy Cummins, Patrick McGoohan The Story of Esther Costello is a 1957 Columbia Pictures Golden Globe nominated Feature film starring Joan Crawford, Rossano For the 1990 film see King of New York. A King in New York is a 1957 film directed by and starring Charles The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is a 1958 western comedy, starring Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield. The Silent Enemy is a 1958 film directed by William Fairchild, starring Laurence Harvey as Lionel "Buster" Crabb. Another Time Another Place is a 1958 film Melodrama starring Lana Turner, Barry Sullivan and Sean Connery. I Was Monty's Double is a 1958 film directed by John Guillermin, from a screenplay adapted by Bryan Forbes. "The Man Inside" is a 1958 UK Crime Adventure Film brought to the screen by Warwick Film Productions. Too Many Crooks is a 1959 Comedy film about a bunch of inept crooks who kidnap the wrong woman The 39 Steps is a 1959 thriller directed by Ralph Thomas, starring Kenneth More and Taina Elg, based on the novel The Carry On Constable is the fourth ''Carry On'' film It was released in 1960. The Pure Hell of St Trinian's was a 1960 British Comedy Film set in the Fictional St Trinian's School. Carry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of ''Carry On'' films to be made Double Bunk is a 1961 British black-and-white Comedy set on a houseboat that stars Ian Carmichael and Sid James. Carry On Cruising is the sixth ''Carry On'' film and was released in 1962. Carry On Cabby is the seventh ''Carry On'' film released in 1963 and the first one written by series mainstay Talbot Rothwell. Carry On Cleo is the tenth film in the ''Carry On'' film series and was released in 1964. Carry On Cowboy is the eleventh in the Carry On series of films Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On film (and one of only two not to have "Carry On" in the original title Carry On Doctor ( 1967) is the fifteenth film in the " Carry On " series Carry On Up the Khyber is the sixteenth Carry On film, released in 1968. Carry On Camping is a 1969 Comedy film and the seventeenth ''Carry On'' film. Carry On Again Doctor is the eighteenth ''Carry On'' film It was released in 1969 and is notable for being Jim Dale 's last appearance in Carry On Up the Jungle, is a 1970 comedy and is the nineteenth " Carry On " film Carry On Loving is the twentieth Carry On film It was released in 1970. Carry On Henry is the 21st of the Carry On series and was released in 1971. Carry On at Your Convenience, released in 1971, is the 22nd film of the Carry On series and was the first box office failure of the series Carry On Matron is the twenty-third Carry On film It was released in 1972. Carry On Abroad is the twenty fourth Carry On film, released in 1972. Bless This House is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1971 to 1976 Carry On Girls is the twenty-fifth Carry On film released in Britain in 1973. Carry On Dick was the 26th Carry On film. It was released in 1974 and marked the end of an era for the series
- ^ Theatre Stage An Old Haunt For Sid? (newspaper). The Shields Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-03-15. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus,
- ^ Amazon.co.uk: Sid James: A Biography
External links
- Sid James at the Internet Movie Database
- Carry On Films at The Whippit Inn
- Carry On Line: Official Website of the Carry On films
- Sid James Fan site
- Sid James at Find A Grave
- Sid James at Aveleyman
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