Charles Hawtrey

Charles Hawtrey (born November 30, 1914 in Hounslow , Middlesex , England , † October 27, 1988 in Deal , Kent , England; actually George Frederick Joffe Hartree ) was a British actor and comedian .

Life

Hawtrey, who came from a family of actors, started acting very early. As a child, he spent three years at the prestigious Italia Conti acting school . After two minor appearances in films in 1922 and 1923, he began his film career in 1932. Since 1925 Hawtrey appeared in variety shows . He made his debut at the age of eleven in the play The Windmill in the theater in Boscombe . He has played in plays since his first appearance in the play "Bluebell in Fairyland" at La Scala, London. As he was repeatedly confused with the celebrated theater actor Charles Hawtrey, Hawtrey, whose real name was George Hartree, adopted his name in 1925 - two years after the death of the real Hawtrey. Since 1929 he also appeared on the radio, which brought him in contact with Will Hay . Here he became known for his role as child detective Norman Bones .

At the side of Will Hay, Hawtrey had his first major successes in four films shot from 1937 to 1942: Good Morning Boys , Where's that Fire , The Ghost of St Michaels and The Goose Steps Out . With the Gremio in The Taming of the Shrew , he celebrated great success in 1939 at the Old Vic in London. As early as 1931 he was hailed by critics for his embodiment of Slightly in Peter Pan .

However, he did not lay the foundations for his great popularity until 1958, when he had been, since the first film in the Carry-on ... series , Cheer up, Chest out! , was there. He should be part of another 22 of the following 29 parts. Hawtrey became one of the most iconic faces in the series and one of the UK's most popular film comedians. Usually he played the simple-minded booby who stood in the way of himself and others, or the aging, naive mother's boy. For a long time it was supposed to be crazy - the ship's cook is seasick, the only carry-on ... film in which he was not involved. Here he was absent because of disputes about the amount of the fee. Hawtrey said that since he's been in the business longer than any other carry-on actor, he should make more money too. Producer Peter Rogers and director Gerald Thomas did not agree. They were even close to a final breakup. This problem occurred again in 1972. However, Hawtrey then withdrew from the film business. However, rumors also say that he had a drinking problem during his last film, A Crazy Vacation . He once said of his carry-on films: “Those films haven't made me rich but they've given me a world wide identity.” (“These films didn't make me rich, but made me famous around the world.”)

The homosexual actor kept his private life out of his public life. However, he was known for his humor - for example, speaking in strange nonsense languages ​​in front of his close friends. One of his few friends was carry-on co-star Joan Sims . Hawtrey was also quite a good pianist, and during his time in the Army during World War II he also performed as a pianist for the troops. In his spare time, Hawtrey, who was unmarried throughout his life, collected antiques.

In 1972 he retired from the film business and only occasionally appeared in cameo roles. He lived in an old smuggler's hut in Kent for the last years of his life . In 1988 he wanted to shoot another film in the series with Joan Sims , Kenneth Williams and a few other carry-ons. However, his illness prevented him from doing so. He was told that if both legs were not amputated , he would die . He rejected this request and passed away three days later. Since Kenneth Williams also died in 1988, the (supposedly) last film in the carry-on ... series was no longer made.

There are some fine examples of its popularity. In the intro to the Beatles song Two of Us , John Lennon begins with the line I dig a Pygmy by Charles Hawtrey and the Deaf Aids . Hawtrey's face also adorns the 2001 album cover "The Very Best of The Smiths ". In the TV movie Kenneth Williams: Fantabulosa! , Kenneth Williams' autobiography, is played by David Charles in the television movie Cor, Blimey! on the relationship between Sidney James and Barbara Windsor by Hugh Walters .

Filmography (selection)

For films from the carry-on… film series, see there.

• 1936: Sabotage (Director: Alfred Hitchcock )
• 1944: A Canterbury Tale
• 1949: Blockade in London ( Passport to Pimlico )
• 1951: The Galloping Major ( The Galloping Major , directed by Henry Cornelius)
• 1952: You're Only Young Twice (Directed by Terry Bishop)
• 1955: Hahn im Korb ( As Long as They're Happy , directed by J. Lee Thompson )
• 1957–1961: The Army Game (TV series)

literature

• Roger Lewis: Charles Hawtrey 1914–1988. The Man Who Was Private Widdle . HarperCollins, New York 1999, ISBN 0-06-440046-8 .

Web links

• Charles Hawtrey in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Charles Hawtrey at Britmovies