Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Wisdom OBE (born February 4, 1915 in London , † October 4, 2010 on the Isle of Man ) was a British actor who achieved great popularity primarily in the second half of the 20th century due to his slapstick-like appearance.
Career
Wisdom was born in the British capital, the second son of Frederick, a chauffeur , and the tailor Maude Wisdom. Maude left the family when Norman was 9 years old. He was then sent to an orphanage after his father cast him out. In order to make a living, he left school in 1928 at the age of 13 to work in countless odd jobs. a. as a buddy in coal mining , waiter, page and lift boy. He then joined the army . Here he discovered his comedic skills, which were characterized by facial expressions and gestures, which reminded of Charlie Chaplin in terms of body language and control .
After further temporary work and surviving World War II , Wisdom then tried his hand at acting. Initially on the theater stage, he came to film in 1948, to which he was to remain true for a long time. Wisdom experienced his heyday in the 1950s and 1960s in British comedies with him in the lead role. For these films he created the fictional character "Norman" - usually also called "Norman Pitkean" - which became his most famous part and also his trademark over the years to come.
“Norman” is a simple worker and member of the middle class, mostly childishly naive and clumsy, relatively small, but with a great need for recognition. "Norman" always wore an ill-fitting suit with high-water pants , a crumpled collar, a crooked tie and a gray tweed peaked cap. As "Norman" Wisdom was able to play his slapstick skills to the full by tripping, falling or bumping into doors and walls almost all the time in the films. "Norman" always grinned strangely one-sided in his films and had the peculiarity of breaking out into constant laughter before he could finish a joke. In addition, he exclaimed "Mister Grimsdale!" In dangerous situations , with which he called for his boss (mostly played by the actor Edward Chapman). The first Norman film was "Hustle and bustle in the department store" from 1953, the most successful "The Big Bottle" (1965) and "A blind chicken" (1966).
After the end of the series it became quiet about Wisdom, he only appeared sporadically in British television productions in the coming decades and instead devoted himself to the theater. He retained his acrobatic skills well into old age and performed a one-man show from 1996, long after his 80th birthday, in which he presented shows and skits, framed by his famous stumbling blocks and traps. He always closed the program with the song "Don't laugh at me (cause I'm a fool)" . Wisdom wrote this piece himself in 1953 for "Trubel im Warenhaus" and over time it became his signature tune.
His last television appearance was in the end of 2004 in the Christmas special of the series " Last of the Summer Wine " . On the occasion of his 90th birthday (on February 4, 2005) Wisdom announced that he would withdraw completely from show business, which he has kept apart from two small guest roles in productions. He last lived in seclusion on the Isle of Man , where he died in early October 2010 at the age of 95.
Wisdom was married from October 1947 until their divorce in 1969. The relationship resulted in a son (* 1953) and a daughter (* 1954).
Awards
- 1967 nomination for the Tony Award for best actor in the Broadway show "Walking Happy" .
- 1992 “Lifetime Achievement Award” for his life's work at the “British Comedy Awards” .
- In 1995 he was named Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) on the Birthdays Honors List .
- On 6 June 2000 Wisdom received his biggest honor: he was of Queen Elizabeth II. The Knights defeated and could henceforth "Sir" call. As he left the ceremony, he deliberately stumbled in his inimitable manner, which caused some laughs. Wisdom's comment on his contribution: “I couldn't help it, I did a little trip.” (“I just had to stumble a little.”)
- In 2001 the asteroid (17826) Normanwisdom was named after him.
Trivia
- His motto in life: "I can never tell a joke, I've always found it easier to just fall over." ("I can't tell jokes , I always found it easier to fall over .")
- Norman Wisdom is the most popular and famous comedian in Albania to this day. This is due to the fact that until the fall of communism, the "Norman" films were the only western films that were allowed to be shown. The Albanian dictator at the time, Enver Hoxha , saw the portrayal of the “Norman” as a clumsy little proletarian at odds with his opponents as a parable of the struggle of the working class against capitalism. By the time the Iron Curtain finally fell, Wisdom's physical comedy had already become a crowd favorite. He himself toured the country shortly afterwards and has been involved in support and charity projects for Albanian children ever since.
- Although Wisdom lived on the Isle of Man to the end, he had made up his mind to continue to pay his taxes according to the UK tax rates instead of the Isle of Man tariffs.
- The British ex- Prime Minister John Major was once referred to as the "Norman Wisdom of Western Democracy".
- The Grenada Post Office issued a set of six stamps dedicated to Norman Wisdom in November 2002. They depict the comedian in his prime role as "Norman Pitkean".
Filmography
- 1948: A date with a dream
- 1953: Hustle and bustle in the department store / Me and the director / How won ...
- 1955: Rooster in the basket
- 1955: In love, crazy and not married / What you do for love
- 1956: Up in the world
- 1957: Just my luck
- 1959: The Square Peg
- 1960: The rocket to the brisk doll
- 1962: On the Beat
- 1963: bed laughter / where there is a will ...
- 1965: the big bottle / first come ...
- 1966: a blind hen
- 1968: The night when Minsky was discovered
- 1969: Sometimes something young - the wimp
- 1970: Norman
- 1983: Bergerac
- 1992: Double X
- 2002: Dalziel and Pascoe
- 2004: Five Children and it
Web links
- Norman Wisdom in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Wisdom, Norman |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1915 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London , UK |
| DATE OF DEATH | 4th October 2010 |
| Place of death | Isle of Man |