Stephen Lewis (actor)

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Stephen Lewis (born December 17, 1926 in Poplar , London , England , † August 12, 2015 in London) was a British actor, comedian, director and screenwriter. In the English-speaking world, he was most prominent in the roles of Inspector Cyril "Blakey" Blake in the sitcom Nothing but Trouble in the Depot ( On the buses ), Clem Hemingway in Last of the Summer Wine and Harry Lambert in Oh, Doctor Beeching! known. He has also appeared in stage plays and as a supporting actor in a variety of cinema and television films .

Life

Initially, Lewis worked as a bricklayer, electrician and carpenter. After his time in the Navy, he turned to acting. He was persuaded to see a performance by the Theater Workshop , a hip theater company directed by Joan Littlewood . Back then it was common for the audience to meet the actors afterwards. He was invited to an audition, got a role, and left the Navy to join the ensemble.

Stage and film

Lewis first appeared at the West End Theater in 1958 in The Hostage . In 1960 he and his theater group wrote the play Sparrers Can't Sing , which was filmed in 1963 under the title Sparrows Can't Sing and was a success. At that time he still used the stage name Stephen Cato , which he dropped after this success on the advice of his agent. From 1969, Lewis became famous for his role of gruff Inspector Blakey in the TV - sitcom On the Buses . This 74-part series, of which Lewis co-wrote a total of 12 episodes, also resulted in three feature films. Lewis, who was only 42 years old when filming began, was made older for the role.

In the 1990s he had regular cameo appearances as Blakey in the BBC game show The Generation Game , the English counterpart to the German show Amlauf Band . In addition, he took on a variety of supporting roles and thus also played with stars such as Richard Burton , Rex Harrison ( Staircase , German " Under the stairs ") or Marty Feldman ( The Last Remake of Beau Geste , German Three Foreign Legionnaires ). From 1988 he took on the role of the ironically "Smiler" named and eternally bad-tempered Clem Hemingway in the BBC sitcom Last of the Summer Wine for the next 17 years , before he was forced to leave the production in 2007 due to declining health. Nevertheless, he continued to be remembered by further guest appearances in various English-language series such as One Foot in the Grave .

death

Lewis died at the age of 88 in a retirement home in Wanstead , London , where his sister Connie also lived. According to the management of the retirement home, he had often entertained the residents with popular sayings from his films. Anna Karen, the last survivor of the film crew of the series On the Buses, was also present at his funeral . In her eulogy, she described him as "a very talented and very funny colleague with whom one could work wonderfully" ( "extremely talented and very funny man and wonderful to work with" ).

Trivia

On 22 October 2004, 30 years after shooting began, Lewis was invited in Prestatyn Sands, the location of An incredible trip in Wahnsinnsbus inaugurate ( "Holiday on the buses"), a commemorative plaque.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Daily Mail August 25, 2015 [1]
  2. ↑ a b Telegraph, August 13, 2015 [2]
  3. ↑ [3] | Peter Rankin Joan Littlewood - Dreams and Realities: The Official Biography - Oberon Books, 2014
  4. ↑ Independent August 13, 2015 On The Buses actor Stephen Lewis dies aged 88 . Independent. August 13, 2015.
  5. ↑ Stephen Lewis, On the Buses' 'Blakey', dies aged 88 . In: BBC News . August 13, 2015.
  6. ^ The Guardian, August 14, 2015, accessed November 10, 2017 .
  7. ↑ Daily Mirror, August 13, 2015 .
  8. ↑ Fan club event .
personal data
SURNAME Lewis, Stephen
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British actor, comedian, director and screenwriter
DATE OF BIRTH December 17, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Poplar , London , England
DATE OF DEATH August 12, 2015
Place of death London