Willie Rushton
William George "Willie" Rushton (born August 18, 1937 in Chelsea , † December 11, 1996 in Kensington ) was a British cartoonist , satirist , comedian and actor .
Live and act
Rushton was one of the founders of Private Eye with his Shrewsbury School friends Christopher Booker , Paul Foot and Richard Ingrams and initially had the task of designing the layout. He was one of the cartoonists until his death. He became famous for appearing on That Was The Week That Was and other television shows with David Frost. He later appeared on television as Plautus in Up Pompeii! and read stories for Jackanory - his handling of Winnie the Pooh is particularly noteworthy .
Towards the end of his life he often appeared as a guest on countless television shows of varying quality such as Through the Keyhole . He voiced the cartoon series The Trap Door , as well as several television commercials.
For 22 years he was a player on the long-running BBC Radio 4 radio show I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue . He had been a regular member of the group since the third season and remained so until his sudden death in 1996. Since then, no permanent replacement has been found for him, but constantly changing guests have taken his seat.
Rushton also illustrated Auberon Waugh's " Way Of The World " column in The Daily Telegraph from 1990 until his death.
While working at Private Eye , he ran (under the slogan "Death to the Tories") in the 1963 Kinross and West Perthshire elections against Alec Douglas-Home (known in Eye as Baillie Vass ), who stood for election, to become prime minister . The evening before the election, he withdrew his candidacy in support of the Liberal Party candidate who appeared to be the most credible challenger; that was too late to take his name off the ballot and so Rushton got 45 votes.
He was a popular choice as a speaker for audiobooks , especially those for children. He picked up 18 of Wilbert Awdry's books in the Railway Stories series; also recorded adaptations of the Asterix books and Alice in Wonderland .
Rushton died on September 11, 1996 due to complications after heart surgery.
Commemoration
- Rushton will be honored with a blue plaque at Mornington Crescent Tube Station , a reference to the Mornington Crescent game in I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue .
- In the week of the 11th anniversary of his death, BBC Radio 7 broadcast five episodes of the program, one each day of the week (December 11-15, 2006). The broadcasts were the last ones recorded with him.
Fonts (selection)
- Spy Thatcher: An Insult to British Intelligence .
- WG Grace's Last Case .
- Super Pig .
- Pigsticking. A joy for life .
- Humphrey - The Nine Lives of the Number Ten Cat . Pavilion Books, London 1995.
Web links
- Willie Rushton in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- BBC biography
- Memory page
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Rushton, Willie |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Rushton, William George |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British cartoonist, satirist, comedian and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 18, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chelsea (London) |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 11, 1996 |
| Place of death | Kensington (London) |