Edward Chapman

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Edward Chapman 13 October 1901 9 August 1977 was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes but is chiefly remembered as Mr Wilfred Grimsdale the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdoms character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s Chapman was born in Harrogate Yorkshire England On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greets Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre Nottingham playing Gecko in George du Mauriers Trilby He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmers Wife Among dozens of stage roles that followed he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlingss Josephine in Napoleon at the Embassy Theatre in September 1934 In 1928 he attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock who gave him the role of The Paycock in the 1930 film Juno and the Paycock In the same year he also made an appearance in Caste of which no prints are known to exist He had a role in The Citadel in 1938 and appeared alongside George Formby in the Ealing Studios comedy Turned Out Nice Again in 1941 During the Second World War he took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force After training he was posted to 129 Mysore Squadron as an intelligence officer This Spitfire squadron was based at Westhampnett and Debden The squadron was heavily engaged in combat during this period and many of Chapmans fellow squadron mates were killed in action Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957s Just My Luck in the role of Mr Stoneway but the next year in The Square Peg he appeared as Mr Grimsdale for the first time opposite Wisdoms character of Norman Pitkin In 1960 he and Wisdom acted together again in The Bulldog Breed playing the roles of Mr Philpots and Norman Puckle Mr Grimsdale and Pitkin in all but name Wisdom appeared alone as Norman Pitkin in On the Beat in 1962 while Chapman branched out starring in the Danish folktale Venus fra Vestø but Grimsdale and Pitkin were reunited for 1963s A Stitch in Time Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965 Wisdoms first film in colour In all he appeared alongside Norman Wisdom in five films After Sir John Gielgud was arrested for persistently importuning male persons for immoral purposes Chapman started a petition to force him to resign from Equity Sir Laurence Olivier reportedly threw Chapman out of his dressing room when he solicited his signature for the petition From 1965 Chapman played mostly characters roles on television His final role was as Mr Callon for nine episodes of the BBCs seafaring melodrama The Onedin Line between 1971 and 1972 Chapman died of a heart attack in Brighton East Sussex England at the age of 75 Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward Chapman licensed under CCBYSA full list of contributors on Wikipedia