Harry Secombe

Acting

Harry Secombe

Born
Died
(aged 79)
Birthplace
Swansea, Wales, UK
Credits
35 titles

Biography

From Wikipedia

Sir Harry Donald Secombe, CBE (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian and singer. He played Neddie Seagoon, a central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show (1951–60). He also appeared in musicals and films and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows incorporating hymns and other devotional songs.

With the success of The Goon Show, Secombe developed a dual career as both a comedy actor and a singer. At the beginning of his career as an entertainer, his act would end with a joke version of the duet Sweethearts, in which he sang both the baritone and falsetto parts. Trained under Italian maestro Manlio di Veroli, he emerged as a bel canto tenor (characteristically, he insisted that in his case this meant "can belto") and had a long list of best-selling record albums to his credit.

In 1958 he appeared in the film Jet Storm, which starred Dame Sybil Thorndike and Richard Attenborough and in the same year Secombe starred in the title role in Davy, one of Ealing Studios' last films.

In 1963 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

He was knighted in 1981, and jokingly referred to himself as Sir Cumference (in recognition of his rotund figure). The motto he chose for his coat of arms was "GO ON", a reference to goon.

Signature work

Known For

Acting credits 35

YearTitleRole
2014 Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace Film Self (archive footage)
2010 The Unforgettable Harry Secombe Film Self (archive footage)
2001 The Paranormal Peter Sellers Film Self (Archive footage)
2000 The Unknown Peter Sellers Film Self
1996 Spike Film Self
1996 An Evening with Spike Milligan Film Himself
1994 An Audience with Jimmy Tarbuck Film Self - Audience Member
1989 Just Like That! Film Self
1986 Chasing Rainbows - A Nation and Its Music TV (1 ep)
1983 Highway TV (301 ep)
1982 Wogan TV Self (2 ep)
1979 Friday Night, Saturday Morning TV (1 ep)
1972 Sunstruck Film
1972 The Last Goon Show of All Film Self
1971 The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins Film Stanley (segment "Envy")
1970 Song of Norway Film Bioernstjerne Bjoernson
1970 Doctor in Trouble Film Llewellyn Wendover
1970 Rhubarb Film Rev. Rhubarb
1969 Pickwick Film Mr Pickwick
1969 The Bed Sitting Room Film Shelter Man
1969 The Harry Secombe Show TV (29 ep)
1968 Oliver! Film Mr. Bumble
1963 The Telegoons TV (26 ep)
1960 Alice Through the Looking Box Film Humpty Dumpty
1959 Jet Storm Film Binky Meadows
1959 The Bruce Forsyth Show TV (1 ep)
1959 Whicker's World TV (1 ep)
1958 Davy Film Davy Morgan
1955 The Harry Secombe Show TV (6 ep)
1954 Svengali Film Barizel
1953 Forces' Sweetheart Film Harry Llewelyn
1952 Down Among the Z Men Film Harry Jones
1951 Penny Points to Paradise Film Harry Flakers
1949 Helter Skelter Film Alf (uncredited)
1948 The Ed Sullivan Show TV Self (1 ep)
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