Edward Chapman

Also Known As: Эдуард Чепмен, Эдвард Чепмен

Biography: 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 Wisdom's 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 Greet's Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre, Nottingham, playing Gecko in George du Maurier's Trilby. He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmer's Wife. Among dozens of stage roles that followed, he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlings's 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 Chapman's fellow squadron mates were killed in action. Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957's 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 Wisdom's 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 1963's A Stitch in Time. Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965, Wisdom's 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 BBC's 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 CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Department: Acting

Place of Birth: Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK

Adult: No

Birthday: October 13, 1901

Age: 123 years old

Gender: Male

Deathday: August 09, 1977

Popularity:

2.02%

Known For:

Things to Come
The Queen's Affair
Murder!
X the Unknown
It Always Rains on Sunday
School for Scoundrels
The Card
The Bulldog Breed
The Square Peg
A Stitch in Time
Just My Luck
Juno and the Paycock
Hide and Seek
The October Man
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Rembrandt
The Magic Box
The Skin Game
The History of Mr. Polly
The Citadel
There Ain't No Justice
The Proud Valley
Gone to Earth
They Flew Alone
Bhowani Junction
Turned Out Nice Again
The Spider and the Fly
The Church Mouse
The Cocktail Party
A Day to Remember
His Excellency
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
Marigold
The Ringer
The Early Bird
Blossom Time
Mister Cinders
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
Man on the Run
Jeannie
Girls Will Be Boys
The Young and the Guilty
Venus fra Vestø
The Four Just Men
Poison Pen
Innocent Sinners
The Big Deal
Convoy
Someone at the Door
Ships with Wings
The Divine Spark
Oscar Wilde
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
The Briggs Family
Caste
Tilly of Bloomsbury
The Flying Squad
The Love Match
Mandy
The Intruder
Who Killed John Savage?
Night and the City
Folly to Be Wise
Joey Boy
A Yank in Ermine
Doctor at Large
Lisbon
The Man Who Haunted Himself
Now You're Talking
The Crowded Day
The End of the Road
Law and Disorder
Happy Ever After
Premiere