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 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.
Known For
Credits
- 1971 · The Onedin Line as Mr. Callon
- 1970 · The Man Who Haunted Himself as Barton
- 1967 · Champion House as
- 1965 · The Early Bird as Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
- 1965 · The Man In Room 17 as Oliver Crawford
- 1965 · Joey Boy as Tom Hobson
- 1964 · Hide and Seek as McPherson
- 1963 · A Stitch in Time as Mr Grimsdale
- 1962 · Venus fra Vestø as
- 1961 · The Big Deal as Sir Pierson Cale
- 1960 · The Bulldog Breed as Mr. Philpots
- 1960 · Maigret as
- 1960 · Oscar Wilde as Marquis of Queensberry
- 1960 · School for Scoundrels as Gloatbridge
- 1959 · No Hiding Place as
- 1958 · The Square Peg as Mr Grimsdale
- 1958 · Innocent Sinners as Manley
- 1958 · The Young and the Guilty as George Connor
- 1957 · Just My Luck as Mr. Stoneway
- 1957 · Doctor at Large as Wilkins
- 1956 · X the Unknown as John Elliott
- 1956 · Lisbon as Edgar Selwyn
- 1956 · Bhowani Junction as Thomas Jones
- 1955 · The Love Match as Mr Longworth
- 1955 · A Yank in Ermine as Duke of Fontenham
- 1954 · The Crowded Day as Mr. Bunting
- 1954 · The End of the Road as Works Manager
- 1953 · A Day to Remember as Mr. Robinson
- 1953 · The Intruder as Lowden
- 1952 · Folly to Be Wise as Joseph Byres M.P.
- 1952 · The Ringer as Stranger
- 1952 · Mandy as Ackland
- 1952 · The Card as Mr. Duncalf
- 1952 · His Excellency as The Admiral
- 1952 · The Magic Box as Father in Family Group
- 1952 · The Cocktail Party as
- 1950 · Gone to Earth as Mr. James
- 1950 · Night and the City as Hoskins (uncredited)
- 1949 · The Spider and the Fly as Minister for War
- 1949 · Man on the Run as Chief Inspector Mitchell
- 1949 · The History of Mr. Polly as Mr. Johnson
- 1948 · Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill as Birkland
- 1947 · It Always Rains on Sunday as George Sandigate
- 1947 · The October Man as Mr. Peachy
- 1942 · They Flew Alone as Mr. Johnson
- 1941 · Ships with Wings as Papadopoulos
- 1941 · Jeannie as Mr. Jansen
- 1941 · Turned Out Nice Again as Uncle Arnold
- 1941 · Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It as Mr. Blenkinsop
- 1941 · Eating Out with Tommy Trinder as Mr. Jones
- 1940 · Convoy as Captain Eckersley
- 1940 · The Briggs Family as Charley Briggs
- 1940 · Law and Disorder as Detective Inspector Bray
- 1940 · The Proud Valley as Dick Parry
- 1940 · Now You're Talking as Alf Small
- 1939 · Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday as Captain Edwin Fraser
- 1939 · Poison Pen as Len Griffin
- 1939 · There Ain't No Justice as Sammy Sanders
- 1939 · The Four Just Men as B.J. Burrell
- 1939 · The Nursemaid Who Disappeared as
- 1938 · Marigold as Mordan
- 1938 · The Citadel as Joe Morgan
- 1938 · Who Killed John Savage? as Inspector Chortley
- 1938 · Premiere as Lohrmann
- 1936 · Rembrandt as Fabrizius
- 1936 · Someone at the Door as Price
- 1936 · The Man Who Could Work Miracles as Major Grigsby
- 1936 · Things to Come as Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
- 1935 · The Divine Spark as Saverio Mercadante
- 1934 · The Church Mouse as Mr. 'Pinky' Wormwood
- 1934 · Girls Will Be Boys as Grey
- 1934 · The Queen's Affair as Guard
- 1934 · Mister Cinders as Mr. Gaunt
- 1934 · Blossom Time as Meyerhoffer
- 1932 · Happy Ever After as Colonel
- 1932 · The Flying Squad as Sedeman
- 1931 · Tilly of Bloomsbury as Percy Welwyn
- 1931 · The Skin Game as Dawker
- 1930 · Caste as Sam Gerridge
- 1930 · Murder! as Ted Markham
- 1930 · Juno and the Paycock as Captain Boyle