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Brian Todd (15 December 1921 – 21 October 1992), known professionally as Bob Todd, was an English comedy actor, mostly known for appearing as a straight man in the sketch shows of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. For many years, he lived in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.
Bob Todd | |
|---|---|
 Todd on The Benny Hill Show (1971) | |
| Born | Brian Todd 15 December 1921 Faversham, Kent, England |
| Died | 21 October 1992 (aged 70) Sussex, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse | Monica Todd |
Life and career
editTodd was born in Faversham, Kent. One of the great stooges of television comedy, Todd was best known for his lugubrious expression and talent for slapstick, and was known to fellow comedians by the nickname 'Silly Todd'.
Before working in television, Todd trained to be a dentist. The outbreak of the Second World War saw him enlist in the Royal Air Force, where he became a navigator stationed at RAF North Killingholme, Lincolnshire. He had ambitions of becoming a farmer—making money from cattle breeding, whilst working as a manager at London Airport. The farming business, once begun, failed and almost made him bankrupt. Meeting scriptwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson in a pub, he bluffed them into believing that he was in fact an actor and ended up with the part of a policeman in the Sid James comedy series Citizen James. He appeared as several characters in Milligan and John Antrobus' stage play The Bed-Sitting Room, which opened at the Mermaid Theatre on 31 January 1963.[1][2][3]
He consequently stooged in The Dick Emery Show and The Mike and Bernie Winters Show amongst others, before joining The Benny Hill Show in 1968. He stayed with the programme, on and off, until Thames Television ended the show twenty-one years later. Todd was a regular on the 1971 The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine, appearing in 13 of the 14 episodes. In 1973, he appeared as Bill Thompson, the referee at a regimental boxing tournament in Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall.
Todd gained a reputation for drunkenness while working on The Benny Hill Show. He once failed to turn up for a London Palladium show after a drinking episode, and found himself in a Dublin hospital five days later. After this was reported in the media, Hill had Todd dropped from the show. Producer Dennis Kirkland persuaded Hill to rescind the decision, saying Todd brought much to the show and his drinking rarely affected his work.
Todd's only starring role was as Dan the lavatory attendant in his own 1972 series In for a Penny, although he did appear in the Jimmy Jewel series Funny Man. He appeared in Eric Sykes's television series, in the episode "Sykes and A Bath", broadcast on 25 January 1961, in series three of Sykes and A..., in which he played a sad-faced man with one hand stuck inside a vase.[3] He appeared in Sykes' film Rhubarb Rhubarb in 1980, as well as making guest appearances on shows by Jim Davidson and Allan Stewart and Spike Milligan's Q9. He was seen in cinema films, including Carry On Again Doctor, The Return of the Musketeers, and Mutiny on the Buses. He appeared in the 1980s series of The Sooty Show playing the part of The Black Hand, in the adventure film The Case of the Black Hand. He appeared in Gabrielle and the Doodleman as Merlin as well as an Ugly Sister with Windsor Davies in 1984.[4]
Personal life
editTodd and his wife, Monica, had one daughter and two sons. He died (six months after Benny Hill did) at the age of 70 in Sussex.
Selected filmography
edit- Raising the Wind (1961) – Street Musician – Accordionist (uncredited)
- Postman's Knock (1962) – District Superintendent
- The Intelligence Men (1965) – Policeman (uncredited)
- Hot Millions (1968) – British Commissionaire (uncredited)
- Carry On Again Doctor (1969) – Patient on Breathing Apparatus (uncredited)
- Scars of Dracula (1970) – Burgomaster
- She'll Follow You Anywhere (1971) – Car salesman
- Burke & Hare (1972) – Guard Campbell
- Mutiny on the Buses (1972) – New Inspector
- That's Your Funeral (1972) – Arthur (Funeral Director)
- Go for a Take (1972) – Security Man
- Adolf Hitler – My Part in His Downfall (1973) – Bill Thompson, Referee
- Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World (1973) – The Great Manzini
- The Flying Sorcerer (1973) – Crabtree
- The Over-Amorous Artist (1974) – Postman
- The Best of Benny Hill (1974) - Various roles
- The Four Musketeers (1974) – Firing Squad Officer
- Confessions of a Pop Performer (1975) – Mr. Barnwell
- The Ups and Downs of a Handyman (1976) – Squire Bullsworthy
- Come Play with Me (1977) – Vicar
- Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse (1978) – Mr. Buchanan
- Le Pétomane (1979, Short) – Joseph's Father
- The Sooty Show (1980, 8 Episodes: "The Case of The Black Hand") – The Black Hand
- Funny Man (1981, TV series) – Billy Strothers
- Superman III (1983) – Dignified Gent
- The Steam Video Company (1984, TV Series) – Calliban Spong / Loretta Del Rio
- Gabrielle and the Doodleman (1984) – Merlin / Ugly Sister
- The Return of the Musketeers (1989) – High Bailiff (final film role)
References
edit- ^ Milligan, Spike, & Antrobus, John (1973) The Bedsitting Room. Tandem: London. First published in Great Britain by Margaret & Jack Hobbs, 1970. Published by Universal-Tandem, 1972.
- ^ Scudamore, Pauline (1985). Spike Milligan: A Biography. London: Granada. ISBN 0-246-12275-7. pp.203-204
- ^ a b McCann, Graham (2006). Spike & Co. London: Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 0-340-89809-7. (a)p.158, (b)pp.215-216
- ^ "Gabrielle and the Doodleman (1984)". IMDb. Retrieved 16 September 2017.