Bernard Bresslaw


Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the Carry On film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, performed recordings and wrote a series of poetry.

Early life

Bernard Bresslaw was born the youngest of three boys into a Jewish family in Stepney, London, on 25 February 1934. His father was a tailor's cutter. He attended the Coopers' Company's School in Tredegar Square, Bow, London, and became interested in acting after visits to the Hackney Empire.
London County Council awarded him a scholarship to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he won the Emile Littler Award as the most promising actor.

Career

After Educating Archie on radio and The Army Game on television, more television, film and Shakespearean theatre roles followed. His first Carry On film was Carry On Cowboy in 1965.
Bresslaw's catchphrase, in his strong Cockney accent, was "I only arsked", first used in The Army Game, and later revived in Carry On Camping.
At 6 ft 7 in, he was the tallest of the Carry On cast, head and shoulders over fellow Carry On regular Barbara Windsor, who was. Because of his height, he was briefly considered for the part of the Creature in Hammer's Curse of Frankenstein, which ultimately went instead to Christopher Lee. Bresslaw later made a comedy version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for Hammer titled The Ugly Duckling. He made great efforts to prepare for roles, for example learning Fanagalo phrases for Carry On Up the Jungle.
Bresslaw played Varga, the lead villain in the 1967 Doctor Who story The Ice Warriors. He also played the genie on the Sooty Show and voiced Gorilla on The Giddy Game Show.
Between 1985 and 1987, Bresslaw provided the voice of Gorilla in Yorkshire TV's animated series The Giddy Game Show.

Filmography

Films

The Men of Sherwood Forest as Garth The Glass Cage as Ivan the Terrible, Cossack Dancer Satellite in the Sky as Technician Up in the World as Williams High Tide at Noon as Tom Robey Blood of the Vampire as Tall Sneak ThiefI Only Arsked! as Popeye PopplewellToo Many Crooks as SnowdropThe Ugly Duckling as Henry JekyllIt's All Happening as ParsonsCarry On Cowboy as Little HeapMorgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment as PolicemanCarry On Screaming! as SockettFollow That Camel as Sheikh Abdul AbulbulCarry On Doctor as Ken BiddleCarry On Up the Khyber as Bungdit DinCarry On Camping as Bernie LuggMoon Zero Two as HarrySpring and Port Wine as Lorry DriverCarry On Up the Jungle as UpsidasiCarry On Loving as Gripper BurkeUp Pompeii as Gorgo The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins as Mr Violet Carry On at Your Convenience as Bernie HulkeBlinker's Spy-Spotter as SouthCarry On Matron as Ernie BraggCarry On Abroad as Brother BernardCarry On Girls as Peter PotterCarry On Dick as Sir Roger DaleyVampira as PottingerOne of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing as Fan Choy Carry On Behind as Arthur UpmoreIn the Movies it Doesn't Hurt as severalJoseph Andrews as Parson Trulliber Jabberwocky as The Landlord The Fifth Musketeer as BernardHawk the Slayer as Gort Krull as Rell the CyclopsAsterix and the Big Fight as Obelix Leon the Pig Farmer as Rabbi Hartmann
  • ''Bernard Bresslaw: A Story About Bernard Bresslaw''

Television series

Nom-de-Plume: "The Man from the Sea" as DominicThe Adventures of Robin Hood The Black Patch as Sir Dunstan's CaptainThe Army GameOur House 22 episodes William SingerCarry On Christmas Specials and Carry On LaughingDanger Man: The Outcast, as Leo Doctor Who serial The Ice Warriors as Varga, an Ice WarriorThe Goodies Series 2 episode Scotland as the zookeeper.Men of Affairs 1 episode The Book Tower T-Bag Series 3 as OmarTerry and June Series 5 Episode 5 MorrisSykes Series 3 Episode 4 Johnny Brunswick Doctor in the House Series 1, Episode 10 MalcolmMann's Best Friends 6 episodesThe Book Tower as presenter

Other works

UK chart singles

Stage actor

Bresslaw performed with The English Stage Company, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Young Vic and the Chichester Festival Theatre. One of his last stage performances was as Malvolio in Twelfth Night at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park.
Bresslaw's other roles included playing Mephistopheles, alongside James Warwick in the title role, in an Oxford Stage Company regional touring production of Doctor Faustus in 1987, and the genie in the lamp in Aladdin at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, in the 1990s.

Song

Bresslaw's song "You Need Feet" was used in the Rutles' TV special, accompanying the Yoko Ono film parody "A Thousand Feet of Film". This was cut from the syndicated version and the original DVD release, but was restored in later DVD releases.

BT adverts

Bresslaw, together with Miriam Margolyes, appeared with English comedienne Maureen Lipman in a series of British Telecom advertisements in the late 1980s. Bresslaw and Margolyes played Gerald and Dolly, a nervous couple who drop in unannounced on Lipman's character Beatrice "Beattie" Bellman and her husband Harry.

Poetry

Bresslaw was the author of a privately published volume of poetry, Ode to the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Personal life

Bresslaw was married to the dancer Betty Wright from 1959 until his death in 1993. They had three sons.
Bresslaw was a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a British entertainment fraternity and in 1988 he was elected "King Rat" of the order.
Bresslaw was a Freemason and member of Chelsea Lodge 3098.

Death

Bresslaw died of a sudden heart attack on 11 June 1993. He had collapsed in the green room at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London, where he was to play Grumio in the New Shakespeare Company's production of Taming of the Shrew. His body was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, north London, where his ashes were buried on 17 June 1993.