Edward Chapman
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Oct 13, 1901
- Died
- Aug 9, 1977 (aged 75)
- Place of birth
- Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK
- Credits
- 85
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
Night and the City
1950Movie
Hoskins (uncredited)
Things to Come
1936Movie
Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
Murder!
1930Movie
Ted Markham
The Skin Game
1931Movie
Dawker
The Man Who Haunted Himself
1970Movie
Barton
X: The Unknown
1956Movie
John Elliott
Filmography
The World of Hammer
1994TV
Self (archive footage)
The Onedin Line
1971TV
Mr. Callon
The Man Who Haunted Himself
1970Movie
Barton
Champion House
1967TV
The Early Bird
1965Movie
Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
The Man in Room 17
1965TV
Oliver Crawford
Joey Boy
1965Movie
Tom Hobson
Hide and Seek
1964Movie
McPherson
A Stitch in Time
1963Movie
Mr. Grimsdale
Venus fra Vestø
1962Movie
The Big Deal
1961Movie
Sir Pierson Cale
The Bulldog Breed
1960Movie
Mr. Philpots
Maigret
1960TV
Oscar Wilde
1960Movie
Marquis of Queensberry
School for Scoundrels
1960Movie
Gloatbridge
The Men From Room 13
1959TV
Mr. Grandland
No Hiding Place
1959TV
The Square Peg
1958Movie
Private Wilfred Grimsdale
Innocent Sinners
1958Movie
Manley
The Young and the Guilty
1958Movie
George Connor
Just My Luck
1957Movie
Mr. Stoneway
Doctor at Large
1957Movie
Mr. Wilkins
X: The Unknown
1956Movie
John Elliott
Lisbon
1956Movie
Edgar Selwyn
Armchair Theatre
1956TV
Sir Pierson Cale
Bhowani Junction
1956Movie
Thomas Jones
The Love Match
1955Movie
Mr Longworth
A Yank in Ermine
1955Movie
Duke of Fontenham
The Crowded Day
1954Movie
Mr. Bunting
The End of the Road
1954Movie
Works Manager
A Day to Remember
1953Movie
Mr. Robinson
The Intruder
1953Movie
Lowden
Folly to Be Wise
1952Movie
Joseph Byres M.P.
The Ringer
1952Movie
Stranger
Mandy
1952Movie
Ackland
The Card
1952Movie
Mr. Duncalf
His Excellency
1952Movie
The Admiral
The Magic Box
1952Movie
Father in Family Group
The Cocktail Party
1952Movie
Let’s Keep Our Teeth
1952Movie
Self - Commentator
Gone to Earth
1950Movie
Mr. James
Night and the City
1950Movie
Hoskins (uncredited)
The Spider and the Fly
1949Movie
Minister for War
Man on the Run
1949Movie
Chief Inspector Mitchell
The History of Mr. Polly
1949Movie
Mr. Johnson
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
1948Movie
Birkland
It Always Rains on Sunday
1947Movie
George Sandigate
The October Man
1947Movie
Mr. Peachy
They Flew Alone
1942Movie
Mr. Johnson
Ships with Wings
1941Movie
Papadopoulos
Jeannie
1941Movie
Mr. Jansen
Turned Out Nice Again
1941Movie
Uncle Arnold
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
1941Movie
Mr. Blenkinsop
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
1941Movie
Mr. Jones
Convoy
1940Movie
Captain Eckersley
The Briggs Family
1940Movie
Charley Briggs
Law and Disorder
1940Movie
Detective Inspector Bray
The Proud Valley
1940Movie
Dick Parry
Now You're Talking
1940Movie
Alf Small
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
1939Movie
Captain Edwin Fraser
Poison Pen
1939Movie
Len Griffin
There Ain't No Justice
1939Movie
Sammy Sanders
The Four Just Men
1939Movie
B.J. Burrell
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
1939Movie
Marigold
1938Movie
Mordan
The Citadel
1938Movie
Joe Morgan
Who Killed John Savage?
1938Movie
Inspector Chortley
Premiere
1938Movie
Lohrmann
Rembrandt
1936Movie
Fabrizius
Someone at the Door
1936Movie
Price
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
1936Movie
Major Grigsby
Things to Come
1936Movie
Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
The Divine Spark
1935Movie
Saverio Mercadante
Mister Cinders
1935Movie
Mr. Gaunt
The Church Mouse
1934Movie
Wormwood
Girls Will Be Boys
1934Movie
Grey
Blossom Time
1934Movie
Meyerhoffer
The Queen's Affair
1934Movie
Guard
Happy Ever After
1932Movie
Colonel
The Flying Squad
1932Movie
Sedeman
Tilly of Bloomsbury
1931Movie
Percy Welwyn
The Skin Game
1931Movie
Dawker
Caste
1930Movie
Sam Gerridge
Murder!
1930Movie
Ted Markham
Juno and the Paycock
1930Movie
Captain Boyle