Terry-Thomas

Terry-Thomas
Terry-Thomas (left) and Clive Morton in Lucky Jim (1957)
Birth name	Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens
Born	14 July 1911(1911-07-14) Finchley, London, England
Died	8 January 1990 (aged 78) Godalming, Surrey, England
Spouse(s)	Ida Patlanski (1938-62) Belinda Cunningham (1963-90)

Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens (14 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads, the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, dressing gown, and such catch-phrases as "You're an absolute shower!" and "Good show!"

Early life and career

Born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens in Glenfern House, Nether Street, Finchley, England, and educated at Ardingly College, West Sussex, England, Thomas worked in cabaret and as a film extra before finding success as an entertainer during World War II. After the war, he worked in TV, radio and variety, but it was during the mid-1950s that he developed his famous persona, first in his television series, How Do You View?, and then in films. His performance as Major Hitchcock in John and Roy Boulting's Private's Progress (1956) gave birth to his catchphrase, "you're an absolute shower", and made him a favourite in British comedy films for the next decade. He reprised the role of Hitchcock in I'm All Right Jack (1959), and appeared in several of the Boultings' other films, including Lucky Jim and Brothers in Law. Although Terry-Thomas was renowned for his caddish persona, he was a gifted voice actor with a range of accents in his repertoire. It was reported that the voice actor Ivan Owen based his voice for Basil Brush on Terry-Thomas's voice.

Career

He played a variety of exuberant, malevolent and silly characters during the 1960s, and became famous for his portrayal of the archetypal cad, bounder, and absolute rotter. (Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines; Monte Carlo or Bust; Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon). He was married twice. His first marriage was to Ida Patlanski, from 1938 to 1962, and he was married to Belinda Cunningham from 1963 until his death. He had two sons. He was a second cousin of the actor, Richard Briers, who because of Terry-Thomas's Parkinson's disease, became President of the Parkinson's Disease Society.

Personal life and death

In 1971 Thomas was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and by 1977, he had retired. In 1989, writer and broadcaster Richard Hope-Hawkins, and actor Jack Douglas, organised a benefit concert for Thomas, after discovering he was living in virtual obscurity and ill health. The gala, held at London's Theatre Royal, ran for five hours, Phil Collins topping the bill along with 120 artistes. Michael Caine was the gala chairman. The show raised over £75,000 for Thomas and the Parkinson's Disease Society. Terry-Thomas died in 1990 at the age of 78 in Busbridge Hall nursing home, Godalming, Surrey.

Selected filmography

• The Green Man (1956)
• Private's Progress (1956) as Major Hitchcock
• Lucky Jim (1957)
• Brothers in Law (1957)
• The Naked Truth (1957) as Lord Mayley
• Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957) as Captain Romney Carlton-Ricketts
• Tom Thumb (1958) as Ivan
• I'm All Right Jack (1959) reprising the role of Major Hitchcock
• Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959)
• Too Many Crooks (1959) as Billy Gordon
• Make Mine Mink {1960} as Major Albert Rayne
• His and Hers {1960} as Reggie Blake
• School for Scoundrels (1960)
• Operation Snatch (1962) as Lt. 'Piggy' Wigg
• It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as Lt. Col. Algernon Hawthorne
• The Mouse on the Moon (1963) as Spender
• How to Murder Your Wife (1965) as Charles
• Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965) as Sir Percy Ware-Armitage
• Our Man in Marrakesh (1966) as El Caid
• La Grande Vadrouille (1966) as Sir Reginald
• Munster,Go Home (1966) as Cousin Freddy
• Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo (If All the Women in the World or Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die) (1966)
• Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon (1967) as Captain Sir Harry Washington-Smythe
• Arabella (1967)
• Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968)
• Diabolik (1968) as the Minister of Finance
• How Sweet It Is! (1968)
• Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?
• Monte Carlo or Bust (1969) as Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage, son of Sir Percy of Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
• The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
• Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
• Disney's version of Robin Hood (1973), as the voice of Sir Hiss (who had a gap between his teeth similar to Terry-Thomas himself)
• The Vault of Horror (1973) as Critchit
• Side by Side (1975) as Max Nugget
• Spanish Fly (1976) as Sir Percy De Courcy
• The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones (1976)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978), his last film role

External links

• Terry-Thomas at the Internet Movie Database
• Terry-Thomas at screenonline
• First complete site on Terry-Thomas
• Laughterlog.com - Biography plus list of appearances on stage, film, radio, television and record