Ronnie Corbett

 

 

 

R.I.P. 

 

Ronald Balfour Corbett - Stand-Up Comedian, Actor, Writer and Broadcaster

 

(4th Dec 1930 - 31st March 2016)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George Martin

 

R.I.P.

George Henry Martin - Record Producer, Arranger, Composer, Conductor, Audio Engineer and Musician

 

(Jan 3rd 1926 - March 8th 2016)

 

 

 

Joan Sims

 

 

 

 

Forever linked with the Carry On film series of the 1960's and 70's, Joan Sims was always been one of the UK's most underrated actresses. This is probably due in no small part to her lack of choice roles, the 'Carry On' series aside.

It is perhaps not so well know that Joan was very much a loner for most of her life, by choosing to live alone and not get married despite having two meaningful relationships with fellow actors Tony Baird and her former stage manager, John Walters.

Asked in later years why she never married - Joan replied, 'Because the right man never came along. There's no point looking for any darker meaning, because there isn't one'.

Born Irene Joan Marian Sims on 9th May 1930 in Laingdon, Essex, she first got the acting bug, when applying for a scholarship at RADA in 1946 at the age of 16, but was initially unsuccessful.

Undeterred, she tried again a short while later and after eventually graduating from RADA, her first major appearance was on stage with Scottish actor and comedian, Stanley Baxter (Later to achieve UK fame with his own TV specials in the 1970s).

Her early career highlights included starring with comedy legend Norman Wisdom in 'Trouble In Store (1953) and then onto the 'Doctor' film series being given the character of Nurse Rigour Mortis next to Dirk Bogarde.

After being a regular in the 'Doctor' series, Joan was asked to play a small part in 'Carry On Admiral (1957) although this film bore no relation to the later Carry On series, it undoubtedly put her in a good position to be considered as one of the early team members of the cast.

Early in 1958, producer Peter Rodgers sent her a script for a brief role in a comedy called 'Carry On Nurse' (1959). After liking Sims potential in the 'Doctor' series, he thought she would be a good addition to what was to be the second of two films made by Rodgers and Gerald Thomas, after their first joint effort 'Carry On Sargent' (1958).

From here on Joan began to appear regularly in the Carry On series' for the remainder of its lifespan which ran until 1978. Her characters in the series began with Joan being an object of men's lust, and gradually over time, she was turned into the frumpy nagging wife type, usually played off next to Sid James hen-pecked husband.

Despite being so well known as a 'Carry On' performer, this still didn't stop other offers coming her way, most notably during her hot period of the 1960's. Indeed, she was to star in 23 films in the period from 1960-69 beginning with 'Watch Your Stern (1960) to Carry On Again Doctor (1969).

Her roles next to some of the UK's comedy acting profession reads like a veritable who's who?

How's this for a role call of names - Norman Wisdom, Peter Sellers, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Warner, George Cole, Jon Pertwee, William Hartnell, Margaret Rutherford, Stanley Holloway, Kenneth More, James Robertson-Justice, Prunella Scales, Dora Bryan and Alistair Sim. Of course, there were so many more as this was only early in her career up to the end of the 1950's.

After the Carry On series ended with 'Carry On Emmanuelle' (1978), Joan began to do a lot more TV work. Just prior to this, she was cast alongside acting legends Katherine Hepburn and Laurence Oliver in a film made for TV called 'Love Among The Ruins' (1975).

From the 1980s onward, Joan began to drink heavily due to bouts of depression. This was perhaps no doubt brought on by the sudden deaths of her agent Peter Eade, fellow 'Carry On' regular Hattie Jacques and her mother all within a short space of two-years.

In the later nineties, her health began to decline when she was diagnosed with Bells Palsy in 1999 and then broke her hip the following year due to a fall. Despite a remarkable recovery, the drinking didn't stop. She was offered rehab on one occasion, but declined.

The last two years of her life were not happy ones in terms of her health. Admitted to hospital for what was supposed to be a routine operation, Joan fell into a coma in 2000. Inevitably, on 27th June 2001, she passed away aged 71, due to a combination of liver failure and diverticulitis. Diabetes and COPD were also major factors all linked to alcoholism.

But thanks to the endless repeats on TV and DVD releases of her films, Joan Sims, the self-proclaimed 'Queen of Puddings' will outlive us all.


(Profile)

• Full Name: Irene Joan Marion Sims
• Date Of Birth: 9th May 1930
• Place Of Birth: Laingdon, Essex, England
• Date Of Death: 27th June 2001 (aged 71)
• Place Of Death: Chelsea, London, England
• Cause Of Death: Diverticular Disease
• Years Active: 1951-2000

(Filmography)

• Click here for a full list of Joan's Film & TV appearances

(Further reading and viewing)

• Click here for essential Joan Sims books and DVD's

Ingrid Pitt

 

 

 

Most movie enthusiasts will say that the highlight of Ingrid Pitts career was starring alongside screen legends Clint Eastwood and Richard Burton in 'Where Eagles Dare' (1968).

However, fast forward three years and 90% of the worlds male population would soon beg to differ when she appeared nude covered in blood in a bathing scene during the Hammer Horror film 'Countess Dracula' (1971).

It could also be argued that another highlight of her career was starring in the classic tale of Russian revolution 'Doctor Zhivago' (1965), although her name doesn't appear anywhere in the film credits meaning it was merely a blink and you miss moment. It is also possibly little known, but her early life was worthy of a film being made about it before she was even famous.

Ingrid was born with the birth name of Ingoushka Petrov to a curious mix of parentage in Warsaw, Poland on 21st November 1937. Her father was German and her mother, a Polish Jew. Given what was to become of the world less than two years later, it was perhaps inevitable that the family would end up being imprisoned for the remainder of the war.

Ingrid was fortunate enough to survive, and subsequently moved to Berlin where in the 1950's, she met an American Soldier and moved to California. Sadly, the marriage didn't last, meaning she had to return to Europe. It was while back in Germany that she made a small film which somehow managed to capture the attention of Hollywood.

Her debut in the movie business came in the previously mentioned 'Doctor Zhivago' and from there, her career blossomed until a gradual decline in decent offers by the mid-70's.

Returning to mainstream films and TV in the 1980's, Ingrid also found time to become a writer, releasing a novel called 'Cuckoo Run' which she took to James Bond producer Cubby Brocoli who was kind enough to call the books feminine lead, 'a female bond', but this wasn't enough to convince him to turn it into a film.

In her personal life, she married three times as well as having a passion for WWII aircraft while also achieving a Black Belt in Karate.

However, a few days before her 73rd birthday, she collapsed at her South London home and was transferred to a nearby hospital. Sadly, Ingrid wasn't to survive and died two days after her birthday on 23rd November 2010.

But to the hearts and minds of Hammer Horror fans the world over, Ingrid Pitts legend lives on.

Filmography:

Sound Of Horror (1964)
Chimes At Midnight (1965)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
En Beso El En Puerto (1966)
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (1966)
The Omegans (1968)
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
The Vampire Lovers (1970)
Countess Dracula (1971)
The House That Dripped Blood (1971)
Nobody Ordered Love (1972)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Who Dares Wins (1982)
Octopussy (1983)
Wild Geese II (1985)
Underworld (1985)
Parker (1986)
Hannah's War (1988)
The Asylum (2000)
Green Fingers (2000)
Dominator (2003)
Minotaur (2006)
Beyond The Rave (2008)
Sea Of Dust (2008)

Television:

Dundee And The Culhane (1967)
Ironside (1967)
Jason King (1972)
The Adventurer (1973)
The Zoo Gang (1974)
Thriller (1975)
BBC 2 Playhouse (1981)
Artemis 81 (1981)
Smiley's People (1982)
The Comedy Of Errors (1983)
Doctor Who (1974-82) 5 Episodes
The House (1984)
Bulman (1987)

Welcome

 

 

Hello and welcome to 'UK Cult Heroes', the blog which gives you all the most up-to-date information on all your favourite British cult legends from the world of Sport, Music, TV and Film.

All the famous faces who appear on this blog will have experienced their heyday via British TV screens, cinema and radio during the 1960's and 70's.

With todays TV and Film industry now very PC in what it deems to be acceptable for viewers tastes, this blog is my way of keeping the memories, laughs and favourite moments alive.

Additionally, this blog is not just for those who were lucky enough to see these legends on our screens first time around, but also for those of later generations who have an avid interest in what British entertainment culture was like back in the day.

Enjoy the site!

Ryan Colley.