Editing Leslie Phillips (section)

==Career==
===Early work===
Phillips made his stage debut in 1937 as a wolf in ''[[Peter Pan]]'' alongside [[Anna Neagle]] at the [[London Palladium]].<ref name="CBE">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7163202.stm|title=CBE for Carry On actor Phillips|publisher=BBC News|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref><ref name="Reputation">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/nov/27/culture.features|title=With my reputation?|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=23 April 2004}}</ref> In the 1938–39 season, he was promoted to the role of John Napoleon Darling, alongside [[Jean Forbes-Robertson]] as Peter and [[Seymour Hicks]] as [[Captain Hook]].<ref name="Hello"/> Acting allowed Phillips to earn extra money for his family, who had struggled financially after his father's death.<ref name="chap"/>

Phillips made his first film appearance in the 1938 musical comedy ''[[Lassie from Lancashire]]''.<ref name="old tales">{{cite web |last1=Galton |first1=Bridget |title=Leslie Phillips has found a use for his old tales – a riveting autobiography |url=https://www.hamhigh.co.uk/things-to-do/leslie-phillips-has-found-a-use-for-his-old-tales-7639690 |website=Hampstead and Highgate Express |date=25 January 2007 |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> He made further uncredited appearances in ''[[Climbing High]]'' (1938) and ''[[The Mikado (1939 film)|The Mikado]]'' (1939), among the earliest films made at [[Pinewood Studios]].<ref name="Hello"/> Upon the 70th anniversary of the studios in 2006, Phillips considered himself one of the earliest actors to have worked there still alive and working.<ref name="Hello"/> A minor part in [[Ealing Studios]]' ''[[The Proud Valley]]'' (1940) afforded Phillips the chance to work alongside [[Paul Robeson]], whom he greatly admired.<ref name="Hello"/>

In the early years of the [[Second World War]], Phillips worked in the [[West End theatre|West End]] for [[Binkie Beaumont]] and [[H. M. Tennent]].<ref name="chap"/> The shows were frequently interrupted by [[Civil defense siren|air-raid sirens]] and Phillips later recalled that "audiences would evaporate and head for cellars or [[London Underground|Underground]] stations".<ref name="Hello"/> Called up to the [[British Army]] in 1942, Phillips rose to the rank of [[Lance Bombardier|lance-bombardier]] in the Royal Artillery. Due to his acquired upper class accent, Phillips was selected for officer training at [[Catterick Garrison|Catterick]] and duly commissioned as a [[Second Lieutenant|second lieutenant]] in the [[Royal Artillery]] in 1943.<ref name="Oldie"/> He was transferred to the [[Durham Light Infantry]] in 1944 but was later declared unfit for service just before [[D-Day]] after being diagnosed with a neurological condition that caused partial paralysis.<ref name="Oldie"/> He was initially sent to a [[psychiatric hospital]] in error before moving to the correct facility for treatment.<ref name="Hello"/>

Demobbed as a lieutenant in December 1944, Phillips's acting career initially took in "the murkiest rat-infested old [[wikt:playhouse|playhouses]] and [[music hall]]s in the [[Northern England|north of England]]".<ref name="Hello"/> He resumed his career as a film player, making uncredited appearances in ''[[Anna Karenina (1948 film)|Anna Karenina]]'' and [[Powell and Pressburger]]'s ''[[The Red Shoes (1948 film)|The Red Shoes]]'' (both 1948).<ref name="bartlett">{{cite web |last1=Bartlett |first1=Rhett |title=Leslie Phillips, Debonair British Actor of 'Carry On,' 'Doctor' and 'Harry Potter' Films, Dies at 98 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/leslie-phillips-dead-harry-potter-actor-carry-on-1235257581/amp/|website=The Hollywood Reporter |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> His first lead role in a television serial was in the sitcom ''[[My Wife Jacqueline]]'' (1952).<ref name="Hello"/>

His big break in the films was in the [[Gene Kelly]] musical ''[[Les Girls]]'' (1957).<ref name="Oldie"/> Although the film was a critical success, he decided against a move to Hollywood, in part as he considered himself primarily a theatre actor and did not want to become "the poor man's [[David Niven]]".<ref name="chap"/><ref name="Reputation"/> He began appearing in character roles in British comedy films including ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' and ''[[The Smallest Show on Earth]]'' (both 1957).<ref name="BBCobit">{{cite news |title=Leslie Phillips obituary: The comedy Casanova who made it to Hogwarts |publisher=BBC News |date=8 November 2022 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27046868 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> In 1959, Phillips was cast in a minor role as Jack Bell in ''[[Carry On Nurse]]'', the second in the ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' film series. The character's exclamation of "Ding dong" in the film became a popular catchphrase for Phillips.<ref name="BBCobit"/> He became strongly associated with smooth-talking, libidinous roles, and his catchphrases "Ding dong", "I say" and "Hello" entered common usage in the United Kingdom.<ref name="common">{{cite news |last1=Lawrence |first1=Ben |title=Leslie Phillips, as sexually threatening as a pot of tepid tea, made the common man feel better |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/leslie-phillips-made-common-man-feel-better/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> Phillips cemented his image in two further ''Carry On'' films, ''[[Carry On Teacher]]'' (1959) and ''[[Carry On Constable]]'' (1960) before telling producer [[Peter Rogers]] that he did not wish to appear in any more.<ref name="Oldie"/><ref name="BBCobit"/> ''Carry On'' director [[Gerald Thomas]] cast Phillips in several other comedy films; ''[[Please Turn Over]]'' (1959) features Phillips as Dr. Henry Manners, a respectable family doctor portrayed as a philanderer in a book written by 17-year-old Jo Halliday ([[Julia Lockwood]]), while he plays father David Robinson opposite [[Geraldine McEwan]] in ''[[No Kidding (film)|No Kidding]]'' (1960).<ref name="turnover">{{cite web |title=Please Turn Over |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/please_turn_over/| website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref><ref name="kidding">{{cite web |title=No Kidding |url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/film/no_kidding/ |website=British Comedy Guide |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

Between 1959 and 1977, Phillips became familiar on radio, as Sub-Lieutenant Phillips in the comedy ''[[The Navy Lark]]'' alongside [[Jon Pertwee]] and [[Ronnie Barker]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tenniel-evans-taffy-goldstein-in-the-navy-lark-1706869.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/tenniel-evans-taffy-goldstein-in-the-navy-lark-1706869.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tenniel Evens:Taffy Goldstein in 'The Navy Lark'|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=23 April 2019}}</ref> He also appeared in the film version of ''[[The Navy Lark (film)|The Navy Lark]]'' (1959), the only cast member of the radio series to do so.<ref name="navy">{{cite web |title=The Navy Lark (1959) |url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b14f065 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426140313/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6b14f065 |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 April 2020 |website=BFI |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

In 1960, Phillips was cast in ''[[Doctor in Love]]'', the fourth film in the ''[[Doctor (film series)|Doctor]]'' comedy series and the first without [[Dirk Bogarde]].<ref name="BBCobit"/> He appeared in two further installments, ''[[Doctor in Clover]]'' (1966) and ''[[Doctor in Trouble]]'' (1970).<ref name="clover">{{cite news |last1=Larman |first1=Alexander |title='Well, hello!': why the sex-mad, satirical Doctor in Clover was the making of Leslie Phillips |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/0/hello-why-sex-mad-satirical-doctor-clover-making-leslie-phillips/ |newspaper=The Telegraph |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> Phillips appeared in several comedy films directed by [[Ken Annakin]], often cast alongside his ''Doctor'' co-star [[James Robertson Justice]], including ''[[Very Important Person (film)|Very Important Person]]'' (1961), ''[[Raising the Wind (1961 film)|Raising the Wind]]'' (1961) and ''[[Crooks Anonymous]]'' (1962).<ref name="Hello"/> In 1962, Phillips and Justice starred with [[Stanley Baxter]] in Annakin's ''[[The Fast Lady]]'', one of Britain's biggest box office hits of the year.<ref>"Most Popular Films of 1963", ''The Times'', London, England, 3 January 1964: 4. The Times Digital Archive. Web. 11 July 2012.</ref> A loose sequel, ''[[Father Came Too!]]'', followed in 1964.<ref>{{cite magazine| url=https://archive.org/details/KineWeekly2985/page/n8/mode/1up?q=%22john+guillermin%22|magazine=Kinematograph Weekly|first=Bill|last=Altria|title=British Films Romp Home – Fill First Five Places|date=17 December 1964|page=9}}</ref>

During the 1960s, Phillips appeared on television in two plays penned by the comedy writing team [[Galton and Simpson]]; "Impasse", broadcast as part of ''[[Comedy Playhouse]]'' in 1963, and "The Suit", a 1969 episode of ''The Galton & Simpson Comedy''.<ref name="Hello"/> The latter was developed into a full series four years later, ''[[Casanova '73]]'', starring Phillips as compulsive philanderer Henry Newhouse.<ref name="casanova">{{cite web |title=Galton And Simpson's Casanova |url=https://www.britishclassiccomedy.co.uk/casanova-73 |website=British Classic Comedy |date=10 October 2022 |access-date=16 October 2022}}</ref> The programme was poorly received and attracted criticism from [[Mary Whitehouse]] of the [[Mediawatch-UK|National Viewers' and Listeners' Association]] for its risque content.<ref name="Hello"/><ref>{{cite web|last=Oliver|first=John|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/467108/index.html|title=Galton, Ray (1930–) and Simpson, Alan (1929–)|work=BFI Screenonline|date= 2003–2014|access-date=1 April 2020}}</ref>

===Later work===
By the early 1980s, Phillips considered his suave and lecherous roles to be "a bit of a rut" and looked to branch out into dramatic roles.<ref name="BBCobit"/> A relatively minor part in ''[[Out of Africa (film)|Out of Africa]]'' (1985) facilitated a larger role in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Empire of the Sun (film)|Empire of the Sun]]'' (1987).<ref name="prime"/> To play an emaciated [[prisoner of war]] in the film, Phillips lost more than two stone.<ref name="bartlett"/> He became busy as a [[character actor]] in both stage and television productions including ''[[Scandal (1989 film)|Scandal]]'' (1989) and ''[[Lara Croft: Tomb Raider]]'' (2001). In 1992, he returned to the ''Carry On'' series in the poorly received ''[[Carry On Columbus]]''.<ref name="guardiannews">{{cite web |last1=Lee |first1=Benjamin |title=Carry On star Leslie Phillips dies at 98 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/nov/08/carry-on-star-leslie-phillips-dies-at-98 |website=The Guardian |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> Phillips also provided the voice for the [[Sorting Hat]] in the [[Harry Potter (film series)|''Harry Potter'' films]], appearing in ''[[Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)|Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone]]'' (2001), ''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)|Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]'' (2002) and the final film, ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2]]'' (2011).<ref name="BBCobit"/><ref name="independentnews">{{cite web |title=Leslie Phillips dead: Carry On and Harry Potter star dies aged 98 |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/leslie-phillips-death-carry-on-films-age-b2220348.html |website=The Independent |date=8 November 2022 |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref>

Phillips appeared in British television sitcoms including ''[[Honey for Tea]]'' with [[Felicity Kendal]] and appeared in guest roles in popular series such as ''[[The Bill]]'', ''[[Holby City]]'' and ''[[Midsomer Murders]]''. In 2006, he played veteran actor Ian alongside [[Peter O'Toole]] in [[Hanif Kureishi]]'s film ''[[Venus (2006 film)|Venus]]''.<ref name="BBCobit"/> For this role, he was nominated for a [[BAFTA]] for Best Supporting Actor in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bafta.org/site/page287.html |title=BAFTA Awards winners and nominees |publisher=Bafta.org |access-date=9 June 2012}}</ref> Phillips's autobiography, ''Hello'', was published by Orion in 2006.<ref name="Hello"/>

He was appointed Officer of the [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[1998 Birthday Honours]] and was promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the [[2008 New Year Honours]].<ref name="CBE"/>

In 2012, Phillips voiced the audiobook edition of the legal thriller Chequered Justice, by John Bartlett (ISBN 9780956910486).<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmAbh8Jzjl4 | title=John Bartlett interviews Leslie Phillips | website=[[YouTube]] | date=13 May 2013 }}</ref>

Phillips, in conjunction with [[Jules Williams]] and Back Door Productions,<ref>{{cite web|title=Back Door znProductions|url=http://www.back-door.co.uk|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029185936/http://www.back-door.co.uk/|archive-date=29 October 2013}}</ref> co-produced the [[Sky Arts]] series ''[[Living The Life]]''<ref>{{cite web|title=Living The Life – Sky Arts|url=http://skyarts.sky.com/living-the-life|publisher=Sky Arts / BSkyB}}</ref> which ran for three series, ending in 2013.

He continued to act until 2012<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0680587/ | title=Leslie Phillips | publisher=[[IMDb]] }}</ref><ref name="BFI" /> and continued to make television appearances until 2015 when he was interviewed on the [[BBC One]] programme ''VE Day: Remembering Victory''.<ref name="rememberingvictory2015"/><ref name="VEDay70BBC"/><ref name="bullimore"/>