Editing Bernard Bresslaw

{{short description|English actor and comedian (1934–1993)}}
{{redirect|Bresslaw|uses of Breslau|Breslau (disambiguation)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Bernard Bresslaw
| image        = Bernard Bresslaw.jpg
| caption      =
| birth_name   = 
| birth_date   = {{Birth date|1934|2|25|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Stepney]], [[London]], England
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1993|6|11|1934|2|25|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Regent's Park]], London, England
| occupation   = {{hlist|Actor|comedian}}
| years_active = 1954–1993
| spouse       = {{marriage|Betty Wright|1959}}
| children     = 3
| awards       = Most Promising Newcomer [[Variety Club]] of Great Britain
| height       = 6 ft 7 in
}}
'''Bernard Bresslaw''' (25 February 1934{{spaced ndash}}11 June 1993)<ref>{{cite news |author1=Dick Vosburgh |author-link1= |title=Obituary: Bernard Bresslaw |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-bresslaw-1491593.html |url-access= |access-date=15 June 2022 |work=[[The Independent]] |language= |date=13 June 1993}}</ref> was an English actor and comedian. He was best known as a member of the ''[[Carry On (franchise)|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 [[Jew]]ish family in [[Stepney]], [[London]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eastlondonhistory.com/carry-ons-bernard-bresslaw/ |title=Carry On's Bernard Bresslaw |work=Eastlondonhistory.com |date=2010-11-06 |access-date=2012-04-16}}</ref> on 25 February 1934.<ref name="FtB">{{cite book|last=Donnelley|first=Paul|title=Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2003|page=118}}</ref> His father was a [[tailor]]'s cutter. He attended the [[Coopers' Company and Coborn School|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.<ref name="TTronic">{{cite web|url=http://www.teletronic.co.uk/bresslaw.htm|title=I Only Arsked: The Life and Work of Bernard Bresslaw|last=Marcus|first=Laurence|date=2006-08-28|work=Teletronic|access-date=2008-08-08|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509194414/http://www.teletronic.co.uk/bresslaw.htm|archive-date=9 May 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==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" (sic), first used in ''[[The Army Game]]'',<ref name="BEP">{{cite news|url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-15430448_ITM|title=National service with a smile|date=2006-05-30|work=Bristol Evening Post|publisher=Northcliffe Newspapers Group|access-date=2008-08-08}}</ref> and later revived in ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969). 

At 6&nbsp;ft 7 in (2.01 m), he was the tallest of the ''Carry On'' cast, head and shoulders over fellow ''Carry On'' regular [[Barbara Windsor]], who was {{convert|4|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}. Because of his height, he was briefly considered for the part of the Creature in Hammer's ''[[Curse of Frankenstein]]'' (1957), which ultimately went instead to {{convert|6|ft|5|in|m|abbr=on}} [[Christopher Lee]]. Bresslaw later made a comedy version of ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' for Hammer titled ''[[The Ugly Duckling (1959 film)|The Ugly Duckling]]'' (1959). He made great efforts to prepare for roles, for example learning [[Fanagalo]] phrases for ''[[Carry On Up the Jungle]]'' (1970).

Bresslaw played Varga, the lead villain in the 1967 ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[The Ice Warriors]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/icewarriors/detail.shtml |title=Doctor Who Classic Episode Guide - The Ice Warriors - Details |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=2016-12-03}}</ref> 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''.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

==Filmography==
===Films===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[The Men of Sherwood Forest]]'' (1954) as Garth (uncredited)
* ''[[The Glass Cage (1955 film)|The Glass Cage]]'' (1955) as Ivan the Terrible, Cossack Dancer (uncredited)
* ''[[Satellite in the Sky]]'' (1956) as Technician (uncredited)
* ''[[Up in the World]]'' (1956) as Williams (uncredited)
* ''[[High Tide at Noon]]'' (1957) as Tom Robey (uncredited)
* ''[[Blood of the Vampire]]'' (1958) as Tall Sneak Thief
* ''[[I Only Arsked!]]'' (1958) as Popeye Popplewell
* ''[[Too Many Crooks]]'' (1959) as Snowdrop
* ''[[The Ugly Duckling (1959 film)|The Ugly Duckling]]'' (1959) as Henry Jekyll
* ''[[It's All Happening (film)|It's All Happening]]'' (1962) as Parsons
* ''[[Carry On Cowboy]]'' (1965) as Little Heap
* ''[[Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment]]'' (1966) as Policeman
* ''[[Carry On Screaming!]]'' (1966) as Sockett
* ''[[Follow That Camel]]'' (1967) as Sheikh Abdul Abulbul
* ''[[Carry On Doctor]]'' (1967) as Ken Biddle
* ''[[Carry On Up the Khyber]]'' (1968) as Bungdit Din
* ''[[Carry On Camping]]'' (1969) as Bernie Lugg
* ''[[Moon Zero Two]]'' (1969) as Harry
* ''[[Spring and Port Wine (film)|Spring and Port Wine]]'' (1970) as Lorry Driver
* ''[[Carry On Up the Jungle]]'' (1970) as Upsidasi
* ''[[Carry On Loving]]'' (1970) as Gripper Burke
* ''[[Up Pompeii (film)|Up Pompeii]]'' (1971) as Gorgo 
* ''[[The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins]]'' (1971) as Mr Violet (segment "Avarice")
* ''[[Carry On at Your Convenience]]'' (1971) as Bernie Hulke
* ''Blinker's Spy-Spotter'' (1972) as South
* ''[[Carry On Matron]]'' (1972) as Ernie Bragg
* ''[[Carry On Abroad]]'' (1972) as Brother Bernard
* ''[[Carry On Girls]]'' (1973) as Peter Potter
* ''[[Carry On Dick]]'' (1974) as Sir Roger Daley
* ''[[Vampira (1974 film)|Vampira]]'' (1974) as Pottinger
* ''[[One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing]]'' (1975) as Fan Choy 
* ''[[Carry On Behind]]'' (1975) as Arthur Upmore
* ''In the Movies it Doesn't Hurt'' (1975) as several
* ''[[Joseph Andrews (film)|Joseph Andrews]]'' (1977) as Parson Trulliber (uncredited)
* ''[[Jabberwocky (film)|Jabberwocky]]'' (1977) as The Landlord 
* ''[[The Fifth Musketeer]]'' (1979) as Bernard
* ''[[Hawk the Slayer]]'' (1980) as Gort 
* ''[[Krull (film)|Krull]]'' (1983) as Rell the Cyclops
* ''[[Asterix and the Big Fight (film)|Asterix and the Big Fight]]'' (1989) as [[Obelix]] (English version, voice)
* ''[[Leon the Pig Farmer]]'' (1992) as Rabbi Hartmann
* ''Bernard Bresslaw: A Story About Bernard Bresslaw'' (2009)
{{div col end}}

===Television series===
* ''[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|The Adventures of Robin Hood]]'' The Black Patch as Sir Dunstan's Captain
* ''[[The Army Game]]''
* ''[[Our House (1960 TV series)|Our House]]'' (1961–1962) 22 episodes William Singer
* ''[[Carry On Christmas Specials]]'' and ''[[Carry On Laughing]]''
* ''[[Danger Man]]: The Outcast'', as Leo (1964)
* ''[[Doctor Who]]'' serial ''[[The Ice Warriors]]'' (1967) as Varga, an [[Ice Warrior]]
* ''[[The Goodies (TV series)|The Goodies]]'' Series 2 (1 October 1971) episode [[Scotland (The Goodies)|Scotland]] as the zookeeper.
* ''[[The Book Tower]]'' (1987)
* ''[[T-Bag]]'' (1987) Series 3 (in one episode) as Omar
* ''[[Terry and June]]'' (16 November 1982) Series 5 Episode 5 (Playing pool) Morris
* ''[[Sykes (TV series)|Sykes]]''  (7 November 1974) Series 3 Episode 4 (The Band) Johnny Brunswick 
* ''[[Doctor in the House (TV series)|Doctor in the House]]'' (13 September 1969) Series 1, Episode 10 (The Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever Casino) Malcolm
* ''[[Mann's Best Friends]]'' (1984) 6 episodes
* ''[[The Book Tower]]'' (1987–1988) as presenter

==Other works==
{{more citations needed|section|date=September 2020}}

===UK chart singles===
* "Mad Passionate Love/You Need Feet" (1958) (UK No. 6)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6388/bernard-bresslaw/ |title=Bernard Bresslaw |work=The Official Charts Company }}</ref>
* "The Army Game/What Do We Do in the Army?" (1958) [[Michael Medwin]], Bernard Bresslaw, [[Alfie Bass]] & [[Leslie Fyson]] (UK No. 5)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/6149/michael-medwin,-bernard-bresslaw,-alfie-bass-and-leslie-fyson/ |title=Michael Medwin, Bernard Bresslaw, Alfie Bass & Leslie Fyson |work=The Official Charts Company }}</ref>
* "[[Charlie Brown (The Coasters song)|Charlie Brown]]/The Teenager's Lament" (1959)
* "Ivy Will Cling/I Found a Hole" (1959)

===Stage actor===
Bresslaw performed with [[The English Stage Company]], the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]], the [[Young Vic]] and the [[Chichester Festival Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | url= https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-bernard-bresslaw-1491593.html | title=Obituary: Bernard Bresslaw | work=The Independent | first=Dick | last=Vosburgh | date=13 June 1993|access-date=26 December 2024}}</ref> One of his last stage performances was as Malvolio in ''[[Twelfth Night]]'' at the [[Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park]] (1990).

Bresslaw's other roles included playing Mephistopheles, alongside [[James Warwick (actor)|James Warwick]] in the title role, in an [[Headlong (theatre company)|Oxford Stage Company]] regional touring production of ''[[Doctor Faustus (play)|Doctor Faustus]]'' in 1987, and the genie in the lamp in ''Aladdin'' at the [[Theatre Royal, Newcastle|Theatre Royal]], [[Newcastle upon Tyne|Newcastle]], in the 1990s.

===Song===
Bresslaw's song "You Need Feet" (a parody of "You Need Hands" by [[Max Bygraves]]) 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 (along with other cut footage) in later DVD releases.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

===BT adverts===
Bresslaw, together with [[Miriam Margolyes]], appeared with English comedienne [[Maureen Lipman]] in a series of [[BT Group|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''.<ref name="Scrolls">{{cite book|last=Bresslaw|first=Bernard|title=Ode to the Dead Sea Scrolls|publisher=New Broom Private Press|year=1977|isbn=978-0-901870-28-5}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Bresslaw was married to the dancer Betty Wright from 1959 until his death in 1993.<ref name="London">{{cite book|last=Rennie|first=John|title=London History: 100 Faces of the East End|publisher=Lulu.com|year=2006|page=69|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pNuBBoJFlRAC&q=%22betty+wright%22+bresslaw++-wikipedia&pg=PA69|isbn=9781411666085}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web |title=Grand Order of Water Rats, Past King Rats 1966-2018 |url=http://www.gowr.co.uk/our-history/past-king-rats-1966-2018/ |website=GOWR |access-date=13 April 2021}}</ref>

Bresslaw was a [[Freemasonry|Freemason]] and member of Chelsea Lodge 3098.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

==Death==
Bresslaw died of a sudden [[heart attack]] on 11 June 1993.<ref name="FtB" /> 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]]''.<ref name="CarryOn">{{cite book|last=Ross|first=Robert|author2=Collins, Phil|title=The Carry on Companion|publisher=Batsford|year=2002|page=181|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DoidQB3FcdgC&q=%22bernard+bresslaw%22++grumio+-wikipedia&pg=PA181|isbn=9780713487718}}</ref> His body was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]], north London, where his ashes were buried on 17 June 1993.<ref name="JohnH">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/mar/09/popandrock1|title=Whole lotta love|last=Harris|first=John|date=2007-03-09|work=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media|access-date=2008-08-08}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|107805}}
* {{British Comedy Guide|people|bernard_bresslaw}}
* {{discogs artist|Bernard Bresslaw}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bresslaw, Bernard}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British male singers]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century English singers]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:British novelty song performers]]
[[Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]
[[Category:English comedy musicians]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English male Shakespearean actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:Golders Green Crematorium]]
[[Category:Jewish English comedians]]
[[Category:Jewish male actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:People from Stepney]]
[[Category:Royal Shakespeare Company members]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets]]