Editing Leonard Rossiter

{{Short description|British actor (1926–1984)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Leonard Rossiter
| image              = Leonard Rossiter.jpg
| caption            = Rossiter performing in ''[[The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog]]''
| birth_name         = 
| birth_date         = {{birth date|1926|10|21|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Wavertree]], Liverpool, England
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|1984|10|5|1926|10|21|df=yes}}
| death_place        = [[Lyric Theatre, London]], England
| other_names        = 
| occupation         = Actor
| years_active       = 1954–1984
| spouse             = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Josephine Tewson]]|1959|1961|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Gillian Raine]]|1972}}
}}
| children           = 1
}}

'''Leonard Rossiter''' (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series ''[[Rising Damp]]'' from 1974 to 1978, and Reginald Perrin in the BBC's ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'' from 1976 to 1979.<ref name=obit/>

==Early life and stage work==
Rossiter was born on 21 October 1926 in [[Wavertree]], [[Liverpool]], the second son of John and Elizabeth (née Howell) Rossiter.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Shoard |first1=Catherine |title='It was hard not to stare at him all the time': inside the remarkable rise and shocking loss of Leonard Rossiter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/oct/04/leonard-rossiter-rising-damp-fall-and-rise-of-reginald-perrin?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-gb |access-date=5 October 2024 |agency=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian Media Group |date=4 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241005085904/https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2024/oct/04/leonard-rossiter-rising-damp-fall-and-rise-of-reginald-perrin |archive-date=5 October 2024 |location=Manchester}}</ref><ref name=telegraphreview>{{cite web| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/8188742/Leonard-Rossiter-Character-Driven-review.html| title=Leonard Rossiter, Character Driven: review| access-date=29 December 2014}}</ref> The family lived over the barber's shop owned by his father. He was educated at the [[Liverpool Collegiate School]] (1939–46).<ref>R. Tanitch ''Leonard Rossiter'' p. 149</ref> In September 1939, when the [[Second World War]] began, Rossiter was an evacuee, along with his schoolmates, and went to [[Bangor, Gwynedd|Bangor]] in north Wales, where he stayed for 18 months.<ref>{{cite web|last=Coslett|first=Paul|title=Leonard Rossiter|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2006/12/27/local_history_leonard_rossiter_feature.shtml|publisher=BBC|access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> While at school, his ambition was to go to university to read modern languages and become a teacher; however, his father, who served as a voluntary ambulanceman during the war, was killed in the [[Liverpool Blitz#May blitz|May Blitz]] [[strategic bombing|air raid]] in 1941.<ref>{{cite web|date=7 May 2013|title=Mums and babies among victims of Liverpool's Mill Road Hospital raids during May Blitz|url=https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/mums-babies-among-victims-liverpools-3373898|newspaper=Liverpool Echo|access-date=28 January 2021}}</ref> Rossiter then had to support his mother, therefore he could not take up the place he had been offered at the [[University of Liverpool]].<ref>''Leonard Rossiter'' by Robert Tanitch; {{ISBN|0-947728-19-8}}</ref> Instead, he completed his [[National Service]] as a sergeant, initially in the [[Intelligence Corps (United Kingdom)|Intelligence Corps]], then in the [[Royal Army Educational Corps|Army Education Corps]], spending much of the time in Germany writing letters home for other soldiers.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The joke that led Leonard Rossiter to stardom...and Rigsby|last=Knight|first=Val|quote=I was in just before the end of the Japanese war. The war in Germany was over, clearly why I went to Germany at that time...to teach soldiers, most of whom had missed schooling during the war, to read and write. It was weird really. I was immediately made a sergeant. Well you had to have some sort of rank because as a private in the classroom, teaching old soldiers their A, B, C, you'd soon have been given the brush off. I spent most of the time writing their letters home, you know 'Dear Mum...'|date=1 April 1978|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref> After being [[demobbed]] he worked for six years as an insurance clerk in the claims and accident departments of the [[Commercial Union|Commercial Union Insurance Company]].<ref>Interview on BBC R4 Desert Island Discs 12 April 1980</ref>

Rossiter started acting after his actress girlfriend challenged him to try it, after he had scoffed at the performances of the amateur group she was in.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rossiter revels in Rising Damp|quote=Having Rossiter in the part, incidentally, is all down to a former girlfriend who is called Ida. She was in an amateur group and when the young Rossiter watched her at rehearsals, he told her he thought he could do better. 'I suppose you could do better!' she snapped. 'I couldn't do worse,' he said. So he joined the group.|date=7 November 1975|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref> He joined the Wavertree Community Centre Drama Group and made his first appearance with the Adastra Players in [[Terence Rattigan]]'s ''[[Flare Path]]''. The local critic said that he "was particularly outstanding, his one fault being a tendency to speak too fast on one or two occasions".<ref>Tanitch, p. 8</ref> He gave up his insurance job to enrol in [[Preston, Lancashire|Preston]] [[repertory theatre]] and became a professional actor at the age of 27. He made his professional stage debut in Joseph Colton's ''The Gay Dog'' in Preston on 6 September 1954.<ref>{{cite news|title=Change of Policy|quote=Twenty-seven year-old Leonard Rossiter, Reginald Salberg's latest 'find' at Preston, was an insurance inspector in Liverpool until about three months ago. For years before he nursed an ambition to become an actor, and it was only the stress of domestic circumstances that baulked earlier efforts to reach his goal. Last August his family responsibilities were considerably relieved and he sought an interview with Mr. Salberg. As it happened, the application that got him his first small part (in 'The Gay Dog') was most opportunely timed. If it had been made a week before, or a week later, he would probably be still carrying out duties as an insurance claims assessor...|date=18 November 1954|newspaper=[[The Stage]]}}</ref>

He later became assistant stage manager there, and then went on to [[Wolverhampton]] and [[Salisbury]] repertory companies. In his first 19 months in the business he played some 75 roles. He said later: "There was no time to discuss the finer points of interpretation. You studied the part, you did it and then you studied the next part. I developed a frightening capacity for learning lines. The plays became like [[Elastoplast]], which you just stuck on and then tore off. It was the perfect preparation for rehearsing [[situation comedy]] on television at the rate of one episode a week."<ref>Tanitch, p. 25</ref>

In 1957–58, he played in the musical ''[[Free as Air]]'' and then toured in [[Eugene O'Neill]]'s ''[[The Iceman Cometh]]''. He joined the [[Bristol Old Vic]] and was there for two years, from 1959 to 1961, a time he described as "the bedrock of his career", followed by other stage work, in, among other plays, ''The Strange Case of Martin Richter'', ''Disabled'', ''The Heretic'', ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]'' and ''[[Semi-Detached (play)|Semi-Detached]]'' (in New York). His performance in the premiere of [[Michael Blakemore]]'s stage production of [[Bertolt Brecht]]'s ''[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui]]'' in 1969 met with critical acclaim.<ref>Tanitch, p. 47</ref>

==Film and television career==
Rossiter soon established himself as a character actor in films and television, as well as on stage. He stated: "I think I sensed fairly early on that I was not physically or facially built in the way that would ever fit even remotely into heroic or what used to be called juvenile parts. I always played character parts – right from the start."<ref>{{cite news|last=Sutcliffe|first=Tom|title=Rossiter's irresistible rise|date=4 September 1982|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> His first film role was in ''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]'' (1962). In ''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'' (1963) he played the title character's boss. His first major television role was as Detective-Inspector Bamber in the long-running police television series ''[[Z-Cars]]''.<ref>{{cite book|title=Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_S4f-nobIxEC|first=Anthony|last=Slide|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1996|isbn=9780313295508|page=213}}</ref> He also had guest roles in series as diverse as ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' ("[[Dressed to Kill (The Avengers)|Dressed to Kill]]", 1963) and ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' ("The Lead Man Cometh", 1964; "The Desperate Hours", 1972). Among his early film credits were four films directed by [[Bryan Forbes]], namely ''[[King Rat (film)|King Rat]]'' (1965), ''[[The Wrong Box]]'' (1966), ''[[The Whisperers]]'' (1967), and ''[[Deadfall (1968 film)|Deadfall]]'' (1968).

In 1968, he played Mr Sowerberry in the film version of [[Lionel Bart]]'s musical ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' and took one of the few speaking supporting roles in ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' as the Russian scientist Smyslov. He worked with [[Stanley Kubrick]] again in ''[[Barry Lyndon]]'' (1975), in the role of Captain John Quin. He appeared opposite [[Peter Sellers]] in ''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]'' (1976) as Superintendent Quinlan. In 1968, he appeared in [[Nigel Kneale]]'s television play ''[[The Year of the Sex Olympics]]'', an episode of [[BBC2]]'s ''[[Theatre 625]]'', one of his four appearances in the series.

In ''[[Rising Damp]]'', on [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]], Rossiter played Rupert Rigsby, the lecherous [[landlord]] of a house converted into shabby [[bedsit]]s, reprising the role from the successful stage version, ''The Banana Box''. While he was in ''Rising Damp'' he also took the lead role in ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'', adapted by [[David Nobbs]] from his own comic novels and broadcast on the BBC. Rossiter was given a surprise tribute on ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1975.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rossiter revels in Rising Damp|quote=Having Rossiter in the part, incidentally, is all down to a former girlfriend who is called Ida. She was in an amateur group and when the young Rossiter watched her at rehearsals he told her he thought he could do better. 'I suppose you could do better!' she snapped. 'I couldn't do worse,' he said. So he joined the group. When 'This Is Your Life' descended on Rossiter who do you think was one of the surprise guests? That's right. Ida.|date=7 November 1975|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref> He appeared in ''I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds'', an episode of the 1977 [[Yorkshire Television]] series ''The Galton & Simpson Playhouse'',<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Rossiter: a conviction in comedy|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/leonard-rossiter-conviction-comedy|author=Gary Mills|date= 4 March 2015|website=British Film Institute|access-date=18 December 2017}}</ref> as well as the short films ''The Waterloo Bridge Handicap'' (1978), and the [[Galton and Simpson]]-scripted ''[[Le Pétomane (film)|Le Pétomane]]'' (1979). After his portrayal of Reginald Perrin, Rossiter's non-comedy roles on television became less frequent, although there were exceptions, such as a debt collector in the one-off [[ITV Wales & West|HTV]] thriller ''Machinegunner'' (1976), and [[Frank Harris]] in ''Fearless Frank, or Tit-bits from the Life of an Adventurer'' (1978), a BBC ''Play of the Week''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rossiter, Leonard (1926–1984)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/839917/index.html|website=BFI Screenonline|author=John Oliver|access-date=20 December 2017}}</ref>

From 1978 to 1983, Rossiter performed in ten commercials for [[Cinzano]]. The series of adverts was created by film director [[Alan Parker]] and, at Rossiter's suggestion, used an old music hall joke where he spills a drink over his wife, played by [[Joan Collins]]. In the [[Channel 4]] programme ''[[The 100 Greatest TV Ads]]'' (2000) Terry Lovelock, the director of two of the commercials, said that Rossiter used to refer jokingly to Collins as "The Prop".<ref name=telegraphreview/><ref>[http://www.leonardrossiter.com/Cinzano.html The Cinzano commercials, LeonardRossiter.com]. Retrieved 26 August 2012.</ref>

Rossiter reprised Rigsby for a [[Rising Damp (film)|film version of ''Rising Damp'']] in 1980, thus achieving the distinction of playing the same role on stage, television, and film. He continued to make a steady stream of film appearances, including a role in [[Lindsay Anderson]]'s ''[[Britannia Hospital]]'' (1982).<ref>{{cite news|last=Utting|first=David|title=Mr. Rossiter is anxious not to bore the kids|date=23 November 1981|newspaper=[[Liverpool Echo]]}}</ref> His last television role was as the [[supermarket]] manager in another ITV sitcom, ''[[Tripper's Day]]'' (1984).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rossiter's hated hair apparent|last=Knowles|first=Stewart|quote=When I was offered Tripper, it was pointed out that it wasn't terribly deep stuff, just smash-bang basic comedy in short, sharp scenes. I said I wasn't averse to doing anything if I liked it, and this is fast and funny, very well written by Brian Cooke.|date=22 September 1984|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref>

He performed comic monologues in ''[[The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog]]'', which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by [[Channel 4]] in 1983.<ref>[https://www.bright-thoughts.co.uk/monologues-02.html] The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog production website</ref>

Rossiter also played the title role in the ''[[BBC Television Shakespeare]]'' production of ''[[The Life and Death of King John]]'' (1984). His last film appearance was in ''[[Water (1985 film)|Water]]'' (1985).

==Radio and voice work==
In the animated adaptation of ''[[The Perishers]]'' (1979), Rossiter provided the voice for [[The Perishers#Boot|Boot the dog]].<ref>{{cite news|title=The Perishers have Rossiter|date=15 March 1979|newspaper=[[The Stage|The Stage and Television Today]]}}</ref> He narrated an [[abridged]] version of the [[Charles Dickens]] book ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', which was released on cassette in 1979. He appeared on the [[BBC Radio 4]] show ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'' in 1980.<ref>{{cite web|title=Desert Island Discs: Leonard Rossiter|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009mwc2|date=12 April 1980|website=[[BBC Radio 4]]|access-date=29 February 2020}}</ref> In 1981, he hosted an episode of the BBC Radio 4 show ''[[With Great Pleasure]]'' in which he recited some of his favorite poetry and prose alongside his wife, [[Gillian Raine]], and his friend, the actor [[James Grout]].<ref>{{cite web|title=With Great Pleasure|url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/913bf8cfd5f149bc8cbadda47709a0a0|date=28 August 1981|website=BBC Genome|access-date=13 December 2020}}</ref> Also in 1981, he narrated a seven-part series of satirical five-minute monologues, written by [[Barry Pilton]] for BBC Radio 3, titled ''In a Nutshell'', followed in 1982 by a second series, also written by Barry Pilton, this time comprising 8 five-minute monologues.<ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Rossiter – In a Nutshell|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00sjqty/episodes/guide|date=1981|website=BBC Radio 4|access-date=1 March 2020}}</ref> Rossiter narrated a three-part series of the children's story ''Harlequin and Columbine'' for ''[[Story Teller (magazine)|Story Teller]]'' magazine in 1984. He voiced the [[King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|King of Hearts]] in two episodes of [[Anglia Television]]'s version of ''[[Alice In Wonderland]]'', which was broadcast in April 1985, six months after Rossiter's death.

==Writing==
Rossiter displayed his acid wit in two books: ''The Devil's Bedside Book'' (1980),<ref>Leonard Rossiter, ''Devil's Bedside Book'', Littlehampton: 1980; {{ISBN|0-600-20105-8}}</ref> a collection of cynical dictionary definitions in the style of [[Ambrose Bierce]]'s ''[[The Devil's Dictionary]]'', and ''The Lowest Form of Wit'', (1981),<ref>{{cite book|title=The Lowest Form of Wit|first=Leonard|last=Rossiter|isbn=0-7221-7513-2|publisher=Michael Joseph Ltd.|year=1981|place=Great Britain}}</ref> a collection of biting [[bon mot|bons mots]], stinging retorts, insults and sarcasm illustrated with cartoons by [[Martin Honeysett]]. He also wrote the introduction to [[chef|cook]] [[Keith Floyd]]'s 1981 book ''Floyd's Food''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Jaine|first=Tom|date=15 September 2009|title=Keith Floyd obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global/2009/sep/15/keith-floyd-obituary|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|accessdate=24 February 2021}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Rossiter's first marriage was to the actress [[Josephine Tewson]], with whom he had worked many times in [[repertory theatre]] in the 1950s. They married in 1958. The marriage ended in divorce in 1961. His second wife was the actress [[Gillian Raine]], with whom he had a daughter, Camilla, and to whom he was still married at the time of his death.<ref name="Personal">{{cite web|title=Personal Remembrances, includes many pictures with Raine and his daughter|url=http://www.leonardrossiter.com/Personal.html|access-date=2 February 2009}}</ref> Rossiter had met Raine when he played the lead role of Fred Midway in [[David Turner (dramatist)|David Turner]]'s play ''Semi-Detached'', in a production directed by [[Tony Richardson]]. The play opened on 8 June 1962 at the [[Belgrade Theatre]] in [[Coventry]] and ran for a week. During the play's second run at the Belgrade, in September 1963, the couple fell in love and moved in together, but they did not marry until 1972.<ref name = "Personal2">{{cite web|title=Personal Remembrances, includes many pictures with Raine in Semi-Detached|url=http://www.leonardrossiter.com/SemiDetached.html|access-date=2 February 2009}}</ref>

Rossiter was an [[Everton F.C.|Everton]] fan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/pictures-remembering-leonard-rossiter-one-7881563|title=Pics and video: Remembering Leonard Rossiter|last=Macdonald|first=Neil|date=4 October 2014|access-date=30 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=The joke that led Leonard Rossiter to stardom...and Rigsby|last=Knight|first=Val|quote=Of course I'm an Evertonian by tradition and so is my family. Tommy Lawton was my hero.|date=1 April 1978|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref> He was also a wine [[connoisseur]], and converted his attic into a sort of [[wine cellar]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The joke that led Leonard Rossiter to stardom...and Rigsby|last=Knight|first=Val|quote=Wine connoisseur Rossiter keeps his several hundred bottles of vintage wine, rather surprisingly, in his attic in the pleasant once two-up-two down cottage he has converted.|date=1 April 1978|newspaper=[[TVTimes]]}}</ref>

After his death, it was revealed that during the early 1980s Rossiter had had a five-year relationship with the broadcaster [[Sue MacGregor]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Woman of Today|first=Sue|last=MacGregor|isbn=0-7472-4989-X|publisher=Headline Book Publishing|year=2002|place=London|pages=194–198}}</ref> His wife had not been aware of the affair until she received a letter from MacGregor breaking the news that her memoirs, which were about to be published, would include an account of the affair.<ref name=telegraphreview/>

==Death==
On 5 October 1984, Rossiter died from [[hypertrophic cardiomyopathy]] while waiting to go onstage at the [[Lyric Theatre, London|Lyric Theatre]], [[London]], where he was performing in [[Joe Orton]]'s play ''[[Loot (play)|Loot]]''.<ref name=obit>{{cite news |author=Shawn G. Kennedy |title=Leonard Rossiter, Actor Dies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/10/07/obituaries/leonard-rossiter-actor-dies.html |quote=Leonard Rossiter, one of Britain's most popular comic actors, collapsed during a performance in London and died Friday night, apparently of a heart attack. Mr. Rossiter, who was 57 years old, was declared dead at Middlesex Hospital. ... |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=7 October 1984 |access-date=13 September 2015 }}</ref> His funeral took place at [[St Mary the Boltons|St. Mary's Church]], [[The Boltons]], London.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} 

A memorial service was held on 15 November 1984 at [[St Paul's, Covent Garden]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Memorial Service to Leonard Rossiter at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden yesterday|date=16 November 1984|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]}}</ref> Attendees included Rossiter's ''Loot'' castmates, as well as [[Derek Nimmo]], [[Fulton Mackay]], and [[Ned Sherrin]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Last tribute to Rossiter|date=15 November 1984|newspaper=[[Liverpool Echo]]}}</ref> ''Loot'' director, [[Jonathan Lynn]], gave a eulogy in which he said of Rossiter: "Now that Leonard is up there, things had better be properly managed: I hope that the Heavenly Gates opened on cue and that the Choir of Angels is singing in tune. They had better be professional in Paradise. Because, if not, they'll certainly hear about it from Leonard."<ref>{{cite book|title=Comedy Rules: From the Cambridge Footlights to Yes Prime Minister|first=Jonathan|last=Lynn|isbn=978-0571277957|publisher=[[Faber and Faber]]|year=2011|pages=173–174}}</ref>

==Legacy and tributes==
Rossiter was posthumously nominated for a [[Laurence Olivier Award]] for "Comedy Performance of the Year", for his role as Inspector Truscott in ''Loot''.<ref>{{cite news|title=Rossiter in line for 'Larry' award|date=29 November 1984|newspaper=[[The Stage]]}}</ref>

In 1985, the book ''Leonard Rossiter'' by author [[Robert Tanitch]] was published. The book featured a collection of rare photos and reminiscences from friends and colleagues of Rossiter's.<ref>{{cite book|last=Tanitch|first=Robert|title=Leonard Rossiter|year=1985|publisher=Robert Royce Ltd|isbn=0-947728-19-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Leonard Rossiter|url=http://www.tanitch.co.uk/books/rossiter.htm|publisher=www.tanitch.co.uk}}</ref>

In 2000, the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] biography series ''[[The Unforgettable]]'' broadcast an episode about Rossiter's life. His wife and daughter were interviewed, as well as former colleagues, including [[Don Warrington]], [[Joan Collins]], and [[Sue Nicholls]].

A biography of Rossiter, titled ''Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven'' was published in 2010 by author Guy Adams.<ref>{{cite book|last=Adams|first=Guy|title=Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven|year=2010|isbn=978-1-84513-596-6|publisher=Aurum Press Ltd}}</ref><ref name=telegraphreview/>

==Film==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes
|-
|1962 ||''[[A Kind of Loving (film)|A Kind of Loving]]'' ||Whymper ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1963 ||''[[This Sporting Life]]'' ||Phillips, sports writer ||
|-
|''[[Billy Liar (film)|Billy Liar]]'' ||Mr Shadrack ||
|-
| rowspan="2" |1964 ||''[[The Long Ships (film)|The Long Ships]]''||Persian Soldier ||Uncredited
|-
|''[[A Jolly Bad Fellow]]''||Dr. Fisher ||
|-
|1965 ||''[[King Rat (film)|King Rat]]'' ||McCoy ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1966 ||''[[Hotel Paradiso]]'' ||Inspector ||
|-
|''[[The Wrong Box]]'' ||Vyvyan Montague ||
|-
|''[[The Witches (1966 film)|The Witches]]'' ||Dr. Wallis ||
|-
|1967 ||''[[Deadlier Than the Male]]'' ||Henry Bridgenorth ||
|-
|1967 ||''[[The Whisperers]]'' ||Assistance Board Officer ||
|-
| rowspan="5" |1968 ||''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'' || Dr. Andrei Smyslov ||
|-
|''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'' || Mr. Sowerberry ||
|-
|''[[Deadfall (1968 film)|Deadfall]]'' || Fillmore ||
|-
|''[[Diamonds for Breakfast (film)|Diamonds for Breakfast]]'' || Inspector Dudley ||
|-
|''[[Otley (film)|Otley]]''|| Johnson ||
|-
|1973 ||''[[Luther (1973 film)|Luther]]'' ||Brother Weinand ||
|-
|1974 || ''If There Weren't Any Blacks You'd Have To Invent Them'' || Blind Man ||
|-
|1975 ||''[[Barry Lyndon]]'' || Capt. John Quin ||
|-
| rowspan="3" |1976 ||''[[The Pink Panther Strikes Again]]'' || Superintendent Quinlan ||
|-
|''[[Voyage of the Damned]]'' || Commander Von Bonin ||
|-
| ''Machinegunner'' || Cyril Dugdale || [[ITV Wales & West|HTV West]]
|-
| rowspan="2" |1978 || ''[[The Losers (TV series)|The Losers]]'' || Sydney Foskett ||
|-
| ''The Waterloo Bridge Handicap'' || Charles Barker || rowspan="2" | Short Film
|-
|1979 || ''[[Le Pétomane (film)|Le Pétomane]]'' || [[Joseph Pujol]] 
|-
|1980 || ''[[Rising Damp (film)|Rising Damp]]'' || Rupert Rigsby ||Film
|-
|1982 || ''[[Britannia Hospital]]'' ||Vincent Potter ||
|-
|1985 || ''[[Water (1985 film)|Water]]'' || Sir Malcolm Leveridge ||<!--
This is a set of the lines needed to add roles to the table feel free to copy and past them to save time
| ||''[[]]'' ||
|-
 -->
|}

== Television ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1964,
1972
|''[[Steptoe and Son]]''
|Welsh Hughie
Johnny Spooner
|"The Lead Man Cometh"
"The Desperate Hours"
|-
|1966
|''Death is a Good Living''
|Norman Lynch
|''Thick as Thieves ''
|-
|1968
|''[[Theatre 625]]''
|Dr. Knock
Fred Midway
Ugo Priest
[[Voltaire]]
|''Doctor Knock''
''Semi-Detached''
''[[The Year of the Sex Olympics]]''
''The Fanatics,'' 
|-
|1971
|''Thick as Thieves ''
|Eddie, the Safe Breaker
|
|-
|1974–1978
|''[[Rising Damp]]''
|Rupert Rigsby
|
|-
|1975,
1981,
1984
|''[[Play for Today]]''
|Dawson,
Harry Meadows,
Arthur 
|''After the Solo,''
''The Factory,''
Dog Ends
|-
|1976–1979
|''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]''
|Reginald Perrin
|"I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds"
|-
|1977
|''The [[Galton & Simpson]] Playhouse''
|Uncle Jim
|
|-
|1978
|''The [[Morecambe and Wise]] Christmas Show''
|Himself
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1984
|''[[Tripper's Day]]''
|Norman Tripper
|
|-
|''[[BBC Television Shakespeare]]''
|[[John, King of England]]
|''[[The Life and Death of King John]]''
|-
|1985
|[[Alice in Wonderland (1985 film)|''Alice in Wonderland'']]
|[[King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)|King of Hearts]]
|
|}

==Theatre==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! Director
! Playwright(s)
! Theatre
|-
| rowspan="5" | 1959
| ''[[The Clandestine Marriage]]''
| Canton
| rowspan="3" | John Hale
| [[George Colman the Elder|George Colman]] and [[David Garrick]]
| rowspan="23" | [[Theatre Royal, Bristol]]
|-
| ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''
| Sampson & Friar John
| [[William Shakespeare]]
|-
| ''[[Epicoene, or the Silent Woman|The Silent Woman]]''
| Sir John Daw
| [[Ben Jonson]]
|-
| ''[[The Long and the Short and the Tall (play)|The Long and the Short and the Tall]]''
| Private Bamforth
| David Scase
| [[Willis Hall]]
|-
| ''Hooray for Daisy!''
| Harry Tuck
| [[Denis Carey (actor)|Denis Carey]]
| [[Julian Slade]] and [[Dorothy Reynolds]]
|-
| rowspan="12" | 1960
| ''[[A Taste of Honey]]''
| Peter
| rowspan="2" | John Hale
| [[Shelagh Delaney]]
|-
| ''[[Mary Stuart (Schiller play)|Mary Stuart]]''
| Lord Burleigh
| [[Friedrich Schiller]] (adapted by [[Stephen Spender]])
|-
| ''The Woodcarver''
| Griff
| [[Prunella Scales]]
| Morris Brown
|-
| ''[[She Stoops to Conquer]]''
| Tony Lumpkin
| Dudley Jones
| [[Oliver Goldsmith]]
|-
| ''[[The Hostage (play)|The Hostage]]''
| Pat
| rowspan="5" | John Hale
| [[Brendan Behan]]
|-
| ''[[The Comedy of Errors]]''
| Dromio of Syracuse
| rowspan="2" | [[William Shakespeare]]
|-
| ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''
| [[Friar Lawrence]]
|-
| ''[[Rhinoceros (play)|Rhinoceros]]''
| The Logician
| [[Eugène Ionesco]]
|-
| ''[[The Tempest]]''
| [[Stephano (The Tempest)|Stephano]]
| [[William Shakespeare]]
|-
| ''[[Caesar and Cleopatra (play)|Caesar and Cleopatra]]''
| Rufio
| Tony Robertson
| [[George Bernard Shaw]]
|-
| ''[[One Way Pendulum (play)|One Way Pendulum]]''
| Arthur Groomkirby
| [[Alan Bridges]]
| [[N.F. Simpson]]
|-
| ''[[Dick Whittington and His Cat|Dick Whittington]]''
| Cicely Suett
| [[Frank Dunlop (director)|Frank Dunlop]]
| [[V.C. Clinton-Baddeley]] and [[Gavin Gordon (composer)|Gavin Gordon]]
|-
| rowspan="8" | 1961
| ''[[Roots (play)|Roots]]''
| Mr. Bryant
| Duncan Ross
| [[Arnold Wesker]]
|-
| ''[[A Passage to India (play)|A Passage to India]]''
| Richard Fielding
| [[Alan Bridges]]
| [[Santha Rama Rau]] (based on the novel by [[E.M. Forster]])
|-
| ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]''
| Henry Bolingbroke
| rowspan="2" | John Hale
| [[William Shakespeare]]
|-
| ''[[The Killer (play)|The Killer]]''
| The Architect & Second Policeman
| [[Eugène Ionesco]]
|-
| ''[[A Man for All Seasons (play)|A Man for All Seasons]]''
| The Common Man
| Warren Jenkins
| [[Robert Bolt]]
|-
| ''Goat Song''
| Celestino
| John Hale
| Martin Shuttleworth
|-
| ''North City Traffic Straight Ahead''
| Harry Hopkins
| [[Alan Simpson (theatre director)|Alan Simpson]]
| James Douglas
| [[Gaiety Theatre, Dublin]]
|-
| ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]''
| Davies
| [[Gareth Davies (director)|Gareth Davies]]
| [[Harold Pinter]]
| The Leatherhead Theatre Club
|-
| 1962
| ''[[The Recruiting Officer]]''
| Sergeant Kite
| [[Frank Dunlop (director)|Frank Dunlop]]
| [[George Farquhar]]
| [[Nottingham Playhouse]]
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Arms and the Man]]''
| Sergius Saranoff
| David Forder
| [[George Bernard Shaw]]
| [[Belgrade Theatre, Coventry]]
|-
| 1962
| ''[[Red Roses for Me (play)|Red Roses for Me]]''
| Brennan o' the Moor
| [[Julius Gellner]]
| [[Seán O'Casey]]
| [[Mermaid Theatre|Mermaid Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1962–1963
| ''[[Semi-Detached (play)|Semi-Detached]]''
| Fred Midway
| [[Tony Richardson]]
| [[David Turner (dramatist)|David Turner]]
| [[Belgrade Theatre, Coventry]]; [[Music Box Theatre|Music Box Theatre, New York]]
|-
| 1964
| ''Hamp''
| Lieutenant Tom Webb
| John Gibson
| John Wilson
| [[Theatre Royal, Newcastle]]
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Ghosts (play)|Ghosts]]''
| Pastor Menders
| Adrian Rendle
| [[Henrik Ibsen]]
| [[Theatre Royal Stratford East]]
|-
| 1966
| ''[[Volpone]]''
| Corvino
| [[Frank Hauser (director)|Frank Hauser]]
| [[Ben Jonson]]
| [[Oxford Playhouse]]
|-
| 1967–1968
| ''[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui]]''
| Arturo Ui
| [[Michael Blakemore]]
| [[Bertolt Brecht]] (adapted by [[George Tabori]])
| [[Citizens Theatre|Citizens Theatre, Glasgow]]; [[Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh]]
|-
| 1968
| ''The Strange Case of Martin Richter''
| Martin Richter
| [[Michael Blakemore]]
| [[Stanley Eveling]]
| [[Hampstead Theatre|Hampstead Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1969
| ''[[The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui]]''
| Arturo Ui
| [[Michael Blakemore]]
| [[Bertolt Brecht]] (adapted by [[George Tabori]])
| [[Nottingham Playhouse]]; [[Saville Theatre|Saville Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1970
| ''The Heretic''
| Giordano Bruno
| [[Morris West]] and Joseph O'Connor
| [[Morris West]]
| [[Duke of York's Theatre|Duke of York's Theatre, London]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1971
| ''Disabled''
| Barker
| [[Vivian Matalon]]
| [[Peter Ransley]]
| [[Hampstead Theatre|Hampstead Theatre, London]]
|-
| ''[[Richard III (play)|Richard III]]''
| Richard III
| [[Peter McEnery]]
| [[William Shakespeare]]
| [[Nottingham Playhouse]]
|-
| 1972
| ''[[The Caretaker (play)|The Caretaker]]''
| Davies
| [[Christopher Morahan]]
| [[Harold Pinter]]
| [[Mermaid Theatre|Mermaid Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1973
| ''The Banana Box''
| Rooksby
| [[David Scase]]
| [[Eric Chappell]]
| Adeline Genée Theatre, [[East Grinstead]]; [[Apollo Theatre|Apollo Theatre, London]]
|-
| rowspan="2" | 1974
| ''Abel, Where Is Your Brother?''
| The Narrator & I
| Amos Mokadi
| Julius Edliss (translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff)
| Act-In Theatre Club, Piccadilly, London
|-
| ''The Looneys''
| Brian
| [[Michael Rudman]]
| [[John Antrobus]]
| [[Hampstead Theatre|Hampstead Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1975
| ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''
| [[Ebeneezer Scrooge]]
| Michael Fabian
| [[Charles Dickens]]
| Touring production
|-
| 1976–1977
| ''The Frontiers of Farce'' (adaptation of the plays {{ill|''The Purging''|fr|On purge bébé}} by [[Georges Feydeau]] & ''The Singer'' by [[Frank Wedekind]])
| Follavoine & Dhuring
| [[Peter Barnes (playwright)|Peter Barnes]]
| [[Georges Feydeau]] & [[Frank Wedekind]] (adapted by [[Peter Barnes (playwright)|Peter Barnes]])
| [[Theatre Royal, Bristol]]; [[Criterion Theatre|Criterion Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1976
| ''[[Tartuffe]]''
| Tartuffe
| David Thompson
| [[Molière]] (translated by David Thompson)
| [[Greenwich Theatre|Greenwich Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1977–1978
| ''The Immortal Haydon'' (one-man show)
| Haydon
| Alan Strachan
| [[John Wells (satirist)|John Wells]]
| [[Mermaid Theatre|Mermaid Theatre, London]]; [[Greenwich Theatre|Greenwich Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1979
| ''[[Semi-Detached (play)|Semi-Detached]]''
| Fred Midway
| Leonard Rossiter & Alan Strachan
| [[David Turner (dramatist)|David Turner]]
| [[Greenwich Theatre|Greenwich Theatre, London]] and toured
|-
| 1980
| ''Make and Break''
| Garrard
| [[Michael Blakemore]]
| [[Michael Frayn]]
| [[Lyric Theatre, London]]; [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]]
|-
| 1982
| ''[[The Rules of the Game (play)|The Rules of the Game]]''
| Leone Gala
| [[Anthony Quayle]]
| [[Luigi Pirandello]] (translated by [[Robert Rietti]] & Noel Gregeen)
| [[Theatre Royal, Nottingham]]; [[Theatre Royal Haymarket]]; [[Phoenix Theatre, London]]
|-
| 1983–1984
| ''[[Tartuffe]]''
| Tartuffe
| [[Peter Coe (director)|Peter Coe]]
| [[Molière]] (adapted by [[Miles Malleson]])
| [[Churchill Theatre|Churchill Theatre, Bromley]]
|-
| 1984
| ''[[Loot (play)|Loot]]''
| Truscott
| [[Jonathan Lynn]]
| [[Joe Orton]]
| [[Ambassadors Theatre, London]]; [[Lyric Theatre, London]]
|}

==Awards and nominations==
{| class="wikitable unsortable"
|-
! Year
! Awards
! Category
! Work
! Result
! Ref.
|-
|  1977
| rowspan="3" |[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]
| rowspan="3" |[[British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance|BAFTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance]]
| ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'' 
| {{nom}}
|
|-
|  1978
| ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'' + ''[[Rising Damp]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
|  1979
| ''[[The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin]]'' + ''[[Rising Damp]]'' + ''[[The Losers (TV series)|The Losers]]''
| {{nom}}
|
|-
| 1981
|[[Evening Standard British Film Awards]]
| [[Evening Standard British Film Awards|Peter Sellers Award for Comedy]]
| Outstanding career in British film comedy
| {{won}}
|
|-
|1984
|[[Laurence Olivier Awards]]
|[[Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance|Best Comedy Performance]]
|[[Loot (play)|''Loot'']]
| {{nom}}
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=Olivier Winners 1984 |url=https://officiallondontheatre.com/olivier-awards/winners/olivier-winners-1984/ |access-date=2025-02-13 |website=Olivier Awards |language=en-GB}}</ref>
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Tanitch, Robert (1985), ''Leonard Rossiter'', Robert Royce Ltd. {{ISBN|0-947728-19-8}}
*Adams, Guy (2010), ''Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven'', Aurum Press Ltd. {{ISBN|978-1-84513-596-6}}
*Lynn, Jonathan (2011), ''Comedy Rules: From the Cambridge Footlights to Yes Prime Minister'', Faber and Faber. {{ISBN|0571277950}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0744436}}
*{{Screenonline name|839917|Leonard Rossiter}}
* [http://www.bris.ac.uk/theatrecollection/search/people_sub_plays_all?forename=Leonard&amp;surname=ROSSITER&amp;job=Actor&amp;pid=11359&image_view=Yesamp;x=19amp;y=17 Performances listed in the Theatre Archive University of Bristol]
* [http://www.leonardrossiter.com LeonardRossiter.com: Authorised Web Site]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossiter, Leonard}}
[[Category:1926 births]]
[[Category:1984 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century British Army personnel]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:Intelligence Corps soldiers]]
[[Category:Male actors from Liverpool]]
[[Category:People educated at Liverpool Collegiate Institution]]
[[Category:Royal Army Educational Corps soldiers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Liverpool]]