Edward Chapman
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- October 13, 1901
- Died
- August 9, 1977 (aged 75)
- Birthplace
- Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edward Chapman (13 October 1901 - 9 August 1977) was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s. Chapman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greet's Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre, Nottingham, playing Gecko in George du Maurier's Trilby. He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmer's Wife. Among dozens of stage roles that followed, he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlings's Josephine in Napoleon at the Embassy Theatre in September 1934. In 1928 he attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock, who gave him the role of "The Paycock" in the 1930 film, Juno and the Paycock. In the same year he also made an appearance in Caste (of which no prints are known to exist). He had a role in The Citadel in 1938 and appeared alongside George Formby in the Ealing Studios comedy Turned Out Nice Again in 1941. During the Second World War he took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force. After training he was posted to 129 (Mysore) Squadron as an intelligence officer. This Spitfire squadron was based at Westhampnett and Debden. The squadron was heavily engaged in combat during this period and many of Chapman's fellow squadron mates were killed in action. Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957's Just My Luck in the role of Mr. Stoneway, but the next year in The Square Peg he appeared as Mr. Grimsdale for the first time opposite Wisdom's character of Norman Pitkin. In 1960 he and Wisdom acted together again in The Bulldog Breed, playing the roles of Mr. Philpots and Norman Puckle - Mr. Grimsdale and Pitkin in all but name. Wisdom appeared alone as Norman Pitkin in On the Beat in 1962, while Chapman branched out, starring in the Danish folktale Venus fra Vestø, but Grimsdale and Pitkin were reunited for 1963's A Stitch in Time. Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965, Wisdom's first film in colour. In all, he appeared alongside Norman Wisdom in five films. After Sir John Gielgud was arrested for "persistently importuning male persons for immoral purposes", Chapman started a petition to force him to resign from Equity. Sir Laurence Olivier reportedly threw Chapman out of his dressing room when he solicited his signature for the petition. From 1965 Chapman played mostly characters roles on television. His final role was as Mr. Callon for nine episodes of the BBC's seafaring melodrama The Onedin Line between 1971 and 1972. Chapman died of a heart attack in Brighton, East Sussex, England at the age of 75. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward Chapman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
The World of Hammer
TV · as Self (archive footage) · 1 ep
The Onedin Line
TV · as Mr. Callon · 9 eps
The Man Who Haunted Himself
Movie · as Barton
Champion House
TV · 30 eps
The Early Bird
Movie · as Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
Joey Boy
Movie · as Tom Hobson
The Man in Room 17
TV · as Oliver Crawford · 1 ep
Hide and Seek
Movie · as McPherson
A Stitch in Time
Movie · as Mr. Grimsdale
Venus fra Vestø
Movie
The Big Deal
Movie · as Sir Pierson Cale
School for Scoundrels
Movie · as Gloatbridge
The Bulldog Breed
Movie · as Mr. Philpots
Oscar Wilde
Movie · as Marquis of Queensberry
Maigret
TV · 1 ep
No Hiding Place
TV · 1 ep
The Men From Room 13
TV · as Mr. Grandland · 2 eps
The Square Peg
Movie · as Private Wilfred Grimsdale
The Young and the Guilty
Movie · as George Connor
Innocent Sinners
Movie · as Manley
Just My Luck
Movie · as Mr. Stoneway
Doctor at Large
Movie · as Mr. Wilkins
X: The Unknown
Movie · as John Elliott
Bhowani Junction
Movie · as Thomas Jones
Lisbon
Movie · as Edgar Selwyn
Armchair Theatre
TV · as Sir Pierson Cale · 1 ep
The Love Match
Movie · as Mr Longworth
A Yank in Ermine
Movie · as Duke of Fontenham
The Crowded Day
Movie · as Mr. Bunting
The End of the Road
Movie · as Works Manager
A Day to Remember
Movie · as Mr. Robinson
The Intruder
Movie · as Lowden
The Card
Movie · as Mr. Duncalf
The Magic Box
Movie · as Father in Family Group
The Cocktail Party
Movie
His Excellency
Movie · as The Admiral
The Ringer
Movie · as Stranger
Mandy
Movie · as Ackland
Folly to Be Wise
Movie · as Joseph Byres M.P.
Let’s Keep Our Teeth
Movie · as Self - Commentator
Gone to Earth
Movie · as Mr. James
Night and the City
Movie · as Hoskins (uncredited)
The History of Mr. Polly
Movie · as Mr. Johnson
The Spider and the Fly
Movie · as Minister for War
Man on the Run
Movie · as Chief Inspector Mitchell
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
Movie · as Birkland
It Always Rains on Sunday
Movie · as George Sandigate
The October Man
Movie · as Mr. Peachy
They Flew Alone
Movie · as Mr. Johnson
Turned Out Nice Again
Movie · as Uncle Arnold
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
Movie · as Mr. Blenkinsop
Jeannie
Movie · as Mr. Jansen
Ships with Wings
Movie · as Papadopoulos
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
Movie · as Mr. Jones
The Proud Valley
Movie · as Dick Parry
Convoy
Movie · as Captain Eckersley
The Briggs Family
Movie · as Charley Briggs
Now You're Talking
Movie · as Alf Small
Law and Disorder
Movie · as Detective Inspector Bray
There Ain't No Justice
Movie · as Sammy Sanders
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
Movie · as Captain Edwin Fraser
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
Movie
The Four Just Men
Movie · as B.J. Burrell
Poison Pen
Movie · as Len Griffin
The Citadel
Movie · as Joe Morgan
Marigold
Movie · as Mordan
Who Killed John Savage?
Movie · as Inspector Chortley
Premiere
Movie · as Lohrmann
Things to Come
Movie · as Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Movie · as Major Grigsby
Rembrandt
Movie · as Fabrizius
Someone at the Door
Movie · as Price
Mister Cinders
Movie · as Mr. Gaunt
The Divine Spark
Movie · as Saverio Mercadante
The Queen's Affair
Movie · as Guard
The Church Mouse
Movie · as Wormwood
Blossom Time
Movie · as Meyerhoffer
Girls Will Be Boys
Movie · as Grey
The Flying Squad
Movie · as Sedeman
Happy Ever After
Movie · as Colonel
The Skin Game
Movie · as Dawker
Tilly of Bloomsbury
Movie · as Percy Welwyn
Murder!
Movie · as Ted Markham
Juno and the Paycock
Movie · as Captain Boyle
Caste
Movie · as Sam Gerridge