David John Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor of stage and screen, mainly appearing in comedy roles.

Early life

Battley was born at

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batter ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the elder son of John Battley, a post-

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Labour MP, and his wife Sybill (née Allchurch). Born with a hole in the heart, he was initially

home schooled Homeschooling or home schooling, also known as home education or elective home education (EHE), is the education of school-aged children at home or a variety of places other than a school. Usually conducted by a parent, tutor, or an onlin ...

before attending a special school. He later enrolled at Camberwell School of Art but left before completing the course. He earned a living working for the family printing firm, Battley Brothers, before applying to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Battley had one brother, Bernard.

Career

Battley used a dry, ironic delivery on television and in films. He found steady work as a character actor and comic stooge. Battley's TV work ranged from the satire show '' BBC-3'' and the military police drama '' Redcap'' in the 1960s through Eric Sykes'

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

sitcom, the 1975 TV adaptation of ''

Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...

'' and the 1977 Christmas Special of '' The Good Life'' and later ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

, '' The Beiderbecke Tapes, as John the hippy barman, and '' Mr. Bean''. Battley also appears as the Executioner in the 1966 BBC production of ''

Alice in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatur ...

''. He also appeared in the mid-1970s as a foil to

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, musician and writer. Idle was a member of the British surreal comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the Broadwa ...

in the BBC series ''

Rutland Weekend Television ''Rutland Weekend Television'' (''RWT'') was a television sketch show on BBC2, written by Eric Idle with music by Neil Innes. Two series were broadcast, the first consisting of six episodes in 1975, and the second series of seven episodes in ...

'' (1975–1976). Battley played the

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

role in the original ''RWT'' sketch of The Rutles, a parody of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, but did not appear in the American TV film '' All You Need Is Cash'', based on the sketch. Battley also featured in films, including ''

Hotel Paradiso ''Hotel Paradiso'' is a 1966 British comedy film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in Panavision. It was directed by Peter Glenville and based on the play ''L'Hôtel du libre échange'' by Maurice Desvallières and Georges Feydeau. The film allowe ...

'' (1966), '' Crossplot'' (1969), '' Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971), '' Up the Chastity Belt'' (1972), ''

Up the Front ''Up the Front'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Bob Kellett and starring Frankie Howerd, Bill Fraser, and Hermione Baddeley. It is the third film spin-off from the television series ''Up Pompeii!'' (the previous films being ''Up th ...

'' (1972), ''

That's Your Funeral ''That's Your Funeral'' was a BBC sitcom from 1971 about a North of England funeral director called Basil Bulstrode (Bill Fraser). Storylines used many urban legends about the funeral industry. It was cancelled after one series. A very simil ...

'' (1972), ''

Rentadick ''Rentadick'' is a 1972 British comedy film, directed by Jim Clark and starring James Booth, Richard Briers, Julie Ege, Ronald Fraser and Donald Sinden. It is a spoof spy/detective picture, the plot of which involves attempts to protect a new ...

'' (1972), ''

Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! ''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' is a 1974 British political themed-comedy film based on the popular "Whitehall farce" written by Michael Pertwee, who also wrote the screenplay. In the film, a government minister and his best friend co-s ...

'' (1973), ''

Mister Quilp ''Mister Quilp'' is a 1975 British musical film directed by Michael Tuchner and starring Anthony Newley, David Hemmings and Jill Bennett. It is based on the 1841 novel ''The Old Curiosity Shop'' by Charles Dickens, under which name it was als ...

'' (1975), ''

S.O.S. Titanic ''S.O.S. Titanic'' is a British-American 1979 drama disaster television movie that depicts the doomed 1912 maiden voyage from the perspective of three distinct groups of passengers in First, Second, and Third Class. The script was written by Jam ...

'' (1979), ''

The London Connection ''The Omega Connection'' is a 1979 American made-for-television action spy film directed by Robert Clouse for Walt Disney Productions. It stars Jeffrey Byron and Larry Cedar. It was released theatrically in other countries as ''The London Connecti ...

'' (1979) and ''

Krull Krull is a surname originating from Prussian nobility. People *Alexander Krull (born 1970), German singer *Annie Krull (1876–1947), German operatic soprano *Germaine Krull (1897–1985), photographer * Hasso Krull (born 1964), Estonian po ...

'' (1983). In 1990 he appeared in an early episode of '' One Foot in the Grave''. Among his last roles were a miniature golf course employee in an episode of '' Mr. Bean,'' "

Tee Off, Mr. Bean "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" is the twelfth episode of the British television series ''Mr. Bean'', produced by Tiger Aspect Productions and Thames Television for Central Independent Television. It was first broadcast on ITV on 20 September 1995. Plot ...

" (1995) and a doctor examining new regimental recruits in ''

Sharpe's Regiment ''Sharpe's Regiment'' is the seventeenth historical novel in the Sharpe (novel series), Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell, first published in 1986. The story is set in England as Sharpe looks for the missing Second Battalion of the Sout ...

'' (1996).

Personal life and death

Battley had two daughters, Zoe S. Battley and E. Martha Battley. He died on 20 January 2003, after suffering a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

, at the age of 67, in Epsom,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Battley, David 1935 births 2003 deaths 20th-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art English male film actors English male television actors Male actors from London People from Battersea The Rutles members