Michael Hugh Medwin,

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(18 July 1923 – 26 February 2020) was an English actor and film producer.

Life and career

Medwin was born in London. He was educated at

Canford School Canford School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils aged 13–18). Situated in 300 acres of parkland near to the market town of Wimborne Minster in Dorset, south west England, it is one of the largest sc ...

, Dorset, and the Institute Fischer,

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxi ...

, Switzerland. He first appeared on stage in 1940. Medwin's

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194– ...

credits include ''

Man and Superman ''Man and Superman'' is a four-act drama written by George Bernard Shaw in 1903. The series was written in response to a call for Shaw to write a play based on the Don Juan theme. ''Man and Superman'' opened at the Royal Court Theatre in London o ...

'', ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of th ...

'', '' Love for Love'', ''Duckers and Lovers'', '' Alfie'', ''

St Joan of the Stockyards ''Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' (german: Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe, links=no) is a play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht between 1929 and 1931, after the success of his musical ''The Threepenny Opera'' and dur ...

'', and '' What the Butler Saw''.Biographical note for Michael Medwin, from programme for ''

Noises Off ''Noises Off'' is a 1982 play by the English playwright Michael Frayn. Frayn conceived the idea in 1970 while watching from the wings a performance of ''The Two of Us'', a farce that he had written for Lynn Redgrave. He said, "It was funnier f ...

'',

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pal ...

, December 1984. At the National Theatre he played a season which included '' Weapons of Happiness'' (Ralph Makepeace), ''

Volpone ''Volpone'' (, Italian for "sly fox") is a comedy play by English playwright Ben Jonson first produced in 1605–1606, drawing on elements of city comedy and beast fable. A merciless satire of greed and lust, it remains Jonson's most-perfor ...

'' (Corvino) and ''The Madras House''. He appeared in ''Black Ball Game'' at the

Lyric Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

. He also played Lloyd Dallas in one of the casts of the long-running production of ''

'' in the early 1980s. He is probably best known for his role as radio boss Don Satchley in the

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 exam. ...

television detective series ''

Shoestring Shoelaces, also called shoestrings (US English) or bootlaces (UK English), are a system commonly used to secure shoes, boots, and other footwear. They typically consist of a pair of strings or cords, one for each shoe, finished off at both e ...

'', as well as for playing Scrooge's nephew Fred in the film version of '' Scrooge'', a musical based on

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' '' A Christmas Carol'', and for his role in ''

The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the very first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional gro ...

'', a British television comedy series of the late 1950s and early 1960s. With

Bernard Bresslaw Bernard Bresslaw (25 February 193411 June 1993) was a British actor. He is best known as a member of the '' Carry On'' film franchise. Bresslaw also worked on television and stage, did recordings and wrote a series of poetry. Biography Bernard ...

, Leslie Fyson and

Alfie Bass Alfie Bass (born Abraham Basalinsky, 10 April 1916 – 16 July 1987) was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; his parents had left Russia many years before he was born. He a ...

, he took the

theme tune Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

from ''The Army Game'' into the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1958, where it peaked at number 5. at the B.F.I -Accessed 19 December 2015New York Times by Hal Erickson, Rani,All Movie Guide- Accessed 19 December 2015 As well as his role in ''

'', he played Colin's boss Mr Langley (of the ''Langley Book of Horror'') in the

Mel Smith Melvyn Kenneth Smith (3 December 1952 – 19 July 2013) was an English comedian, actor and director. Smith worked on the sketch comedy shows ''Not the Nine O'Clock News'' and ''Alas Smith and Jones'' with his comedy partner, Griff Rhys Jones. S ...

comedy series '' Colin's Sandwich''. In 1961, Medwin played the lead named Michael in BBC Radio Light Programme comedy series about an advertising company called ''Something to Shout About''. In the same year he was the lead role in all 26 episodes of the comedy series

Three Live Wires 3 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 3, three, or III may also refer to: * AD 3, the third year of the AD era * 3 BC, the third year before the AD era * March, the third month Books * ''Three of Them'' (Russian: ', literally, "three"), a 1901 ...

. He made many film appearances, taking a leading role as Ginger Edwards in the 1953 Guy Hamilton film '' The Intruder'', for which one critic wrote that Medwin "gives a brilliant study of a good fellow gone wrong." Others included ''

Carry On Nurse ''Carry On Nurse'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the second in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Of the regular team, it featured Joan Sims (in her ''Carry On'' film debut), Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor and Charles Ha ...

'' (1959) and '' The Longest Day'' (1962), before turning to producing films. Among the films he produced for Memorial Enterprises, a company he established with actor

Albert Finney Albert Finney (9 May 1936 – 7 February 2019) was an English actor. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked in the theatre before attaining prominence on screen in the early 1960s, debuting with ''The Entertainer'' (1960), ...

, are ''

Charlie Bubbles ''Charlie Bubbles'' is a 1968 British comedy-drama film directed by Albert Finney in his feature directorial debut. The film stars Finney alongside Billie Whitelaw and Liza Minnelli. It was screened at the 1968 Cannes Film Festival on the 11th, ...

'' (1967), directed by Finney, and

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered f ...

's '' If....'' (1968), which won the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...

. He worked again with Anderson on ''

O Lucky Man! ''O Lucky Man!'' is a 1973 British comedy-drama fantasy film directed by Lindsay Anderson, and starring Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis, whom McDowell had first played as a disaffected public schoolboy in his first film performance in An ...

'' (1973), continuing the story of the Mick Travis character from their earlier film. Medwin has been quoted many times as saying "I knew at a young age I was going to be an actor: acting has always been in my bones". He also said that

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future ...

and Edward G. Robinson were the two biggest influences in his life of acting, and considered being appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2005 Queens Birthday Honour's List for Services to Drama the single greatest thing that ever happened to him. As a play producer, his work included '' Spring and Port Wine'', ''Alpha Beta'', ''

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''ae ...

'', ''Forget Me Not Lane'' and '' Another Country''. Medwin formed with David Pugh in 1988, David Pugh Limited, a West End and Broadway theatrical production company, of which he remained chairman until his death on 26 February 2020.

Selected filmography

* ''

Piccadilly Incident ''Piccadilly Incident'' is a 1946 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Coral Browne, Edward Rigby and Leslie Dwyer. Wilcox teamed his wife Anna Neagle with Michael Wilding for the first time, es ...

'' (1946) as Radio operator (uncredited) * ''

The Root of All Evil Root of all evil or Root of evil may refer to: Music * The Root of All Evil (album), ''The Root of All Evil'' (album), a 2009 album by Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy * The Root of All Evil (EP), ''The Root of All Evil'' (EP), Japanese work by ...

'' (1947) as Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

The Courtneys of Curzon Street ''The Courtneys of Curzon Street'' (also titled ''The Courtney Affair'' or Kathy's Love Affair, in the U.S.) is a 1947 British drama film starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding. It is a study of class division and snobbery in Britain in t ...

'' (1947) – Edward Courtney Jr * '' Black Memory'' (1947) as Johnnie Fletcher * ''

An Ideal Husband ''An Ideal Husband'' is a four-act play by Oscar Wilde that revolves around blackmail and political corruption, and touches on the themes of public and private honour. It was first produced at the Haymarket Theatre, London in 1895 and ran for ...

'' (1947) as Duke of Nonesuch * '' Night Beat'' (1947) as Rocky * ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writte ...

'' (1948) as Kitty's Doctor * '' Call of the Blood'' (1948) as Medical student (uncredited) * ''

Just William's Luck ''Just William's Luck'' (1948) was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. The story revolves around the attempts of William Brown and the other Outlaws to get their older brothers married, in order to appropriate wedding pre ...

'' (1948) as Spiv * '' My Sister and I'' (1948) as Charlie * '' Woman Hater'' (1948) as Harris * ''

Look Before You Love ''Look Before You Love'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Harold Huth and starring Margaret Lockwood, Griffith Jones and Maurice Denham. Plot summary A woman working in the British Embassy in Brazil falls in love and marries a man, b ...

'' (1948) as Emile Garat * '' Another Shore'' (1948) as Yellow * '' William Comes to Town'' (1948) as Reporter * ''Operation Diamond'' (1948) as Sullivan * '' Forbidden'' (1949) as Cabby * '' The Queen of Spades'' (1949) as Hovaisky * ''

For Them That Trespass ''For Them That Trespass'' is a 1949 British crime film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Richard Todd, Patricia Plunkett and Stephen Murray. It is an adaptation of the 1944 novel of the same name by Ernest Raymond. The film's main t ...

'' (1949) as Len, Herbie's bar pal * '' Helter Skelter'' (1949) as Man Giving BBC Boxing Talk (uncredited) * '' Trottie True'' (1949) as Monty. Marquis of Maidenhead * '' Boys in Brown'' (1949) as Alf 'Sparrow' Thompson * '' Children of Chance'' (1949) * '' Someone at the Door'' (1950) as Ronnie Martin * '' Trio'' (1950) as Steward (in segment Mr. Know-All) * '' The Lady Craved Excitement'' (1950) as Johnny * '' Shadow of the Past'' (1950) as Dick Stevens * ''

The Long Dark Hall ''The Long Dark Hall'' is a 1951 British mystery, suspense, courtroom-drama, crime film directed by Reginald Beck and Anthony Bushell and starring Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer and Raymond Huntley. It was based on the 1947 novel ''A Case to Answer ...

'' (1951) as Leslie Scott * '' Four in a Jeep'' (1951) as Sergeant Harry Stuart * '' Curtain Up'' (1952) as Jerry Winterton * '' Love's a Luxury'' (1952) as Dick Pentwick * '' Miss Robin Hood'' (1952) as Ernest * ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...

'' (1952) as Smedley * '' Hindle Wakes'' (1952) as George Ackrody * '' Street Corner'' (1953) as Chick Farrar * ''

Genevieve Genevieve (french: link=no, Sainte Geneviève; la, Sancta Genovefa, Genoveva; 419/422 AD – 502/512 AD) is the patroness saint of Paris in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. Her feast is on 3 January. Genevieve was born in Nanterre and ...

'' (1953) as Father to be (uncredited) * ''

The Oracle An oracle was usually a priest or a priestess through whom the gods were supposed to speak or prophesize. In particular: *Pythia – served as an oracle in the Temple of Apollo at Delphi. * Oracle bone – a bone used for divination in ancient Chi ...

'' (1953) as Timothy Balke * ''

Malta Story ''Malta Story'' is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, which is set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the b ...

'' (1953) as Ramsey, CO 'Phantom' Squadron (uncredited) * '' Spaceways'' (1953) as Dr. Toby Andrews * '' The Intruder'' (1953) as Ginger Edwards * ''

Bang! You're Dead ''Bang! You're Dead'' is a 1954 British psychological drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Jack Warner, Anthony Richmond, Veronica Hurst, Derek Farr and Sean Barrett. The film takes as its subject the accidental killing of a ma ...

'' (1954) as Bob Carter * '' The Green Scarf'' (1954) as Teral * ''

The Teckman Mystery ''The Teckman Mystery'' is a 1954 British mystery film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Margaret Leighton, John Justin, Roland Culver and Michael Medwin. It was shot at Shepperton Studios with sets designed by the art director William Kellner ...

'' (1954) as Martin Teckman * '' The Harassed Hero'' (1954) (uncredited) * '' Above Us the Waves'' (1955) as Smart * '' Doctor at Sea'' (1955) as Sub-lieutenant Trail * ''

Charley Moon ''Charley Moon'' is a 1956 British musical film directed by Guy Hamilton. It stars Max Bygraves, Dennis Price and Shirley Eaton. The screenplay and lyrics are by Leslie Bricusse. The story is based on Reginald Arkell's backstage novel of the ...

'' (1956) as Alf Higgins * '' A Hill in Korea'' (1956) as Pvt. Docker * ''

Checkpoint Checkpoint may refer to: Places * Border checkpoint, a place on the land border between two states where travellers and/or goods are inspected * Security checkpoint, erected and enforced within contiguous areas under military or paramilitary co ...

'' (1956) as Ginger * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) as Dr. Charles Bingham * '' The Steel Bayonet'' (1957) as Lt. Vernon * '' The Duke Wore Jeans'' (1958) as Cooper * '' The Wind Cannot Read'' (1958) Officer Lamb * ''

I Only Arsked! ''I Only Arsked!'' is a 1958 British comedy film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Bernard Bresslaw, Michael Medwin and Alfie Bass. It was based on the television series ''The Army Game'' and was made by Hammer Films. Plot Slapstick ens ...

'' (1958) as Cpl. Springer * '' The Heart of a Man'' (1959) as Sid * ''

'' (1959) as Ginger * '' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) as Ronnie Bassett * '' The Longest Day'' (1962) as Pvt. Watney * '' It's All Happening'' (1963) as Max Catlin * '' Kali Yug: Goddess of Vengeance'' (1963) as Capt. Walsh * ''Il mistero del tempio indiano'' (1964) as Capt. Walsh * '' Night Must Fall'' (1964) as Derek * ''

Rattle of a Simple Man ''Rattle of a Simple Man'' is a 1964 British comedy-drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin, based on the 1963 play by Charles Dyer. The screenplay is about a naive man who becomes i ...

'' (1964) as Ginger * '' I've Gotta Horse'' (1965) as Hymie Campbell * '' 24 Hours to Kill'' (1965) as The Crew: Tommy Gaskell * '' The Sandwich Man'' (1966) as Sewer Man * '' A Countess from Hong Kong'' (1967) as John Felix * ''

Privilege Privilege may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Privilege'' (film), a 1967 film directed by Peter Watkins * ''Privilege'' (Ivor Cutler album), 1983 * ''Privilege'' (Television Personalities album), 1990 * ''Privilege (Abridged)'', an alb ...

'' (1967) as Jackman (uncredited) * '' Spring and Port Wine'' (1970) as Driver at Traffic Lights (uncredited) * '' Scrooge'' (1970) as Nephew Fred * ''

'' (1973) as Army Captain / Power station Technician / Duke of Belminster * '' Law and Disorder'' (1974) as Man in Cab * ''Pogled in potkrovlija'' (1976) as Ian Faulkner * ''

The Sea Wolves ''The Sea Wolves'' is a 1980 war film starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven. The film, which is based on the 1978 book ''Boarding Party'' by James Leasor, is a fictionalised account of Operation Creek during the Second World War. In ...

'' (1980) as Radcliffe * ''

Britannia Hospital ''Britannia Hospital'' is a 1982 British black comedy film, directed by Lindsay Anderson, which targets the National Health Service and contemporary British society. It was entered into the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and Fantasporto. ''Britanni ...

'' (1982) as Theatre Surgeon * '' The Jigsaw Man'' (1983) as Milroy * ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel '' Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and F ...

'' (1983) as Doctor at Shrublands * ''Sleepwalker'' (1984) as Waiter * '' Hôtel du Paradis'' (1986) as English Producer * ''

Just Ask for Diamond ''Just Ask for Diamond'', alternatively titled ''Diamond's Edge'', is a 1988 British comedy crime film directed by Stephen Bayly and starring Colin Dale, Saeed Jaffrey and Dursley McLinden. It is based on '' The Falcon's Malteser'' (1986), the f ...

'' (1988) as The Professor * '' The Fool'' (1990) as Mr. Wells * ''

Staggered Stagger or staggered may refer to: * Stagger (aeronautics), the horizontal positioning of a plane's wings *Stagger, a motorsport term for the difference in size between right and left tires * ''Stagger'' (EP), by Poppy, 2022 * ''Staggered'' (f ...

'' (1994) as Sarah's Father * '' Alice Through the Looking Glass'' (1998) as Red King * ''Fanny and Elvis'' (1999) as Registrar * '' The Duchess'' (2008) as Speechmaker * ''Framed'' (2008) as Dr. Louie Farraday (final film role)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Medwin, Michael 1923 births 2020 deaths English male film actors English film producers English male television actors Male actors from London People educated at Canford School Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors