Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth (4 February 1915''Prisoner of War Collection'' National Archives – 17 January 1979) was an English actor and comedian, best known for his appearances in the ''Carry On'' series of films. He was also a regular on children's television and radio, and was known for playing
The Monk
''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. A quickly written book from early in Lewis's career (in one letter he claimed to have written it in ten weeks, but other correspondence suggests that he h ...
on '' Doctor Who''. Butterworth was married to the actress and impressionist Janet Brown.
Biography
Early life and war service
Butterworth was born at 29 Princes Street,
Ulverston
Ulverston is a market town and a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 11,524, increasing at the 2011 census to 11,678. Historically in Lancashire, it lies a few mi ...
. Before his acting career started, Butterworth served as a
lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
in the
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm (FAA) is one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy and is responsible for the delivery of naval air power both from land and at sea. The Fleet Air Arm operates the F-35 Lightning II for maritime strike, the AW159 Wil ...
of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by Kingdom of England, English and Kingdom of Scotland, Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were foug ...
during the
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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.Brown, p. 64 Whilst at ''Stalag Luft III'' he met Talbot Rothwell, who later went on to write many of the Carry On films in which Butterworth was to star. Having never performed in public before his imprisonment, Butterworth formed a duo with Rothwell and sang in the camp shows. They delivered a song which Rothwell called "The Letter Edged In Black". The performance was followed by some comic repartee which, according to Butterworth's account, provoked enough boos and hisses to have the desired effect of drowning out the sounds of an escape tunnel being dug by other prisoners' escape party. After the war, Butterworth kept a photo of the concert party line-up, something which offered inspiration to him when starting a career in acting.
Butterworth was one of the vaulters covering for the escapers during the escape portrayed by the book and film '' The Wooden Horse''. Butterworth later auditioned for the film in 1949 but "didn't look convincingly heroic or athletic enough" according to the makers of the film. Within the same camp as Butterworth and Rothwell were the future actors
Rupert Davies
Rupert Davies FRSA (22 May 191622 November 1976) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of '' Maigret'', based on Georges Simenon's novels.
Life and career
Military s ...
and John Casson, the son of
Lewis Casson
Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biograph ...
and Sybil Thorndike. All five remained very close friends after the war ended and they all appeared on ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to:
Television
* ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards
* ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'' when Butterworth was a subject of the programme in 1975.
Early acting career
Butterworth came to notice after appearing in pantomime around the UK. His first film appearance was in the Val Guest film '' William Comes to Town'' (1948). Guest and Butterworth became close friends and the two worked on a further seven films together during their careers. His first major success was on television in the Terry-Thomas sketch show '' How Do You View?'' in which he played the chauffeur "Lockitt": his wife, Janet Brown, was also a cast member. Butterworth also presented successful programmes aimed at children in the 1950s including '' Whirligig'' and ''Butterworth Time''. He continued to take minor parts in films and went on to appear alongside actors including Sean Connery,''The First Great Train Robbery'' The British Film Institute, accessed September 2011
David Niven
James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other role ...
and
Douglas Fairbanks Jr
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939) ...
during his career. Around the time his work in the Carry On films began, he guest appeared in two
First Doctor
The First Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the protagonist of the BBC science fiction television series '' Doctor Who''. He was portrayed by actor William Hartnell.
Within the series' narrative, the Doctor is a centuries-old alien T ...
The Daleks' Master Plan
''The Daleks' Master Plan'' is the mostly missing third serial of the third season in the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which originally aired in twelve weekly parts from 13 November 1965 to 29 January 1966. Thi ...
''), playing
The Monk
''The Monk: A Romance'' is a Gothic novel by Matthew Gregory Lewis, published in 1796. A quickly written book from early in Lewis's career (in one letter he claimed to have written it in ten weeks, but other correspondence suggests that he h ...
.
He starred in the children's TV show ''Saturday Special'' (with the puppet Porterhouse the Parrot), broadcast on Saturdays at 5:00 pm, alternating with ''Whirligig''.
''Carry On'' films
Butterworth's association with the Carry On series began mid-way through the series with '' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965), playing the part of "Doc". He was put in touch with the creator of the series, Peter Rogers, by his friend Talbot Rothwell, the writer of ''Carry On Cowboy'' and who had written the previous four films. Out of the actors who were considered to be the ''Carry On'' team, he was the sixth most prolific performer in the series, making sixteen film appearances, two Christmas specials, the television series in 1975 and the west end theatre productions which also toured the country, alongside
Sid James
Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series.
Born to a mi ...
,
Barbara Windsor
Dame Barbara Windsor (born Barbara Ann Deeks; 6 August 193710 December 2020) was an English actress, known for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films and for playing Peggy Mitchell in the BBC One soap opera, ''EastEnders''.Kenneth Connor.
His Carry On appearances portrayed his characters as typically quiet and subtly eccentric. He was often cast as a stooge for another character. Thus, in '' Carry On Screaming!'' he played Detective Constable Slobotham, the assistant for Detective Sergeant Bung ( Harry H. Corbett); while in '' Don't Lose Your Head'' he played Citizen Bidet, the assistant to Citizen Camembert (
Kenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams (22 February 1926 – 15 April 1988) was an English actor of Welsh heritage. He was best known for his comedy roles and in later life as a raconteur and diarist. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the 31 '' ...
). In '' Carry On Camping'' he played Joshua Fiddler, the laid-back and eccentric camp site manager, who persuades
Sid James
Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series.
Born to a mi ...
character to part with most of his money when booking into the camp site. Such was his loyalty to Peter Rogers and Gerald Thomas, that Butterworth agreed to play three small roles, in '' Carry On Again Doctor'', '' Carry On Loving'' and '' Carry On Henry''. He was unable to take larger parts, due to other work and stage commitments, but these minor roles were specially written into the films for him.
Butterworth returned to playing more substantial parts within the ''Carry On'' films with '' Carry On Abroad'' (1972), in which he played 'Pepe' the manager of an unfinished hotel, who greets his unexpected guests in the guise of the builder, the porter, the receptionist and telephone operator. He spends the first half of the film furiously trying to placate and accommodate them and the last half desperately trying to save the building from a flood, and whilst all this is going on, put up with his nagging wife ( Hattie Jacques). Butterworth remained with the series until the final film in the main series, '' Carry On Emmannuelle'' (1978).
Later acting career
Having appeared in many of Val Guest's films during the beginning of his career, he also made three appearances in the films of
Richard Lester
Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom.
He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and '' Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films ' ...
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...
. He had an uncredited cameo part in the film version of the musical ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ...
'' (1968) as a shopkeeper in court, and made a special appearance in an episode of '' Catweazle'' (" The Demi Devil" 970 and the '' Dad's Army'' episode " The Face on the Poster" (1975).
In 1975 he was the subject of an episode of ''This Is Your Life'' whereby
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
surprised him while he was shopping in
Selfridges
Selfridges, also known as Selfridges & Co., is a chain of high-end department stores in the United Kingdom that is operated by Selfridges Retail Limited, part of the Selfridges Group of department stores. It was founded by Harry Gordon Selfridg ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, 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 dow ...
Rupert Davies
Rupert Davies FRSA (22 May 191622 November 1976) was a British actor. He is best remembered for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of '' Maigret'', based on Georges Simenon's novels.
Life and career
Military s ...
. Butterworth's wife and their two children,
Tyler Tyler may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name
* Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer
* John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
and Emma were also at the recording. When the Carry on films finished in 1978, Butterworth began to concentrate on straight roles, taking a small part in the feature film '' The First Great Train Robbery'' with Sean Connery, and the
Alan Bennett
Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...
play "Afternoon Off" (both 1979). These two productions were shown posthumously.
Personal life and death
Butterworth was introduced to actress and impressionist Janet Brown by Rothwell and the two married in 1946 at St Mary's, Bryanston Square, Marylebone. Brown later became known for her television impersonations of
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
during the 1970s and 1980s. They had two children: Their son, Tyler Butterworth, also became an actor and is married to the actress
Janet Dibley
Janet Dibley (born 13 December 1958) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Elaine Walker in the 1980s sitcom '' The Two of Us'', Lorna Cartwright in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', and Elaine Cassidy in the BBC soap opera ''Doct ...
.obituaries ''The Independent'', p. 56 Their daughter, Emma, was born in 1962. She died in 1996 aged 34.
In 1979, whilst '' The First Great Train Robbery'' was on general release, Butterworth was starring as Widow Twankey in the
pantomime
Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speakin ...
''Aladdin'' at the Coventry Theatre. When the show had finished, he went back to his hotel following the evening's performance. His failure to return for the following day's matinee show caused alarm, and he was found dead in his room from a heart attack.
Butterworth was buried in Danehill Cemetery, in
East Sussex
East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East ...
. Following his death, the producer of the ''Carry On'' films, Peter Rogers, said that Butterworth was "a thoroughly nice bloke and a dear friend".Bright, p. 127
Miss Pilgrim's Progress
''Miss Pilgrim's Progress'' is a 1949 black-and-white British comedy film by producer Nat Cohen and director Val Guest.
Plot
Laramie Pilgrim (Yolande Donlan) is an American exchange factory worker who trades places with an upper class British gi ...
Saturday Island
''Saturday Island'' is a 1952 British south seas adventure romance film directed by Stuart Heisler and starring Linda Darnell, Tab Hunter and Donald Gray. The film was produced by independent company Coronado Productions with the financial bac ...
Tom Thumb
Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. ''The History of Tom Thumb'' was published in 1621 and was the first fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, ta ...
Carry On Follow That Camel
''Follow That Camel'' is a 1967 British comedy film, the 14th in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). Like its predecessor ''Don't Lose Your Head'', it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title (though for screenin ...
Not Now Darling
''Not Now, Darling'' is a 1967 farce written by English playwrights John Chapman and Ray Cooney, first staged at the Richmond Theatre, in Richmond, England prior to a long West End run. The production starred Donald Sinden and Bernard Cri ...
Odd Man Out
''Odd Man Out'' is a 1947 British film noir directed by Carol Reed, and starring James Mason, Robert Newton, Cyril Cusack, and Kathleen Ryan. Set in Belfast, Northern Ireland, it follows a wounded Nationalist leader who attempts to evade poli ...