Richard Gibson (born 1 January 1954) is an English actor, best known for his role as the archetypal Gestapo Officer

Herr Otto Flick Herr may refer to: * Herr (honorific), a German honorific * Herr (surname) * Herr (title), a German title * Herr, Indiana, an unincorporated town in Perry Township, Boone County, Indiana, US * Herr's Snacks Herr's is an American brand of potato ...

in the BBC hit sitcom series, ''

'Allo 'Allo! ''Allo 'Allo!'' is a British sitcom television series, created by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, starring Gorden Kaye, Carmen Silvera, Guy Siner and Richard Gibson. Originally broadcast on BBC1, the series focuses on the life of a French caf ...

''.

Career

Gibson was born in Kampala, Uganda, before the country gained independence from the UK. He was a chorister at

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

and educated at St Paul's Cathedral School, Radley College near Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and the Central School of Speech and Drama. He took part in ''

'' during the vast majority of the series. Dressed in an ankle-length leather coat and with the obligatory stiff-legged limp and walking stick, Herr Flick spent his life suppressing peasants, seducing Helga, the German town Commandant's assistant, and vainly trying to get his hands on the original of the painting '' The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies'' by Van Klomp. Gibson then toured with the group when ''Allo 'Allo!'' transferred to the stage and had successful tours both in the United Kingdom and abroad. The stage version of the show gave rein to his other skills, and he was able to demonstrate his mastery of the violin. He played Sunning in the 1971 BBC1 television series '' Tom Brown's Schooldays''. His first film role of note was in the 1971 film '' The Go Between'', in which he played Marcus Maudsley, school friend of Leo Colston ( Dominic Guard) who passed messages between Julie Christie and

Alan Bates Sir Alan Arthur Bates (17 February 1934 – 27 December 2003) was an English actor who came to prominence in the 1960s, when he appeared in films ranging from the popular children's story '' Whistle Down the Wind'' to the " kitchen sink" dram ...

, and he also played young Tony Farrant in the 1973 film version of '' England Made Me''. He has also played a wide variety of roles on stage and the TV screen, and in 2006 was a regular guest on '' The Daily Telegraph's'' World Cup Pubcast, where he usually took the role of Herr Flick, providing a more biased view of the proceedings. In 2003, he guest starred in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' audio drama '' Flip-Flop''. He has divided his time between Ireland and the UK, and continues to work in films, television, and theatre as well as working as a sub-editor for newspaper publications. Owing to the enduring popularity of ''Allo! 'Allo!'', he and

Kim Hartman Kim Lesley Hartman (born 11 January 1952) is an English actress, best known for her role as Private Helga Geerhart in the BBC television sitcom Allo 'Allo!'' (1982–1992). She was educated at The King's High School for Girls, Warwick. an ...

have formed a Flick and Helga fan club and made numerous cabaret appearances, using songs and sketches in character. In 2012, as guest speakers on the Fred Olsen ships, ''Boudicca'' and ''Balmoral'', they travelled to the Canary Islands and up the Amazon River. In 2014, they were also guest performers at the Malfest Arts Festival in Malpas, Cheshire, and appeared at the War and Peace Show at the Hop Farm in Kent. In 2014 Gibson appeared with fellow ''Allo, 'Allo!'' cast members at the Sofia International Film Festival. Gibson also works as a radio actor, scriptwriter and voiceover artist. He has claimed that, while a chorister, he sang at the funeral service of Sir

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

in 1965, and was paid £2

10s The 10s decade ran from January 1, AD 10, to December 31, AD 19. In Europe, the decade saw the end of the Early Imperial campaigns in Germania when Roman forces led by Germanicus defeated Germanic tribes in the Battle of Idistaviso in 16 AD. I ...

for his work on the day.

References

External links

*
Interview at Den of Geek
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Richard 1954 births 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama British male comedy actors English male film actors English male television actors Living people People educated at Radley College People educated at St. Paul's Cathedral School People from Kampala