Richard O'Sullivan (born 7 May 1944) is an English

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term ori ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), l ...

, who is known for his role as Robin Tripp in the 1970s sitcoms '' Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and '' Robin's Nest'' (1977–1981) and as the title character in the period family adventure series ''

Dick Turpin Richard Turpin (bapt. 21 September 1705 – 7 April 1739) was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's trade as a butcher ear ...

'' (1979–1982). He also starred in '' Doctor at Large'' (1971), '' Doctor in Charge'' (1972–1973), '' Alcock and Gander'' (1972), '' Me and My Girl'' (1984–1988) and '' Trouble In Mind'' (1991).

Early life

O'Sullivan was born in 1944, to John and Ellen O'Sullivan (née Fleming) in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and ...

. His early education was at St John the Evangelist's RC Primary School in

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings w ...

West London West London is the western part of London, England, north of the River Thames, west of the City of London, and extending to the Greater London boundary. The term is used to differentiate the area from the other parts of London: North London ...

. After a family holiday in Ireland as a boy, he returned with a strong Irish accent and was sent to the Corona Theatre School to soften it. He appeared in his first film at the age of eight.

Career as child actor

O'Sullivan's first film appearance was as an extra playing one of the children singing in the Sunday School sequence of '' The Yellow Balloon'', filmed in 1952 when he was eight years old and released in 1953. He then played the main character in '' The Stranger's Hand'', starring

Alida Valli Alida Maria Laura, ''Freiin'' Altenburger von Marckenstein-Frauenberg (31 May 1921 – 22 April 2006), better known by her stage name Alida Valli (or simply Valli), was an Italian actress who appeared in more than 100 films in a 70-year career, s ...

and

Trevor Howard Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by '' ...

, in 1953. Possibly his earliest television work was the part he played in the '' Sherlock Holmes'' episode, "The Unlucky Gambler", broadcast on 18 July 1955. He appeared in the

Children's Film Foundation The Children's Film Foundation (CFF) was a non-profit organisation which made films for children in the United Kingdom originally to be shown as part of childrens' Saturday morning matinée cinema programming. The films typically were about 55 ...

's first serial, ''Raiders of the River'', also produced in 1955. In the film '' It's Great to Be Young'' (1956), he appeared alongside

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

. The following year, he played the title character in a BBC Television five part Sunday serial ''

Little Lord Fauntleroy ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was published as a serial in ''St. Nicholas Magazine'' from November 1885 to October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's (the publisher of ''St. Nicholas'') in 1886. The il ...

'' and then with

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

and

Belinda Lee Belinda Lee (15 June 193512 March 1961) was an English actress. A profile for the British Film Institute's Screenonline website asserts: "of all the Rank Organisation's starlets, Belinda Lee stands out as the most notorious, yet paradoxically ...

in the opulent swashbuckler, '' Dangerous Exile'', playing

Louis XVII Louis XVII (born Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy; 27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795) was the younger son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, died in June 1789, a little over a m ...

, the ten-year-old son of

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was e ...

and

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child ...

. Also during that period, he featured in two episodes of

Sapphire Films Sapphire Films Ltd. was a British television production company, active in the 1950s. Amongst their best-known series are ''The Adventures of Robin Hood,'' ''The Adventures of Sir Lancelot'', ''The Buccaneers'', and '' The Four Just Men'' produc ...

' ''

The Adventures of Robin Hood ''The Adventures of Robin Hood'' is a 1938 American Technicolor swashbuckler film from Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Hal B. Wallis and Henry Blanke, directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley, and stars Errol Flynn, Olivia ...

'' (1957) alongside

Richard Greene Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series '' ...

, one role being that of Will Dale in the episode "The Challenge of the Black Knight". In the '' Sword of Freedom'' series (1957), also made by Sapphire, he played Alberto in the episode "Chart of Gold". In an early '' Carry On'' film, ''

Carry On Teacher ''Carry On Teacher'' is a 1959 British comedy film, the third in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was released at the Plaza Cinema in London on 3 September 1959. It features Ted Ray in his only ''Carry On'' role, alongsi ...

'' (1959), he had the small role of student Robin Stevens. Around the same time, he was cast in the role of Pierre van der Mal in an early scene of '' The Nun's Story'' (also 1959), playing the younger brother of Gabrielle (

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 ...

). Also around that time, he had a leading role in an episode of the Sapphire/ ITC series '' The Four Just Men'' ("The Man with the Golden Touch", 1959), as Neapolitan street urchin Pietro, who foils a robbery.

Adult acting career

In the early 1960s, O'Sullivan appeared in two

Cliff Richard Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is an Indian-born British musican, singer, producer, entrepreneur and philanthropist who holds both British and Barbadian citizenship. He has total sales of over 21.5 million s ...

films: '' The Young Ones'' (1961), and '' Wonderful Life'' (1964). In the 1963 blockbuster ''

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Philopator ( grc-gre, Κλεοπάτρα Φιλοπάτωρ}, "Cleopatra the father-beloved"; 69 BC10 August 30 BC) was Queen of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, Egypt from 51 to 30 BC, and its last active ruler. ...

'', he appeared as Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, the younger brother of the title character played by

Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (February 27, 1932 – March 23, 2011) was a British-American actress. She began her career as a child actress in the early 1940s and was one of the most popular stars of classical Hollywood cinema in the 1950s. ...

. For the remainder of the 1960s, O'Sullivan was a jobbing actor appearing in such TV series as ''Dr Syn: the Scarecrow'', '' Emergency Ward 10'', ''

Redcap The redcap (or powrie) is a type of malevolent, murderous goblin found in Border folklore. He is said to inhabit ruined castles along the Anglo-Scottish border, especially those that were the scenes of tyranny or wicked deeds and is known for soa ...

'', ''

Danger Man ''Danger Man'' (retitled ''Secret Agent'' in the United States for the revived series, and ''Destination Danger'' and ''John Drake'' in other overseas markets) is a British television series that was broadcast between 1960 and 1962, and again b ...

'', ''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' (1957–1958) ...

'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' and ''

Strange Report ''Strange Report'' is a British television crime drama series starring Anthony Quayle as Adam Strange. It was produced by ITC Entertainment and first broadcast in 1969 on ITV In the United States, NBC broadcast ''Strange Report'' between 8 ...

'' among others, until he was offered the role of Lawrence Bingham in the LWT sitcom '' Doctor at Large'' (1971), a role which continued in the later ''Doctor in Charge'' (1972–73). Meanwhile, he also had a main role in the

Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a Broadcast license, franchise holder for a region of the British ITV (TV network), ITV television network serving Greater London, London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until th ...

comedy '' Alcock and Gander'' (1972) with

Beryl Reid Beryl Elizabeth Reid, (17 June 1919 – 13 October 1996), was a British actress of stage and screen. She won the 1967 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for '' The Killing of Sister George'', the 1980 Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performa ...

. By then a regular in TV

sitcom A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...

s, he starred as Robin Tripp, a trainee chef, in the flatshare sitcom '' Man About the House'' written by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, launched in 1973. In 1975, he starred in the stage comedy ''Boeing Boeing'', undertaking two record-breaking national tours, alongside two of his ''Man About The House'' co-stars,

Yootha Joyce Yootha Joyce Needham (20 August 1927 – 24 August 1980), known as Yootha Joyce, was an English actress best known for playing Mildred Roper opposite Brian Murphy in the sitcom '' Man About the House'' (1973–1976) and its spin-off '' George a ...

and

Sally Thomsett Sally Thomsett (born 3 April 1950) is an English actress who starred as Phyllis in the film ''The Railway Children'' (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom '' Man About the House'' (1973–1976). She also appeared as Janice in the film '' Straw ...

. When the television series ended in 1976, he continued playing Robin Tripp in the spin-off sitcom '' Robin's Nest'', in which Robin sets up a

bistro A bistro or bistrot , is, in its original Parisian incarnation, a small restaurant, serving moderately priced simple meals in a modest setting. Bistros are defined mostly by the foods they serve. French home-style cooking, and slow-cooked food ...

with funding from his girlfriend Vicky's father, James Nicholls (

Tony Britton Anthony Edward Lowry Britton (9 June 1924 – 22 December 2019) was an English actor. He appeared in a variety of films (including ''The Day of the Jackal (film), The Day of the Jackal'') and television sitcoms (including ''Don't Wait Up (TV ser ...

). During his run as Robin, he had relationships with two of his co-stars,

from ''Man About the House'', and Tessa Wyatt, who played Vicky in ''Robin's Nest''. From the latter relationship, he had a son, Jamie. ''Robin's Nest'' was a big success, and was the first UK sitcom to feature an unmarried couple cohabiting. To tie in with the series, O'Sullivan wrote a recipe book called ''Man About the Kitchen'', which was published in 1980. He also wrote the ''Robin's Nest'' theme tune, which was arranged by

Brian Bennett Brian Laurence Bennett, (born 9 February 1940) is an English drummer, pianist, composer and producer of popular music. He is best known as the drummer of the UK rock and roll group the Shadows. He is the father of musician and Shadows band me ...

. During that period, O'Sullivan also appeared in adverts for

British Gas British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Servi ...

. In 1979, he starred in the title role of LWT's drama series ''

'', which ran until 1982. He then played the

widower A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can ...

Simon Harrup in the sitcom '' Me and My Girl'', broadcast from 1984 to 1988, co-starring

Tim Brooke-Taylor Timothy Julian Brooke-Taylor OBE (17 July 194012 April 2020) was an English actor and comedian best known as a member of The Goodies. He became active in performing in comedy sketches while at the University of Cambridge and became president o ...

and Joan Sanderson, also produced by LWT. He also appeared in a one-off comedy-drama ''The Giftie'', shown on Channel Four in 1988, in which he and a friend discovered a photocopier at work that could duplicate living copies of themselves, unwisely doing so, and predictably leading to mistaken identities and chaos. In the 1990s, his profile decreased although he was never short of work. His final acting role was in a 1996 one-off satire titled ''Holed'', with

Tony Robinson Sir Anthony Robinson (born 15 August 1946) is an English actor, author, broadcaster, comedian, presenter, and political activist. He played Baldrick in the BBC television series ''Blackadder'' and has presented several historical documentarie ...

, about a suburban golf club.

Later life

O'Sullivan largely retired from public life in 1996. His last appearance on television was as a guest on a 1999 edition of '' This Is Your Life'' held in honour of his ''Doctor...'' co-star George Layton. O'Sullivan had himself been the subject of the show in 1974. In 2006, O'Sullivan recorded a commentary for the DVD release of ''

''. He has lived in

Brinsworth House Brinsworth House is a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals in Staines Road, Twickenham, west London, England. The house is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity and has 36 bedrooms, six living ...

, a retirement home for entertainers in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

, since suffering a stroke in 2003.

Television roles

Filmography

*'' The Yellow Balloon'' (1953) – Boy Singing at Sunday School (uncredited) *'' The Stranger's Hand'' (1954) – Roger Court *''

Dance, Little Lady ''Dance, Little Lady'' is a 1954 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Mai Zetterling, Guy Rolfe and Mandy Miller. The film was made by independent producer George Minter and distributed by his Renown Pictur ...

'' (1954) – Peter *'' The Green Scarf'' (1954) – Child Jacques *'' Make Me an Offer'' (1954) – Charlie as a Boy *'' Loves of Three Queens'' (1954) – Benoni (segment "I Cavalieri dell'illusione") *''I cavalieri dell'illusione'' (1954) *''

The Dark Avenger ''The Dark Avenger'' is a 1955 British historical action adventure film directed by Henry Levin. The screenplay was written by Daniel B. Ullman (and an uncredited Phil Park). The film stars Errol Flynn, Joanne Dru and Peter Finch. The music sc ...

'' (1955) – Thomas Holland *'' The Secret'' (1955) – John Martin *''Raiders of the River'' (1956) – Joey *'' Jacqueline'' (1956) – Michael *'' It's Great to Be Young'' (1956) – Lawson *'' No Time for Tears'' (1957) – William Reynolds *'' Dangerous Exile'' (1957) – Louis XVII / Richard de Beauvais *'' The Nun's Story'' (1959) – Pierre (brother of Gabrielle) (uncredited) *''

'' (1959) – Robin Stevens – Saboteur *''

Witness in the Dark ''Witness in the Dark'' is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan, and Nigel Green. It was produced by Patricia Dainton's husband, Norman Williams (producer). Premise Bl ...

'' (1959) – Don Theobald *'' And Women Shall Weep'' (1960) – Godfrey Lumsden *'' A Story of David'' (1961) – Abiathar *'' Spare the Rod'' (1961) – Fred Harkness *'' The Young Ones'' (1961) – Ernest *''

The Prince and The Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547, ...

'' (1962, Disney) – Hugo *''

The Webster Boy ''The Webster Boy'' is a 1962 Irish film directed by Don Chaffey and written by Ted Allan and Leo Marks. Cast *Richard O'Sullivan as Jimmy Webster *John Cassavetes as Vance Miller *Elizabeth Sellars as Margaret Webster * David Farrar as Paul Web ...

'' (1962) – Jimmy Webster *''

'' (1963) – Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII *'' Dr. Syn, Alias the Scarecrow'' (1963) – George Ransley *'' Wonderful Life'' (US title: ''Swingers' Paradise''Overview for ''Swingers' Paradise'' (1965)"
Turner Classic Movies page 1964) – Edward *'' Every Day's a Holiday'' (1965) – Jimmy Dainty *'' A Dandy in Aspic'' (1968) – Nevil *''

The Haunted House of Horror ''The Haunted House of Horror'', also titled ''Horror House'' and ''The Dark'', is a 1969 British horror film directed by Michael Armstrong and starring Frankie Avalon and Jill Haworth as young adults looking for a thrill by spending the nig ...

'' (1969) – Peter *'' Futtocks End'' (1970) – The Boots *''

Au Pair Girls ''Au Pair Girls'' is a 1972 British sex comedy film directed by Val Guest. It stars Gabrielle Drake, Astrid Frank, Me Me Lai and Nancie Wait. Part of the British 1970s softcore sex comedy genre, the film also includes appearances by mainstream ...

'' (1972) – Stephen *''

Father, Dear Father ''Father, Dear Father'' is a British television sitcom produced by Thames Television for ITV from 1968 to 1973 starring Patrick Cargill. It was subsequently made into a spin-off film of the same title released in 1973. An Australian sequel se ...

'' (1973) – Richard *'' Man About the House'' (1974) – Robin Tripp *'' Can You Keep It Up for a Week?'' (1974) – Mr. Rose

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Osullivan, Richard 1944 births Living people English male child actors English male film actors English male television actors English people of Irish descent Male actors from London People from Chiswick 20th-century English male actors