Claude Dampier | |
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 Signed postcard | |
| Born | Claud Conolly Cowan 23 November 1878 London, England |
| Died | 1 January 1955 (aged 76) Ashford, Middlesex, England |
| Resting place | Golders Green Crematorium |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
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| Children | 1 |
Claude Dampier (born Claud Conolly Cowan; 23 November 1878 – 1 January 1955) was an English film actor and character comedian in the early 20th century. [2] [3]
He was born in Clapham, South London as Claud Conolly Cowan. [4] [2] [3] After gaining some theatrical experience in Britain during the mid-1890s, he after toured Australia with Edward Branscombe's Dandies troupes between 1910 and 1917. He revisited the country in 1921, touring in revue shows with Hilda Attenboro, and starred in two Australian films. [5] [1] He also worked in South Africa. [4]
Following an early marriage to Irene Vere, with whom he had a daughter, he married Australian actress Billie Carlyle (c1901-1991). They met whilst acting in the silent film The Adventures of Algy in 1925, [6] and formed a double act in 1926, with Dampier billed as "The Professional Idiot". He played mostly comic roles as a dim-witted and literal-minded character. [7] According to historian Richard Anthony Baker: "Dampier specialised in 'silly arse' characters. His face was his fortune. Chinless and with protruding teeth, it was easy to believe he was daft." [4] Carlyle appeared as a 'straight-woman' in his act. [8]
On one occasion while performing in New Zealand, Dampier forgot his lines and improvised by pretending to recognise an old friend, Mrs Gibson, in the audience, who then turned out not to be Mrs Gibson at all. References to the imaginary Mrs Gibson became a regular part of his performances thereafter. [3] After Dampier returned to Britain in 1927, he featured on BBC radio, [9] until he was temporarily banned from broadcasts after mentioning that he had "promised to squeeze Mrs Gibson's oranges." [4] [7]
He also appeared in more than twenty films, including Radio Parade of 1935 . [4] After the Second World War he appeared on Jewel and Warriss radio shows, where he adopted the catch-phrase "it's me-ee". [10]
He died in 1955 and was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium in north London on 4 January 1955. His ashes lie in section 1-L of the Garden of Remembrance. [11]
Carlyle later wrote a book, Claude Dampier, Mrs. Gibson & Me (1978). [12] [13] Dampier's daughter from his first marriage, Dorothy Dampier, became an actress. [14] [15]
William Thomson Hay was an English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that later transferred to the screen, where he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures, is often cited as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the third highest-grossing star in the UK. Many comedians have acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur astronomer.
Martita Edith Hunt was an Argentine-born British theatre and film actress. She had a dominant stage presence and played a wide range of powerful characters. She is best remembered for her performance as Miss Havisham in David Lean's Great Expectations (1946).
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Shirl's Neighbourhood was an Australian afternoon children's television series which first aired on the Seven Network on Monday the 2nd April 1979 and continued Monday to Fridays till 1983. The half-hour show featured former Skyhooks frontman Graeme "Shirley" Strachan and co-host Liz Rule alongside a cast of characters including Norm The Kangaroo, Ol' Possum, Claude The Crow, Stanley The Snake, Greenfinger the Garden Gnome, Yippee the Bunyip, Igor the Spider, Bartholomew the Sheep and a band of monkeys. Franciscus Henri appeared in the show as a regular, both as himself presenting musical segments and as "Professor Henri" in comical sketches. He left the show in October 1980. Bruce Spence was a gardener early in the series.
Radio Parade of 1935 (1934), released in the US as Radio Follies, is a British comedy film directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Will Hay, Clifford Mollison and Helen Chandler. It followed on from the 1933 film Radio Parade.
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Mr Stringfellow Says No is a 1934 British thriller film directed by Randall Faye and starring Neil Hamilton, Claude Dampier and Muriel Aked. It was also released as Accidental Spy.
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The Adventures of Algy is a 1925 Australian film comedy written and directed by Beaumont Smith about a "silly ass" Englishman who inherits a sheep station in New Zealand. It is an unofficial follow up to Hullo Marmaduke (1924), which also starred Dampier.
Frank Leighton (1908–1962) was an Australian actor best known for two leading roles in films for Ken G. Hall, Thoroughbred (1936) and Tall Timbers (1937).
Grace Isabel Gibson AO,, also known as Grace Atchison and Grace Parr was an American Australian radio entrepreneur, executive and producer. She was best known for her long-running serials Dr. Paul and the local version of NBC hit Portia Faces Life.
Conolly is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
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Leal Douglas was a British-Australian actress, mainly of the silent film era.
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