The World of Hammer
1994 · TV Show
as Self (archive footage)
Edward Chapman
1901-10-13
•
Harrogate, Yorkshire, England, UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edward Chapman (13 October 1901 - 9 August 1977) was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s. Chapman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greet's Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre, Nottingham, playing Gecko in George du Maurier's Trilby. He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmer's Wife. Among dozens of stage roles that followed, he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlings's Josephine in Napoleon at the Embassy Theatre in September 1934. In 1928 he attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock, who gave him the role of "The Paycock" in the 1930 film, Juno and the Paycock. In the same year he also made an appearance in Caste (of which no prints are known to exist). He had a role in The Citadel in 1938 and appeared alongside George Formby in the Ealing Studios comedy Turned Out Nice Again in 1941. During the Second World War he took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force. After training he was posted to 129 (Mysore) Squadron as an intelligence officer. This Spitfire squadron was based at Westhampnett and Debden. The squadron was heavily engaged in combat during this period and many of Chapman's fellow squadron mates were killed in action. Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957's Just My Luck in the role of Mr. Stoneway, but the next year in The Square Peg he appeared as Mr. Grimsdale for the first time opposite Wisdom's character of Norman Pitkin. In 1960 he and Wisdom acted together again in The Bulldog Breed, playing the roles of Mr. Philpots and Norman Puckle - Mr. Grimsdale and Pitkin in all but name. Wisdom appeared alone as Norman Pitkin in On the Beat in 1962, while Chapman branched out, starring in the Danish folktale Venus fra Vestø, but Grimsdale and Pitkin were reunited for 1963's A Stitch in Time. Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965, Wisdom's first film in colour. In all, he appeared alongside Norman Wisdom in five films. After Sir John Gielgud was arrested for "persistently importuning male persons for immoral purposes", Chapman started a petition to force him to resign from Equity. Sir Laurence Olivier reportedly threw Chapman out of his dressing room when he solicited his signature for the petition. From 1965 Chapman played mostly characters roles on television. His final role was as Mr. Callon for nine episodes of the BBC's seafaring melodrama The Onedin Line between 1971 and 1972. Chapman died of a heart attack in Brighton, East Sussex, England at the age of 75. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward Chapman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
The Onedin Line
1971 · TV Show
as Mr. Callon
The Man Who Haunted Himself
1970 · Movie
as Barton
No image
Champion House
1967 · TV Show
The Early Bird
1965 · Movie
as Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
Joey Boy
1965 · Movie
as Tom Hobson
The Man in Room 17
1965 · TV Show
as Oliver Crawford
Hide and Seek
1964 · Movie
as McPherson
A Stitch in Time
1963 · Movie
as Mr. Grimsdale
Venus fra Vestø
1962 · Movie
No image
The Big Deal
1961 · Movie
as Sir Pierson Cale
School for Scoundrels
1960 · Movie
as Gloatbridge
The Bulldog Breed
1960 · Movie
as Mr. Philpots
Oscar Wilde
1960 · Movie
as Marquis of Queensberry
Maigret
1960 · TV Show
No Hiding Place
1959 · TV Show
No image
The Men From Room 13
1959 · TV Show
as Mr. Grandland
The Square Peg
1958 · Movie
as Private Wilfred Grimsdale
The Young and the Guilty
1958 · Movie
as George Connor
Innocent Sinners
1958 · Movie
as Manley
Just My Luck
1957 · Movie
as Mr. Stoneway
Doctor at Large
1957 · Movie
as Mr. Wilkins
X: The Unknown
1956 · Movie
as John Elliott
Bhowani Junction
1956 · Movie
as Thomas Jones
Lisbon
1956 · Movie
as Edgar Selwyn
Armchair Theatre
1956 · TV Show
as Sir Pierson Cale
The Love Match
1955 · Movie
as Mr Longworth
A Yank in Ermine
1955 · Movie
as Duke of Fontenham
The Crowded Day
1954 · Movie
as Mr. Bunting
The End of the Road
1954 · Movie
as Works Manager
A Day to Remember
1953 · Movie
as Mr. Robinson
The Intruder
1953 · Movie
as Lowden
The Card
1952 · Movie
as Mr. Duncalf
The Magic Box
1952 · Movie
as Father in Family Group
The Cocktail Party
1952 · Movie
His Excellency
1952 · Movie
as The Admiral
The Ringer
1952 · Movie
as Stranger
Mandy
1952 · Movie
as Ackland
Folly to Be Wise
1952 · Movie
as Joseph Byres M.P.
No image
Let’s Keep Our Teeth
1952 · Movie
as Self - Commentator
Gone to Earth
1950 · Movie
as Mr. James
Night and the City
1950 · Movie
as Hoskins (uncredited)
The History of Mr. Polly
1949 · Movie
as Mr. Johnson
The Spider and the Fly
1949 · Movie
as Minister for War
Man on the Run
1949 · Movie
as Chief Inspector Mitchell
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
1948 · Movie
as Birkland
It Always Rains on Sunday
1947 · Movie
as George Sandigate
The October Man
1947 · Movie
as Mr. Peachy
They Flew Alone
1942 · Movie
as Mr. Johnson
Turned Out Nice Again
1941 · Movie
as Uncle Arnold
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
1941 · Movie
as Mr. Blenkinsop
Jeannie
1941 · Movie
as Mr. Jansen
Ships with Wings
1941 · Movie
as Papadopoulos
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
1941 · Movie
as Mr. Jones
The Proud Valley
1940 · Movie
as Dick Parry
Convoy
1940 · Movie
as Captain Eckersley
The Briggs Family
1940 · Movie
as Charley Briggs
Now You're Talking
1940 · Movie
as Alf Small
Law and Disorder
1940 · Movie
as Detective Inspector Bray
There Ain't No Justice
1939 · Movie
as Sammy Sanders
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
1939 · Movie
as Captain Edwin Fraser
No image
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
1939 · Movie
Poison Pen
1939 · Movie
as Len Griffin
The Four Just Men
1939 · Movie
as B.J. Burrell
The Citadel
1938 · Movie
as Joe Morgan
Marigold
1938 · Movie
as Mordan
No image
Who Killed John Savage?
1938 · Movie
as Inspector Chortley
No image
Premiere
1938 · Movie
as Lohrmann
Things to Come
1936 · Movie
as Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
1936 · Movie
as Major Grigsby
Rembrandt
1936 · Movie
as Fabrizius
No image
Someone at the Door
1936 · Movie
as Price
Mister Cinders
1935 · Movie
as Mr. Gaunt
No image
The Divine Spark
1935 · Movie
as Saverio Mercadante
The Queen's Affair
1934 · Movie
as Guard
The Church Mouse
1934 · Movie
as Wormwood
Blossom Time
1934 · Movie
as Meyerhoffer
Girls Will Be Boys
1934 · Movie
as Grey
The Flying Squad
1932 · Movie
as Sedeman
No image
Happy Ever After
1932 · Movie
as Colonel
The Skin Game
1931 · Movie
as Dawker
No image
Tilly of Bloomsbury
1931 · Movie
as Percy Welwyn
Murder!
1930 · Movie
as Ted Markham
Juno and the Paycock
1930 · Movie
as Captain Boyle
Caste
1930 · Movie
as Sam Gerridge
