Benny Hill
A scene from The Benny Hill Show
Born	Alfred Hawthorn Hill 21 January 1924(1924-01-21) Southampton, England
Died	19 April 1992 (aged 68) Teddington, England
Occupation	Comedian Actor Singer
Parents	Alfred Hawthorn Hill Helen Florence Hill

Alfred Hawthorn Hill (21 January 1924 – 19 April 1992), better known as Benny Hill, was a prolific English comic, actor and singer, best known for his television programme, The Benny Hill Show. Benny Hill This work is copyrighted. ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... For other uses, see Southampton (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... , Teddington is an area of London, England on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... For other uses, see Actor (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Singer (disambiguation). ... Born Alfred Hawthorn Hill (January 21, 1924/1925 - April 20, 1992), Benny Hill was a prolific comic British actor. ...

Beginnings

Alfred "Alfie" Hill was born in Southampton, where he and his brother attended Tauntons School. During the Second World War Hill was one of the scholars evacuated with the school to Bournemouth School, East Way, Bournemouth. After leaving Tauntons School, Hill worked variously as a milkman in Eastleigh, bridge operator, driver and drummer, before he finally got a foot in the door of the entertainment industry by becoming an assistant stage manager. Inspired by the 'star comedians' of British music hall shows, Hill set out to make his mark in show business. For the stage, he changed his first name to 'Benny', in homage to his favourite comedian, Jack Benny. Hill began appearing at working men's clubs and Masonic dinners before graduating to nightclub and theatre jobs. Hill auditioned for Soho's famed Windmill Theatre (home of Revudeville, a popular show of singers, comedians and nude girls), but he was not hired. Benny's first job in professional theatre as a performer was as Reg Varney's straight man, beating a then-unknown Peter Sellers for the role. For other uses, see Southampton (disambiguation). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Bournemouth School (also known as Bournemouth Grammar School or Bournemouth School for Boys and commonly abbreviated to BS or BSB), is a boys grammar school and sixth-form college occupying a site located in Charminster, Bournemouth, Dorset, England and teaching children from years 7 to 13 (ages 11 to 18). ... , Bournemouth is a large town and tourist resort, situated on the south coast of England. ... A milk truck A milkman is a person who delivers milk in milk bottles or cartons. ... This article is about the town in Hampshire. ... Music Hall is a form of British theatrical entertainment which reached its peak of popularity between 1850 and 1960. ... Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 in Chicago, Illinois – December 26, 1974 in Beverly Hills, California), born Benjamin Kubelsky, was an American comedian, vaudeville performer, and radio, television, and film actor. ... Working Mens clubs are a formally organized type of private social club (Also see C&IU). ... American Square & Compasses Freemasonry is a worldwide fraternal organization. ... The Windmill Theatre, later the Windmill Club, was a famous West End theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. ... , The Windmill Theatre, later the Windmill Club, was a famous West End theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. ... Reginald Alfred Varney (born Canning Town, Essex (now Greater London) on 11 July 1916) is an English TV and film actor who starred in On the Buses, a popular British 1970s sitcom. ... Peter Sellers, CBE (8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was a British comedian and actor best known for his three roles in Dr. Strangelove and as Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther films. ...

Private life

Hill worked compulsively and had only a few friends, although colleagues who knew him closely insist that he was never lonely, but content with his own company. He never married, although he did propose to two women — one the daughter of a British writer — and was rejected by both. He never owned his own home, nor even a car, instead preferring to rent a small flat in Teddington, a convenient walking distance to the studios of Thames Television, where he taped his shows. His mother lived with him until her death shortly before his. Before his move to Teddington, he lived at 22 Westrow Gardens in Southampton. ^{[citations needed]} This article does not cite any references or sources. ... , Teddington is an area of London, England on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. ... Teddington Studios in London. ...

Travelling was the one luxury he consistently permitted himself. Hill became a first-degree Francophile, enjoying frequent visits to Marseille. Until the 1980s, he could enjoy the anonymity of France's outdoor cafes, public transport, and socialising with local women. Besides mastering French, Benny also could 'get by' speaking German, Dutch and Italian in his travels. Hill's overseas holidays were often gathering missions for comedic material, some newly inspired by foreign surroundings, or borrowed from regional acts. A Francophile is term given to people with a severe mental illness: its symptoms are a craven attitude towards fighting to preserve what is claimed to be loved, a belief that the French Emprie was and is vastly superior to the British (a falsehood) and an habitual insertion of... City flag Coat of arms Motto: By her great deeds, the city of Massilia shines Location Time Zone CET (GMT +1) Coordinates Administration Country Region Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur Department Bouches-du-Rhône (13) Subdivisions 16 arrondissements (in 8 secteurs) Intercommunality Urban Community of Marseille Provence M...

Hill was a distant relative of the Australian actress and singer Holly Valance (Hill's cousin being Valance's grandfather). Holly Rachel Vukadinović (born 11 May 1983), who is better known by her stage name of Holly Valance, is an Australian Emmy nominated actress and multi award winning, ARIA nominated singer. ...

Early career

Between the end of the war and the dawn of television, he worked as a radio performer. His first appearance on television was in 1949 in the television programme Hi There. He continued to work intermittently until his career took off with The Benny Hill Show in 1955 on BBC Television. Recurring players on his show during the BBC years included Patricia Hayes, Jeremy Hawk, Peter Vernon, Ronnie Brody, and his co-writer from the mid-1950s to early 1960s, Dave Freeman. He remained mostly with the BBC through 1968, except for a few isolated sojourns with ITV station ATV in 1957–1960 and again in 1967. He also had a short-lived radio programme, Benny Hill Time, which ran on BBC Radio's Light Programme service from 1964 to 1966. In addition, he attempted a sitcom anthology, Benny Hill, which ran for three series from 1962 to 1963, in which he played a different character in each episode. In 1964, he played Nick Bottom in an all-star TV film production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which began in 1932. ... Patricia Hayes, CBE (born Patricia Lawlor Hayes on December 22, 1909 in Camberwell; died September 19, 1998 in London) was a British-born comedy actress of Irish Catholic extraction. ... Ronnie Brody (born 6 November 1918 in Bristol, England — died 8 May 1991 in London, England), was a British actor who appeared in many comedy television series and films. ... Dave Freeman (22 August 1922 - 28 March 2005) was a British film and television writer, working chiefly in comedy. ... Independent Television (generally known as ITV, but also as ITV Network) is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority (ITA) to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK. Since 1990 and the Broadcasting... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. ... The Light Programme was a BBC radio station broadcasting mainstream light entertainment and music. ... This article is about a genre of comedy. ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. ... Nick Bottom is a character in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights Dream who provides comic relief throughout the play, and is famously known for getting his head transformed into that of a donkey by the elusive Puck within the play. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... For other uses, see A Midsummer Nights Dream (disambiguation). ...

Films and recordings

Benny Hill's film credits include parts in nine films including Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965); Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), in which he played the relatively straight role of the Toymaker; The Italian Job (1969); and, finally, a clip-show film spin-off of his early Thames shows (1969–73), called The Best of Benny Hill (1974). 1963 Replica of the Bristol Boxkite, now hanging in the Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery. ... Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 feature film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, based on Ian Flemings book Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. ... The Italian Job is a British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. ... US DVD Cover The Best of Benny Hill is a 1974 film spinoff from the television comedy series The Benny Hill Show. ...

Hill's audio recordings include "Gather in the Mushrooms" (1961), "Transistor Radio" (1961), "Harvest of Love" (1963), "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)" (1971), among many others. He also appeared in the video of the song "Anything She Does" by the band Genesis. Harvest of Love is a short comic song, written and originally performed by Benny Hill. ... Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West) was a comic song by Benny Hill in 1971. ... Genesis is an English rock band formed in 1967. ...

Hill's song, "Ernie (The Fastest Milkman In The West)," on the Best of Benny Hill album made the UK Chart as Christmas Number One Single in 1971. A link to the lyrics is provided in the External Links section of this article.

The Benny Hill Show

In 1969, his show moved from the BBC to Thames Television, where The Benny Hill Show remained until its cancellation in 1989, with an erratic schedule of one-hour specials. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Born Alfred Hawthorn Hill (January 21, 1924/1925 - April 20, 1992), Benny Hill was a prolific comic British actor. ...

Ben Elton criticised him for sexism, as did other British alternative comedy performers who came to fame in the 1980s^[1]. A common criticism was that Hill played a "dirty old man" who chased women in public places, when in point of fact it was an established part of the comedic style of The Benny Hill Show that the women always chased Hill. Hill and his producer Dennis Kirkland believed that this misrepresentation of his show demonstrated that Hill's critics could not have actually watched his programmes.^[2] Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Similar charges were also aimed at the Carry On films which became unfashionable amongst the media elite at the time. To quote his biographer Mark Lewisohn, "In Britain, Benny Hill is taboo . . . I " His show is rarely repeated on terrestrial, satellite or cable TV, although it has recently been aired on the BBC America cable channel. An Australian TV channel, Seven Network has shown some episodes lately called "Great Comedy Classics". The Carry On films were a long-running series of British low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... Mark Lewisohn (born 1958) is one of the worlds foremost experts on The Beatles. ... The Seven Network is an Australian television network, owned by the Seven Media Group. ...

Harry Enfield parodied Benny Hill's style in a 1995 sketch. Ironically not only did the sketch star Ben Elton, it featured Elton chasing women instead of the other way around. The sketch was called Benny Elton. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ...

Celebrity fans

Charlie Chaplin, who died in 1977, was an avid fan of Hill's work: Hill had earlier discovered that his childhood idol Chaplin was a fan when he was invited to Chaplin's home in Switzerland by Chaplin's family and discovered that Chaplin had a vast collection of Benny's work on video. Apparently, Hill and Dennis Kirkland were the first people outside the family to be invited into Chaplin's private study. Charles Chaplin redirects here. ...

Radio and TV show host Adam Carolla has also claimed that he was an avid fan of Benny Hill and that he considered Hill "as American as the Beatles." Indeed, during an episode of The Man Show, Carolla performed (in what was billed as a tribute to "our favourite Englishman, Sir Benny Hill") in a slightly more risqué takeoff of the "undercranked" sketches that Hill popularised. Carolla played a rude and lecherous waiter—a role Hill essayed numerous times in his shows — and the sketch featured many of the staples of Hill's shows (including a Jackie Wright-esque bald man, as well as the usual scantily clad ladies). Adam Carolla (born May 27, 1964) is an American comedian, comedy writer, radio personality, television personality and actor. ... The Man Show was a half hour comedy television show on Comedy Central. ... Jackie Wright (1905-January 1989) was a British comedian known for being the bald-headed sidekick of fellow comic Benny Hill on his television programme for three decades, receiving head taps from the former. ...

Comedian Carlos Mencia is also known to give tributes to Hill at the end of his show, Mind of Mencia, saying that he was an inspiration to him. Carlos Mencia on stage for his show, Ned Arnel Mencía (born October 22, 1967), better known by his stage name Carlos Mencia, is an American comedian, writer, and actor. ... Mind of Mencia is an American television comedy show on the cable channel Comedy Central. ...

In a documentary (Benny Hill: The World's Favorite Clown) filmed before Hill's death, a variety of celebrities (Burt Reynolds, Michael Caine, John Mortimer, Mickey Rooney, and Walter Cronkite, among others) expressed their appreciation of and admiration for Hill and his humour (and in Reynolds' case, the appreciation extended to the Hill's Angels as well). Burt Reynolds (born Burton Reynolds Jr. ... This article is about the English actor. ... Sir John Clifford Mortimer QC (born 21 April 1923) is an English barrister turned prolific writer and dramatist. ... Actor Mickey Rooney speaks at the Pentagon in 2000 during a ceremony honoring the USO. Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule, Jr. ... Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. ...

In 2006, the broadcaster and critic Garry Bushell launched a campaign to erect a statue of Benny in Southampton, with the support of Barbara Windsor, Brian Conley and many other British comedy favourites. Those taking part in the first fund-raising concert included Neville Staple, Right Said Fred and Rick Wakeman.

Death

Hill's health began to decline in the early 1990s. He suffered heart problems, and on 11 February 1992, doctors told him that he needed to lose weight, and recommended a heart bypass. He declined, and was diagnosed a week later with renal failure. is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... A coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) or heart bypass is a surgical procedure performed in patients with coronary artery disease (see atherosclerosis) for the relief of angina and possible improved heart muscle function. ... Renal failure is the condition in which the kidneys fail to function properly. ...

Benny Hill died on or about 19 April 1992 (Easter weekend), alone in his flat at 7 Fairwater House, Twickenham Road, Teddington, at the age of 68. On 21 April, concerned neighbours had called the police, who then found Hill, deceased, sitting in his armchair in front of the television. On the day that Benny Hill died, a new contract arrived in the post to him from Central Independent Television. is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 111th day of the year (112th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

The cause of death was listed as coronary thrombosis. (His death closely coincided with that of another British comedy icon, Frankie Howerd, who died on 19 April aged 75.) Thrombosis is the formation of a clot or thrombus inside a blood vessel, obstructing the flow of blood through the circulatory system. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

He was buried at Hollybrook Cemetery near his birthplace in Southampton. In October 1992, following rumours that he was buried with large amounts of gold jewellery, an attempt was made by thieves to exhume his body. However, when authorities looked into his open coffin the following morning, there was no treasure within it, and consequently, only the culprits know for sure whether anything valuable was inside. Hill was re-buried with a new coffin lid and a solid slab placed across the top of the grave. These circumstances were similar to that of Romy Schneider after her burial. For other uses, see Southampton (disambiguation). ... Romy Schneider (September 23, 1938 – May 29, 1982) was a German-Austrian actress. ...

Last will

In Hill's will, he had left his estimated £10 million (GBP) estate to his late parents. Next in line were his brother Leonard and sister Diana, neither of whom he had enjoyed the closest of relationships with, and both of whom were also deceased. This left his seven nieces and nephews, amongst whom the money — approximately £7.5 million — was divided. A note was found among his belongings assigning huge sums of money to his close friends Sue Upton, Louise English, Henry McGee, Bob Todd and Dennis Kirkland, but because it was neither signed nor witnessed, the note had no legal standing. In the common law, a will or testament is a document by which a person (the testator) regulates the rights of others over his property or family after death. ... “GBP” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Sue Upton (actress) be merged into this article or section. ... Louise English (born London, England) is a British actress perhaps best known as Benny Hill’s leading lady and the featured performer with Hill’s Angels on The Benny Hill Show[1], and for her many leading roles in musical theatre productions. ... Henry McGee (born 14 May 1929, London) is an actor who is best known for acting as a straight man to Benny Hill for many years. ... Bob Todd (15 December 1921 – 21 October 1992) was a British comedy actor, mostly known for being a sidekick of Benny Hill and Spike Milligan. ... Dennis Kirkland (December 2, 1942 – February 16, 2006) was a British television producer and director who was best known for his long association with comedian Benny Hill. ...

Is Benny Hill Still Funny?

On 28 December 2006, Channel 4 broadcast the documentary Is Benny Hill Still Funny?. The programme featured an audience that comprised a cross-section of young adults who had little or no knowledge of Hill's comedy style. The aim was to discover whether or not the alternative comedians' criticism of Hill was valid to a generation that enjoyed the likes of Little Britain, The Catherine Tate Show and Borat. The participants were asked to watch a 30-minute compilation that included examples of Hill's humour from both his early BBC and later Thames shows. The responses were continuously measured and the results demonstrated that nobody took offense at any of the sketches shown. In addition, the "appreciation" figure was revealed to be very respectable, which would have guaranteed a series commission had it been a modern television pilot programme. Hill's silent "Wishing Well" sketch was discovered to be the most popular. Alternative comedian Ben Elton, a harsh critic of Hill in the 1980s, was interviewed in the programme. Although still having reservations on certain aspects of Hill's sketches, Elton admitted he was an admirer of Hill's talent and abilities as a comic performer. is the 362nd day of the year (363rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the British television station. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the British TV show Little Britain. ... The Catherine Tate Show is an award-winning British television sketch comedy written by Catherine Tate who stars in all of the shows sketches, which feature a wide range of characters. ... This article refers to the Sacha Baron Cohen character Borat. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Benjamin Charles Elton (born 3 May 1959) is an English comedian, writer and director. ...

Running Gags

The most common running gag in Benny Hill's shows was the closing sequence, which was literally a "running gag" in that it featured Benny Hill and other male characters lecherously chasing scantily clad female characters, who would usually end up turning the tables and chasing Benny. This was commonly filmed using a stop motion technique for comic effect. Stop motion is an animation technique which makes things that are static appear to be moving. ...

The tune used in all the chases, "Yakety Sax", is commonly referred to as 'The Benny Hill Theme'. It has been used in form of parody in many ways by television shows, a small number of films and video games. Yakety Sax is a 1961 45 rpm single record by saxophonist Boots Randolph. ...

References

1. ^ The Independent- Why did the British disown Benny Hill?, published 27 May 2006
2. ^ Benny - The True Story by Dennis Kirkland (with Hilary Bonner), publ. 1993

• Benny Hill page at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• Benny Hill at the Internet Movie Database
• Funny, Peculiar - The True Story of Benny Hill by Mark Lewisohn
• The Benny Hill Show page at the Museum of Broadcast Communications
• GRO - Alfred H. Hill born MAR qtr 1924 2c 52 SOUTHHAMPTON, mmn = Cave
• GRO - Alfred Hawthorne Hill died: APR 1992 14 1352 Richmond-upon-Thames, aged 68, Date of Birth = 21 Jan 1924

The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located in Chicago, Illinois. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ... The Museum of Broadcast Communications is located in Chicago, Illinois. ...

External links

• The Eastleigh Photograph Archive Photos of the dairy and streets where Benny worked as a milkman, inspiring the song Ernie (The fastest milkman in the west)

• The Benny Hill Songbook Lyrics and transcripts
• Benny's Place featuring Louise English & Hill's Angels A tribute to Benny Hill and his beautiful ladies known as Hill's Angels
• Laughterlog.com Article with complete list of appearances on television, radio and record
• Lyrics to 'Ernie' (The Fastest Milkman In The West)