Sid James

Sid James (8 May 1913–26 April 1976) was a film and television actor. He was sometimes credited as "Sidney James". Image File history File links Sidjames. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... April 26 is the 116th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (117th in leap years). ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Of Jewish parents, James was born Joel Solomon Cohen in Hillbrow, Johannesburg, South Africa. He worked as a diamond cutter, hairdresser and part-time boxer in fairgrounds before becoming a professional actor. The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Hillbrow is the inner city residential neighbourhood of Johannesburg, Gauteng Province, South Africa. ... , City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... Diamond Cutting is the art, skill and, increasingly, science of changing a diamond from a rough stone into an attractive gem. ...

During World War II, he became a Lieutenant in the South African Army in an entertainment unit, and subsequently took up acting as a career. He came to Britain in 1946 on the back of his service gratuity. Initially he worked in repertory before being spotted by the nascent British post-war film industry, making his first appearance in Night Beat (1947). Combatants Allies: Poland, United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France/Free France, United States, China, Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, Norway, Honduras, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... 1947 (MCMXLVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1947 calendar). ...

Early Films

His first major comedy was The Lavender Hill Mob: with Alfie Bass he made up the bullion robbery gang headed by Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway. In the same year he also appeared in Lady Godiva Rides Again and The Galloping Major. In 1949 he played the alcoholic hero's barman in Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Small Back Room , and in 1956 he had a supporting role as a journalist in the science-fiction film Quatermass 2. The Lavender Hill Mob is a 1951 comedy film from Ealing Studios which tells the story of a mild-mannered bank clerk who masterminds the robbery of his bank. ... Alfie Bass as Mr. ... Publicity shot from 1960. ... Stanley Augustus Holloway (October 1, 1890 - January 30, 1982) was a British actor and entertainer famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen. ... 1951 Film that features Joan Collins in her movie debut as an uncredited Beauty Show Contestant. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... Michael Powell film-maker. ... Emeric Pressburger in Paris. ... The Small Back Room (1949) is a film by the British-based director-writer team of Powell & Pressburger. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: 1957 films | Films based on television series | Movie stubs | Science fiction films ...

In 1954 he began working with Tony Hancock in BBC radio's Hancock's Half Hour playing a character with his own name (but also the invented middle name Balmoral), who was a criminal who would usually manage to con Hancock. When this was turned into a television series his part was greatly increased to the extent that some viewers considered it to be a double act. Sid James was soon getting as many laughs as his partner. In the final series, the show was renamed simply Hancock and James was not included in the cast. The show was one of the most popular comedy series in Britain on both television and radio. 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Biography published in 1978 (1983 paperback reprint shown) Anthony John Hancock, best known as Tony Hancock (May 12, 1924 – June 24, 1968) was a major figure in British television and radio comedy in the 1950s and 1960s. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... Hancocks Half Hour was a famous BBC radio comedy series of the 1950s starring Tony Hancock. ...

Carry On

When Hancock had James dropped from the show, he returned to films to become a leading member of the Carry On team, originally to replace Ted Ray who had appeared in Carry On Teacher in 1959. It was intended that Ray would become a recurring Carry On star, but he had been dropped after just one film due to a complex contractual embarrassment (he was contracted to ABC films who had never used him). James ultimately made 19 Carry On films. The Carry On films were a long-running series of British popular low-budget comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. ... Ted Ray (1905-1977) (real name Charles Olden) was a popular British comedian of the 1950s and 1960s. ... Carry On Teacher is the third Carry On film, released in 1959. ... 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Sid and Sidney

Sid James was so identified with the similar characters that he played that they were often also called 'Sid' or 'Sidney'. Apart from the Sidney Fiddler, Sid Carter, Sid Plummer, Sidney Bliss, Sidney Boggle and Sidney Ruff-Diamond of the Carry On films, he played Sid Abbot in Bless This House on television and its spin-off film, as well as Sids Jones, Turner, Marks, Stone, and Gibson in addition to four characters called just 'Sid'. His Sidney Balmoral James from Hancock's Half Hour also appeared in his own Citizen James series. His trademark 'dirty laugh' was employed frequently. DVD cover Bless This House on the cover of TV Times magazine. ... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... Citizen James was a BBC sitcom that ran for 3 series between 24th November 1960 and 1962. ...

Health

In 1967 James was supposed to play Sergeant Nocker in Carry On Follow That Camel, but suffered a massive heart attack and was replaced by the American comic actor Phil Silvers. In Carry On Doctor James was shown mainly lying in a hospital bed, due to his real-life health scare. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... Follow That Camel is the fourteenth Carry On film (and, like its predecessor, does not have the words Carry On in its original title). ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Phil Silvers TV Guide cover Phil Silvers (May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedy actor. ... Carry On Doctor is the fifteenth Carry on film // Plot Summery Francis Bigger, preacher and healer, ends up in hospital in this chaotic Carry-on medical movie. ...

He later enjoyed success at the head of casts of TV situation comedies, notably George and the Dragon, Taxi (UK not US), "Two In Clover" and Bless This House. He suffered a heart attack on the opening night of The Mating Season at the Sunderland Empire and died on the way to hospital at the age of 62. DVD cover Bless This House on the cover of TV Times magazine. ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... The Mating Season is a 1951 film with Thelma Ritter. ... The Sunderland Empire Theatre is located in High Street West in Sunderland. ...

Later it was rumoured that the ghost of Sid James haunted the dressing room he occupied on the night of his death. After one experience during a gig there, the comedian Les Dawson refused to play the venue again. A manufactured image of a ghostly woman ascending a staircase A ghost is an alleged non-corporeal manifestation of a dead person (or, rarely, an animal or a vehicle). ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... Les Dawson (2 February 1931 - 10 June 1993) was a popular Lancashire comedian, known for his deadpan style. ...

External links

• Carry On Films at The Whippit Inn Detailed information on the Carry On film series
• carryonline For all you need to know about the Carry on Film series
• Sid James on Find-A-Grave
• What a Carry On A tribute to the Carry Ons and their stars