Editing Wilfrid Brambell

{{Short description|Irish actor (1912–1985)}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2022}}
{{sources|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Wilfrid Brambell
| image = Wilfred_Brambell.jpg
| caption = Brambell in 1966 (photo by [[Brian Duffy (photographer)|Duffy]])
| birth_name = Henry Wilfrid Brambell
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1912|03|22|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Dublin]], Ireland
| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|01|18|1912|03|22|df=y}}
| death_place = London, England
| occupation = Actor
| years_active = 1930–1985
| spouse = {{marriage|Mary Hall|1948|1955|end=div}}}}

'''Henry Wilfrid Brambell''' (22 March 1912 – 18 January 1985) was an Irish television and film actor, best remembered for playing the grubby [[rag-and-bone man]] Albert Steptoe alongside [[Harry H. Corbett]] in the long-running [[BBC]] television sitcom ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' (1962–1965, 1970–1974). He achieved international recognition in 1964 for his appearance alongside [[the Beatles]] in ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'', playing the fictional grandfather of [[Paul McCartney]].

==Early life==
Brambell was born on 22 March 1912 in [[Dublin]], the youngest of three sons born to Henry Lytton Brambell (1870–1937), a cashier at the [[Guinness Brewery]], and his wife, Edith Marks (1879–1965), a former opera singer. His two older brothers were Frederick Edward Brambell (1905–1980) and James Christopher Marks "Jim" Brambell (1907–1992).

Brambell's first experience as an actor was as a child, entertaining the wounded troops during the [[First World War]]. After leaving school, he worked part-time as a reporter for ''[[The Irish Times]]'' and part-time as an actor at the [[Abbey Theatre]] before becoming a professional actor for the [[Gate Theatre]]. He also did [[repertory]] at [[Swansea]], [[Bristol]], and [[Chesterfield, Derbyshire|Chesterfield]].<ref>''The Times'' Obituary, 19 January 1985</ref>

In the [[Second World War]], he joined the British military forces entertainment organisation [[ENSA]].

==Acting career==
Brambell had roles in film and television from 1947, his first being an uncredited appearance in ''[[Odd Man Out]]'' as a tram passenger. His television career began during the 1950s, when he was cast in small roles in three [[Nigel Kneale]]/[[Rudolph Cartier]] productions for [[BBC One|BBC Television]]: as a drunk in ''[[The Quatermass Experiment]]'' (1953), as both an old man in a pub and later a prisoner in ''[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (UK TV programme)|Nineteen Eighty-Four]]'' (1954), and as a tramp in ''[[Quatermass II]]'' (1955).

He played Jacob, an immigrant from eastern Europe selling newspapers in Paris, in an episode of ''[[Maigret (1960 TV series)|Maigret]]'' entitled "A Man of Quality", first broadcast on 12 December 1960.

All of these roles earned Brambell a reputation for playing old men, despite being aged in his 40s. He appeared in the short film series'' [[Scotland Yard (film series)|Scotland Yard]]'' in the episode, "The Grand Junction Case". He appeared as Bill Gaye in the 1962 [[Maurice Chevalier]]/[[Hayley Mills]] picture, ''[[In Search of the Castaways (film)|In Search of the Castaways]]''. He was heard on the original London cast recording of the long-running West End stage musical ''The Canterbury Tales'' in which he starred at London's Phoenix Theatre.''

Brambell was featured in many prominent theatre roles. In 1966, he played [[Ebenezer Scrooge]] in a musical version of ''[[A Christmas Carol]]''. This was adapted for radio the same year and was broadcast on the [[BBC Light Programme]] on Christmas Eve. Brambell's booming baritone voice surprised many listeners: he played the role straight, true to the [[Dickens]] original. In 1971, he starred in the premiere of [[Eric Chappell]]'s play, ''[[The Banana Box]]'', in which he played Rooksby. <ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/jan/25/how-we-made-rising-damp-miss-jones-rigsby|title=How we made: Rising Damp|first1=George|last1=Bass|first2=Interviews by George|last2=Bass|date=25 January 2021|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref> This was adapted for television under the name ''[[Rising Damp]]'', with the character of Rooksby renamed Rigsby and played by [[Leonard Rossiter]]. Brambell also played Bert Thomson, an Irish widower, in the film ''[[Holiday on the Buses]]''; the character in question started a close friendship with Stan Butler's mother, Mabel.

===''Steptoe and Son'' and ''A Hard Day's Night''===
It was Brambell's ability to play old men that led to his casting in his best-remembered role as Albert Steptoe, the irascible father in ''Steptoe and Son'', a man who, when the series began, was said to be in his sixties, even though Brambell was only aged 49 in 1962 (thirteen years older than [[Harry H. Corbett]], who played his son Harold). The series began as a pilot on the BBC's ''[[Comedy Playhouse]]'', and its success led to the commissioning of a full series. It ran from 1962 to 1974, including a five-year hiatus. A constant thread throughout the series was Albert being referred to by Harold as a "dirty old man"; for example, when he was eating [[pickled onions]] while taking a bath and retrieving dropped ones from the bathwater. There were also [[Steptoe and Son (film)|two feature film spin-offs]], a stage show, and an American incarnation titled ''[[Sanford and Son]]'', some episodes of which were almost exact remakes of the original British scripts.{{citation needed|date=May 2015}}

The success of ''Steptoe and Son'' made Brambell a high-profile figure on British television and earned him the supporting role of Paul McCartney's grandfather in the Beatles' first film, ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' (1964). A running joke is made throughout the film of his character being "a very clean old man", in contrast to his being referred to as a "dirty old man" in ''Steptoe and Son''. In real life, he was indeed nothing like his ''Steptoe'' persona, being dapper and well-spoken. He notably spoke with a distinct [[received pronunciation]] accent, in strong contrast to both his Cockney ''Steptoe'' accent and his native Irish accent, which he would use where the role dictated. In 1965, Brambell told the BBC that he did not want to do another series of ''Steptoe and Son'', and in September that year, he travelled to New York City to appear in the Broadway musical ''[[Kelly (musical)|Kelly]]'' at the [[Broadhurst Theatre]]. It closed after a single performance.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ibdb.com/production.php?id=3225|title=Kelly – Broadway Musical – Original |website=IBDb.com|access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref>

He also released two 45-rpm singles: "Second Hand"/"Rag Time Ragabone Man", ([[Parlophone Records]] R5058), in 1963, in the guise of his ''[[Steptoe and Son]]'' [[Albert Steptoe|character]]; followed in 1971 by "The Decimal Song", with "Time Marches On", (his tribute to [[the Beatles]]), on the b-side, which was released on [[CBS Records International]] 7062.

===Later career===
After the final series of ''Steptoe and Son'' concluded in 1974 Brambell had some guest roles in films and on television. He and Corbett also undertook a tour of Australia and New Zealand in 1977, in a stage production based on ''Steptoe and Son''. He and Corbett appeared together in character for the last time in a 1981 advertisement for [[Kenco|Kenco Coffee]].

[[John Sullivan (writer)|John Sullivan]] considered him for the role of Grandad in ''[[Only Fools and Horses]]'', but decided against it as he thought Brambell was too closely associated with ''Steptoe''. The role later went to [[Lennard Pearce]] whose character encompassed some of ''Steptoe''<nowiki/>'s habits.

In 1982 he appeared in [[Terence Davies]]'s film ''Death and Transfiguration'', playing a dying elderly man who finally comes to terms with his [[homosexuality]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190354/|title=Death and Transfiguration|date=8 April 1984|access-date=19 October 2021|publisher=IMDb}}</ref> His performance in this short film, a segment of ''The Terence Davies Trilogy'' (1983), won him critical acclaim.<ref>[[Terence Davies]] interview on the Extras of the DVD release. Davies claims that Brambell's performance won festival awards and achieved high critical acclaim</ref> Brambell appears throughout the full 24-minute piece, but he does not speak a single word.

==Personal life==
In 1982, Brambell appeared on BBC News paying tribute to Corbett, after the latter's death from a heart attack.

In 2002, [[Channel 4]] broadcast a documentary film, ''[[When Steptoe Met Son]]'', about the off-screen life of Brambell and his relationship with Corbett. The film claimed that the two men detested each other and were barely on speaking terms after the Australian tour. The claimed rift was supposedly caused in part by Brambell's [[alcoholism]] and supposedly evidenced by the pair leaving the country on separate planes. The claim was disputed by the writers of ''Steptoe and Son'', [[Galton and Simpson|Ray Galton and Alan Simpson]], who rejected any hatred or conflict.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080516230121/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3484755.ece "Scriptwriters Reject the 'Curse of Comedy'], ''[[The Times]]'', Published online 8 March 2008. Retrieved 7 February 2011.</ref> Corbett's nephew released a statement in which he said that the actors did not hate each other: "We can categorically say they did not fall out. They were together for nearly a year in Australia, went on several sightseeing trips together, and left the tour at the end on different planes because Harry was going on holiday with his family, not because he refused to get on the same plane." They continued to work together after the Australian tour on radio and adverts, with it being generally accepted that the relationship between the two actors was under its greatest strain during the tour, though Brambell and Corbett soon settled their differences "fairly amicably", and in the spring of 1978 performed a short BBC radio sketch entitled ''Scotch on the Rocks''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.steptoe-and-son.com/corbettmessage.html|title=An Important Message from the Corbett Family|publisher=steptoe-and-son.com|access-date=7 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716134825/http://www.steptoe-and-son.com/corbettmessage.html|archive-date=16 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="comedy.co.uk">[https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/strained-relationships-wilfrid-brambell-and-harry-h-corbett/ Comedy Chronicles – Strained Relationships: Wilfrid Brambell & Harry H Corbett] McCann, Graham. ''www.comedy.co.uk'', 23 August 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2021.</ref>

Brambell was married to Mary Josephine Hall (known as "Molly") from 1948 to 1955.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.findmypast.co.uk/search/results?datasetname=england-and-wales-marriages-1837-2008&spouse1forename=henry&spouse1surname=brambell|title=Search Results for England-and-Wales-Marriages-1837-2008|website=Findmypast.co.uk|access-date=19 October 2021}}</ref> They [[divorce]]d after she gave birth to their lodger's baby in 1955.<ref name=Barrie2002/>

In 1962 Brambell was arrested and accused of [[Cottaging|persistently importuning]] in a toilet in [[Shepherd's Bush]], but was conditionally discharged.<ref>{{cite news|title=News in Brief: Conditional Discharge for Television Actor|work=The Times |location=UK|page=17|quote=Wilfred Brambell ... was conditionally discharged for a year and ordered to pay 25 guineas costs at West London Magistrates' Court yesterday for persistently importuning for an immoral purpose at Shepherd's Bush Green on 6 November}}</ref><ref name=Teeman2008>{{cite news|title=The Curse of Steptoe|last=Teeman|first=Tim|newspaper=The Times|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3585529.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517090720/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/tv_and_radio/article3585529.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 May 2011 |quote=Brambell was arrested for importuning. "I'm not a homosexual ... The very thought disgusts me", he declared.}}</ref> Decades after his death it was claimed that Brambell was homosexual<ref name=Barrie2002>{{cite news|title=The dirty truth|last=Barrie|first=David|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/aug/19/broadcasting.arts|date=19 August 2002|access-date=20 October 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/history/brambell.htm|title=Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender History Month UK|publisher=Lgbthistorymonth|access-date=29 November 2009|archive-date=16 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110216205019/http://www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk/history/brambell.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> but Brambell himself asserted "I'm not a homosexual ... The very thought disgusts me."<ref name=Teeman2008></ref>

==Death==
Brambell died of cancer at his home in Westminster,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|title=Deaths England and Wales 1984–2006|website=Findmypast.com|access-date=19 October 2021|archive-date=28 February 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228000620/http://www.findmypast.com/BirthsMarriagesDeaths.jsp|url-status=dead}}</ref> London, aged 72, on 18 January 1985. He was cremated on 25 January 1985 at [[Streatham Park Cemetery]], where his ashes were scattered. Just six people attended his funeral: his brother, his partner Raymond, Ray Galton and
Alan Simpson, a BBC representative, and his former co-star Corbett's widow, Maureen.<ref name="comedy.co.uk"/>

==Legacy==
''[[The Curse of Steptoe]]'', a [[BBC]] television play about Brambell and his co-star Harry H. Corbett, was broadcast on 19 March 2008 on digital BBC channel [[BBC Four]], featuring [[Phil Davis (actor)|Phil Davis]] as Brambell. The first broadcast gained the channel its highest audience figures to date, based on overnight returns.<ref name=Tryhorn2008>{{cite news|title=Multichannel ratings – March 19: BBC4 breaks ratings record|last=Tryhorn|first=Chris|newspaper=The Observer|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/mar/20/bbc4.ratings|access-date=24 May 2015}}</ref>

==Film roles==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year 
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| rowspan="3" |1947
|''[[Odd Man Out]]''
|Tram Passenger
| rowspan="3" |
|-
|''Eyes That Kill''
|Newspaper Editor
|-
|''Jassy''
|Servant
|-
|1948
|''Another Shore''
|Arthur Moore
|
|-
|1954
|''[[The Green Scarf]]''
|Court Clerk
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1956
|''Break-In''
|Army Cookhouse Sergeant
|
|-
|''[[Dry Rot (film)|Dry Rot]]''
|Tar Man
|
|-
|1957
|''[[The Story of Esther Costello]]''
|Man in Pub
|
|-
|1958
|''[[The Salvage Gang]]''
|The Tramp
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1959
|''[[Serious Charge]]''
|Verger
|
|-
|''Captured''
|
|
|-
|1960
|''[[Urge to Kill (film)|Urge to Kill]]''
|Mr. Forsythe
|
|-
| rowspan="3" |1961
|''[[Flame in the Streets]]''
|Mr. Palmer Senior
|
|-
|''[[What a Whopper]]''
|Postman
|
|-
|''[[The Sinister Man]]''
|Lock Keeper
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1962
|''[[The Boys (1962 British film)|The Boys]]''
|Robert Brewer Lavartory Attendant
|
|-
|[[In Search of the Castaways (film)|''In Search of the Castaways'']] 
|Bill Gaye
|
|-
|1963
|''[[The Small World of Sammy Lee]]''
|Harry
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1964
|''[[The Three Lives of Thomasina]]''
|Willie Bannock
|
|-
|''Go Kart Go''
|Fred, Junkman
|
|-
|''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]''
|John McCartney (Paul's Grandfather)
|
|-
|''[[Crooks in Cloisters]]''
|
|
|-
|1965
|''[[San Ferry Ann]]''
|Grandad
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|''[[Where the Bullets Fly]]''
|Train Guard
|
|-
|''Mano di velluto''  
|
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968
|[[Witchfinder General (film)|''Witchfinder General'']] 
|Master Loach
|As Wilfred (sic) Brambell
|-
|''[[Lionheart (1968 film)|Lionheart]]'' 
|Dignett
|
|-
| rowspan="4" |1969
|''[[Giacomo Casanova: Childhood and Adolescence]]'' 
|Malipiero
|
|-
|''[[Carry On Again Doctor]]''
|Mr. Pullen, a patient
|
|-
|''[[Cry Wolf (1969 film)|Cry Wolf]]'' 
|Delivery Man
|
|-
| The Undertakers 
|Mr. Mortis
| Short film
|-
| rowspan="1" |1970
|''[[Some Will, Some Won't]]'' 
|Henry Russell
|
|-
|1971
|''[[To Catch a Spy]]'' 
|Beech
|
|-
|1972
|''[[Steptoe and Son (film)|Steptoe and Son]]'' 
| rowspan="2" |Albert Steptoe
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1973
|''[[Steptoe and Son Ride Again]]''
|
|-
|''[[Holiday on the Buses]]'' 
|Bert Thompson
|
|-
|1979
|''[[The Adventures of Picasso]]'' 
|[[Alice B. Toklas]]
|
|-
|1980
|''[[High Rise Donkey]]'' 
|Ben Foxcroft
|
|-
|1982
|''The Island of Adventure''
|Uncle Jocelyn
|
|-
|1983
|''The Terence Davies Trilogy''
|Robert Tucker (old age)
|
|-
|1984
|''[[Sword of the Valiant]]'' 
|Porter
|
|}

== Television roles ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Years
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1947
|''[[The Cherry Orchard]]''
|Station Master
|Live drama
|-
|1948
|''Happy as Larry''
|First Tailor
|TV movie
|-
|1953
|''[[The Quatermass Experiment]]''
|A Drunk
|Episode: "An Unidentified Species"
|-
|1954
|[[Nineteen Eighty-Four (British TV programme)|''Nineteen Eighty-Four'']] 
|Thin Prisoner
|
|-
|1955
|''[[Quatermass II]]''
|Tramp
|Episode: "The Mark"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1957
|''[[The Adventures of Sir Lancelot]]''
|Fisherman
|Episode: "The Lesser Breed"
|-
|[[The Adventures of Robin Hood (TV series)|''The Adventures of Robin Hood'']] 
|Ned/Fisherman
|2 episodes
|-
|[[The Buccaneers (1956 TV series)|''The Buccaneers'']] 
|Old Man
|Episode: "Spy Aboard"
|-
|1958
|''[[The Government Inspector]]''
|Postmaster Ivan Kuzmich Shpekin
|Live drama
|-
|1958–1959
|[[Our Mutual Friend (1958 TV serial)|''Our Mutual Friend'']]
|Mr. Dolls
|
|-
|1959
|[[Bleak House (1959 TV serial)|''Bleak House'']] 
|Mr. Krook
|3 episodes
|-
|1961
| ''[[Scotland Yard (film series)]]''
|Dr Stanton
|Episode: "The Grand Junction Case" 
|-
|1962–1965, 1970–1974
|''[[Steptoe and Son]]''
|Albert Steptoe
|
|-
|1966
|[[Alice in Wonderland (1966 TV play)|''Alice in Wonderland'']] 
|[[White Rabbit]]
|TV play
|-
|1977
|[[Just William (1977 TV series)|''Just William'']]
|Mr. Buttermere
|Episode: "A Little Interlude"
|-
|1978
|[[All Creatures Great and Small (1978 TV series)|''All Creatures Great and Small'']]
|Dinsdale's Brother
|Episode: "A Dog's Life"
|-
|1979
|''[[Citizen Smith]]''
|Jack
|Episode: "Only Fools and Horses..."
|-
|1979
| ''[[3-2-1]]''  Dickens (Christmas Special) 
|Ebenezer Scrooge
| (ser.2 ep. 11)
|}

== References ==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* Brambell, (Henry) Wilfrid (1912–1985), David Parkinson, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0104183}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=21053|name=Wilfrid Brambell}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=544650|name=Wilfrid Brambell biography}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Brambell, Wilfrid}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Irish male film actors]]
[[Category:Irish male stage actors]]
[[Category:Irish male television actors]]
[[Category:Irish male comedians]]
[[Category:Irish gay actors]]
[[Category:People from Ranelagh]]
[[Category:People convicted for homosexuality in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish LGBTQ people]]
[[Category:Burials at Streatham Park Cemetery]]
[[Category:Male actors from County Dublin]]
[[Category:Comedians from Dublin (city)]]