Clive Swift

Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox comedian Clive Walter Swift (9 February 1936 – 1 February 2019) was an English actor and songwriter. A classically trained actor, his stage work included performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but he was best known to television viewers for his role as Richard Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He played many other television and film roles.

Life and careerEdit

Swift was born in Liverpool on 9 February 1936,<ref name=barker/> the son of Abram Sampson Swift, who owned a furniture shop in Bootle, and Lily Rebecca, née Greenman.<ref name=obit>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Clive Swift profile, filmreference.com; accessed 12 October 2016.</ref> He was educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge reading English literature. He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His family was Jewish.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

He appeared as Snug in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1968 film production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of a cast that included Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren and Ian Richardson.<ref name="GUAR">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the 1970s, he appeared as Doctor Black in two of the BBC's M. R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and in A Warning to the Curious, as well as the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles.<ref name="GUAR" /> He is best known for his role on Keeping Up Appearances as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth.<ref name="GUAR" /> Swift made two appearances in Doctor Who, in the 1985 story Revelation of the Daleks and the 2007 Christmas special. Around the time of his second appearance, he gave a "grumpy" interview to Doctor Who Magazine in which he bemoaned "not getting paid" to promote his episode, and belittled the show.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also played Sir Ector, the adoptive father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur.<ref name="GUAR" />

In addition to acting, he was a songwriter. Many of his songs were included in his shows Richard Bucket Overflows: An Audience with Clive Swift, which toured the UK in 2007,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Clive Swift Entertains, in which he performed his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also played the part of the Reverend Eustacius Brewer in Born and Bred, which aired on BBC One from 2002 to 2005.<ref name=barker>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His last performance was in an episode of Midsomer Murders in 2017, after which he retired.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life and deathEdit

Swift was married to novelist Margaret Drabble from 1960 until their divorce in 1975.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was the father of one daughter, Rebecca (who died in April 2017), known for running The Literary Consultancy in London, and two sons, Adam Swift, an academic, and Joe Swift, a garden designer, journalist and television presenter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Swift died at home on 1 February 2019, aged 82, following a short illness.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Paying tribute to Swift, fellow actor James Dreyfus said he "loved this extremely talented, subtle actor".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His Keeping Up Appearances co-star Patricia Routledge said: "Clive was a skillful and inventive actor with wide experience, as his successful career proved," and that she was very sad to hear of her former co-star's death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Swift's elder brother David was also an actor.

FilmographyEdit

FilmEdit

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1965	Catch Us If You Can<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Duffie
1968	A Midsummer Night's Dream<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Snug
1972	Frenzy<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Johnny Porter
1972	Death Line<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Inspector Richardson
1973	The National Health<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Ash
1973	Man at the Top<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Massey
1978	The Sailor's Return<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Reverend Pottock
1981	Excalibur<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Ector
1984	Memed My Hawk<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Magistrate
1984	A Passage to India<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Major Callendar
1988	Young Toscanini<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Comparsa	Uncredited
1990	Othello<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Brabantio	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
1997	Gaston's War<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	General James

TelevisionEdit

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1970	Mad Jack
1970–71	Waugh on Crime	Inspector Waugh of the CID
1971	The Stalls of Barchester<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Dr. Black
1972	The Liver Birds<ref name=mumford>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Jim Royle	1 episode
1972	Dead of Night<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Dan
1972	A Warning to the Curious<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Dr. Black
1973	The Frighteners	James Machen	'The Classroom', episode (ITV (TV channel)) (4th. May)
1976	The Brothers	Griffith Trevelyan	2 episodes: "Tender", series 6, episode 6 and "The Mole", series 6, episode 7
1976	Romeo and Juliet<ref name=barker/>	Friar Lawrence
1976	Beasts	Bunny Nettleton	1 episode: "Dummy"
1978	Bless Me, Father<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Fred Dobie	1 episode: "Father and Mother"
1978	1990
1979	Henry IV, Part 1<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
1979	Hazell (TV series)	Neville Fitch	Episode: Hazell and the Baker Street Sleuth
1980	The Nesbitts Are Coming	Ernie Nesbitt	6 episodes
1981	Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Sir Horace Wilson	Last two episodes
1982	Tales of the Unexpected<ref name=barker/>	Latham	1 episode: S5, E5 "Stranger in Town"
1982	The Barchester Chronicles<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Bishop Proudie
1985	The Pickwick Papers<ref name=tvguide/>	Tracy Tupman
1985	Doctor Who	Professor Jobel	Revelation of the Daleks<ref name=tvguide/>
1986	First Among Equals<ref name=barker/>	Alec Pimkin
1987	Inspector Morse<ref name=tvguide/>	Doctor Bartlett
1987	Pack of Lies<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Ellis
1988	Journey's End<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Captain Hardy
1989	British Telecom	Cyril (Beatie's brother-in-law in Australia)	Television advertisement<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
1990–1995	Keeping Up Appearances<ref name=tvguide/>	Richard Bucket	Main role, 44 episodes
1993	Heartbeat<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Victor Kellerman	1 episode: "Going Home"
1997	The Famous Five<ref name=tvguide>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Mr Pottersham	‘Five Have a Wonderful Time" Part 1&?2
1997	The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket	Richard Bucket	TV film (archive footage only)
1998	Peak Practice<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Norman Shorthose	10 episodes
1999	Aristocrats<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	King George II
2002–2005	Born and Bred<ref name=tvguide/>	Reverend Eustacius Brewer
2007	Doctor Who	Mr Copper	"Voyage of the Damned"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2008	Keeping Up Appearances: Life Lessons from Onslow	Richard Bucket	TV film (archive footage only)
2009–2010	The Old Guys<ref name=tvguide/><ref name=barker/>	Roy	12 episodes
2011	Hustle<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Yusef	Episode: "The Delivery"
2014	Cuckoo<ref name=barker/>	Dr. Rafferty	Episode: "Funeral"
2015	Rosamunde Pilcher	Edward Whiteley	"Valentine's Kiss"[1]
2015	SunTrap	Colin	Episode: "In the Line of Fire"
2017	Midsomer Murders<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Felix Hope	S19, E2: "Crime and Punishment" (final appearance)

RadioEdit

"Vivat Rex" as Lord Talbot in "Henry VI" by William Shakespeare, in episodes 15–16, BBC (1977)
Souvenirs of Chabrier - five-part series on the life and music of Emmanuel Chabrier, with Swift as the composer (1981)<ref>Souvenirs of Chabrier BBC Radio 3 (From Radio Times) accessed 21 December 2024.</ref>
Measure for Measure as Escalus (2004)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Oblomov as the Doctor (2005)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Right Time (2008)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities as Nash (2011)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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The Price of Fear – Remains to be Seen as Fred Treiber (2012)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

StageEdit

Cymbeline (1962) as Cloten<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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The Physicists (1963) as Inspector Richard Voss (Aldwych Theatre)<ref name=barker/>
The Tempest (1966) as Caliban (Prospect Theatre Company)<ref name=filmref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Clive Swift at the British Film Institute
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Obituary at Bbc.co.uk

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