Arnold Ridley

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Arnold Ridley

Born William Arnold Ridley
7 January 1896(1896-01-07)
Bath, Somerset, England[1]
Died 12 March 1984 (aged 88)
Hillingdon, London, England[2]
Nationality British
Occupation Playwright, Actor
Spouse Althea Parker
Children one child

Major William Arnold Ridley, OBE (7 January 1896 — 12 March 1984) was an English playwright and actor.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Ridley was born in Bath, England, and attended the Beechen Cliff School. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from the University of Bristol.

[edit] Career

He saw active service in the First World War, sustaining several serious injuries: his left arm was left virtually useless by injuries sustained on the Somme, his legs were riddled with shrapnel and the legacy of a blow to the head by a German soldier's rifle butt left him prone to blackouts. After the war Ridley went into acting. He is best known as the author of the play, The Ghost Train (1923) (later a film with Arthur Askey), for portraying the elderly Private Charles Godfrey in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army (1968-77), and Doughy Hood in the radio soap The Archers in the 1960s.

Having unsuccessfully attempted to establish a film company between the wars, Ridley again saw active service with the British Expeditionary Force in France during the Second World War, with the rank of major, but was discharged on health grounds. He worked regularly as an actor, including an appearance in the 1964 British comedy Crooks in Cloisters, but only became a household name during the 1970s when he was offered the role of Private Charles Godfrey in one of the UK's most successful sitcoms of all time: Dad's Army. He continued to appear into his eighties. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List of 1982, for services to the theatre.

Arnold Ridley was married to actress Althea Parker (1911-2001) in 1946; they had one child.

His collection of theatrical memorabilia was left to the University of Bristol and has been made available online.[3][4]

[edit] References

  1. ^ GRO Register of Births: MAR 1896 5c 543 BATH - William Arnold Ridley
  2. ^ GRO Register of Deaths: JUN 1984 13 934 HILLINGDON, MIDDLESEX - William Arnold Ridley, DoB = 7 Jan 1896 aged 88
  3. ^ BBC News 6th January 2008
  4. ^ University of Bristol Theatre Collection Arnold Ridley Archive

[edit] Television Roles

Year Title Role
1968 to 1977 Dad's Army Private Godfrey

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Major Cast Members of Dad's Army


Persondata
NAME Ridley, Arnold
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Playwright, Actor
DATE OF BIRTH 1896-01-07
PLACE OF BIRTH Bath, England
DATE OF DEATH 1984-03-12
PLACE OF DEATH Hillingdon, London
Languages