Richard Wattis
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| Richard Wattis | |
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| Born | Richard Cameron Wattis February 25, 1912 Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England |
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| Died | February 1, 1975 (aged 62) London |
| Cause of death | Myocardial infarction |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actor |
Richard Cameron Wattis (February 25, 1912 in Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England — February 1, 1975 in London, England), was a British character actor.
He attended King Edward's School, Birmingham and Bromsgrove School, he then worked for the family electrical engineering firm before becoming a professional actor. After his debut at Croydon Repertory Theatre he made many stage appearances in the West End. His first appearance in a film was A Yank At Oxford in 1938, but war service interrupted his career as an actor. Wattis served as a Second Lieutenant with the Arms Section of Special Operations Executive at Station VI during World War II.
He is best known for his appearances in innumerable British comedies of the 1950s and 1960s, including in the St Trinian's films (The Belles of St Trinian's, Blue Murder at St Trinian's and The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery), as "Manton Bassett", who is a Civil Servant in the Ministry of Education. He wore thick rimmed round spectacles and was often seen frowning and expressing indignation at the outrageous behaviour of other characters.
Other films included Hay Fever, The Colditz Story, Dentist on the Job, Very Important Person, The Happiest Days of Your Life and even The Longest Day, among many others.
Richard Wattis also appeared on television, including a long-running role opposite Eric Sykes and Hattie Jacques in Sykes as their next-door neighbour, as well as appearances in Danger Man, The Goodies and Father, Dear Father, among others.
[edit] External links
- Richard Wattis at the Internet Movie Database
- Richard Wattis at Find A Grave
- Richard Wattis - The New York Times
- Richard Wattis page - Cult TV
- Biography
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This article about a United Kingdom film and TV actor or actress is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Wattis, Richard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Wattis, Richard Cameron |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1912-02-25 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Wednesbury, Staffordshire, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1975-02-01 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | London |
