Harry Potter and Carry On actor Leslie Phillips passes away at age 98
Harry Potter and Carry On actor Leslie Phillips passes away at age 98, Leslie Phillips, an actor best remembered for his roles in the Carry-On movies, passed away at the age of 98 following a protracted illness.
Phillips was also well-known to younger fans as the Sorting Hat’s voice in the Harry Potter movies. “I’ve lost a beautiful husband and the public has lost a very terrific showman,” his wife Zara told the Sun.
Simply put, he was a national treasure. Everyone adored him. Everywhere he went, he was mobbed. Jonathan Lloyd, Phillips’ representative, said the celebrity passed away on Monday in his sleep.
Over the course of his eight-decade career, the comedic actor appeared in over 200 movies, TV shows, and radio programs. In 1959’s Carry on Nurse, he played Jack Bell, and his catchphrases included “Ding dong,” “I say,” and “Well, hello,” all of which he delivered in a provocative tone.
Despite appearing in only four of the 31 Carry-On movies, the actor said that his well-known catchphrases stuck with him throughout the remainder of his career.
After Barbara Windsor’s passing two years prior, Jim Dale, 86, is the last living regular from the Carry-On movies.
One of those offering respect was Tony Maudsley from Coronation Street, who co-starred with Phillips. He tweeted: “Farewell, Leslie Phillips. I like working with him. He did, after all, say DING DONG when I asked him to.”
In a clip from the “great” Phillips’ own BBC program, The Kumars at No 42, which actor and comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar shared, the late actor and comedian described how he once became trapped in the London Underground besieged by onlookers who insisted he perform his catchphrases.
He was “really a nice, witty, and gentleman,” according to Bhaskar. The author of Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh, paid respect to Phillips online and stated that he “always adored his pater” in his post.
It was “terrible news,” according to broadcaster Piers Morgan, who called Phillips a “great character and superb comedic performer.”
“Another legend gone, thanks for the pleasure, old chap,” the author Melanie Blake said.
Although Phillips rose to fame for his thick accent and exaggerated depictions of the English upper class, he was actually an estuary English speaker who was born in Tottenham, north London.
Before serving as a lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry during World War Two, between 1942 to 1945, when he was invalided out, he attended Italia Conti Stage School.
His first film roles had come in the 1930s, but it wasn’t until much later in his career—in 1959 and 1960—that he took the lead in Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, and Carry On Constable.
He rose to fame for his roles in the Doctor movie series, taking Dirk Bogarde’s place in movies like 1960’s Doctor in Love, and for a string of fast-paced comedies in which he starred alongside Scots comic.
Along with Brothers in Law and The Smallest Show on Earth, he also starred in The Man Who Liked Funerals.
He co-starred with Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee for 17 years on the popular BBC radio program The Navy Lark. He also took up dramatic roles, such as his appearance alongside Peter O’Toole in 2006’s Venus, which received a Bafta nomination.
Phillips, a devoted supporter of Tottenham Hotspur, made an appearance on the field at the halftime show of the team’s home game versus Swansea City in 2012.
In the 1998 Birthday Honours list, Phillips received an OBE; in the 2008 New Year’s Honours list, he was elevated to a CBE. At the age of 90, the actor experienced two strokes six months apart.
