TODAY we mark the birthday of a face that could be familiar to those of us, who have a liking for early #Hammerfilms and a certain charming children's television programme of the early 1970's. . .
GEORGE WOODBRIDGE, was born on February 16, 1907 in Exeter, Devon, England, UK. Heavy-set, ruddy-complexioned Devon-born character actor, who
specialised in bucolic types, jovial policemen or innkeepers. Perhaps weirdly, he appeared in nine films with Michael Ripper, who for a time also played inn keepers, policemen and soaks, The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan (1953), The Constant Husband (1955), Richard III (1955), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Mummy (1959), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), Jack The Ripper (1960) Out of the Fog (1962), The Scarlet Blade (1963) Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966) and The Reptile (1966)..
GEORGE'S physical characteristics, natural accent, portly, rosy cheeked charm, made a memorable character, in most of the films he appeared in, especially comedies. A stand out role was as charming Prison Warder Jenkins, in the Peter Sellers film 'Two Way Stretch' for the Boulting brothers in 1960. Another great film was the comedy horror, 'What A Carve Up' in 1961. George played Dr Edward Broughton in the film which co-starred Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Esma Cannon and Shirley Eaton. George worked with Peter Cushing in 'The Flesh and the Fiends' and Hammer films 'The Curse of the Werewolf' in 1961, both directed by John Gilling, along with 'The Reptile' in 1966...
IN 1963 George played the Bishop in another classic Boulting Brothers' comedy 'Heavens Above', again starring
Sellers. Later roles on the big screen included that of the Publican in
the 1970 film 'Take A Girl Like You' and a Fat Bather in the brilliant
1971 big screen adaptation of the Frankie Howerd series 'Up Pompeii'.
AS Woodbridge's popularity grew and his career progressed, the world of television
also came calling. Later in his career, George became a regular fixture
on the small screen. Having initially debuted in very earliest days of
the new medium just before the Second World War, by the 1960s George was
appearing in guest roles in the likes of 'Dixon of Dock Green, Softly
Softly', 'The Forsyte Saga' and the 'Benny Hill Show'.
Nigel Plaskitt, who played Hartley, Tortoise and others, has written this tribute to George Woodbridge, the actor who played Inigo Pipkin and who sadly died during the recording of the second series.
'I first met George on 17th August 1972 when we started rehearsals for series one of Inigo Pipkin. He was playing the title role, and I was more than a little in awe of him. I'd seen him in many a Hammer horror film as the innkeeper or in any number of British comedy films. He was the voice of experience compared to the rest of us who were just starting out.
He was a charming grandfatherly man who made us all at our ease and he would tell us stories of the ATV Studios at Elstree, now BBC Elstree, where we were shooting the programme, as it was during the days when it was a film studio, pointing out the lawn by the canteen where he had 'swashbuckled' in a pirate film. He loved the idea of making a children's programme and he said to me "We could be on to a winner here, I think this will run and run". His prediction was true but sadly he never lived to see it as he died five weeks into the shooting of series two on the 30th March 1973.
'I first met George on 17th August 1972 when we started rehearsals for series one of Inigo Pipkin. He was playing the title role, and I was more than a little in awe of him. I'd seen him in many a Hammer horror film as the innkeeper or in any number of British comedy films. He was the voice of experience compared to the rest of us who were just starting out.
He was a charming grandfatherly man who made us all at our ease and he would tell us stories of the ATV Studios at Elstree, now BBC Elstree, where we were shooting the programme, as it was during the days when it was a film studio, pointing out the lawn by the canteen where he had 'swashbuckled' in a pirate film. He loved the idea of making a children's programme and he said to me "We could be on to a winner here, I think this will run and run". His prediction was true but sadly he never lived to see it as he died five weeks into the shooting of series two on the 30th March 1973.
WOODBRIDGE'S career
gained another jump in popularity quite late, as the title character, the puppet
maker in the children's TV show, Inigo Pipkin. Sadly, George died five
weeks into the filming of the second series, an occurrence which was
dealt with in the programme's storyline. The series continued on for
another seven years, however, under the revised title of Pipkins.
Suffering from ill health by the early 1970s, George continued to act
right up until the end. He died from kidney failure in Barnet, North
London on 31 March 1973 at the age of 66. But today, we mark George's birthday, a jolly and charming gentleman, with a big heart for his friends, who loved to work and probably left his best until last? Happy Birthday George Woodbridge!
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