Alfred Edward Matthews (22 November 186925 July 1960), known as A. E. Matthews, was an English actor who played numerous character roles on the stage and in film for eight decades. Already middle-aged when films began production, he enjoyed increasing renown from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

onwards as one of the British cinema's most famous crotchety, and sometimes rascally, old men.

Biography

Matthews was born in

Bridlington Bridlington is a coastal town and a civil parish on the Holderness Coast of the North Sea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is about north of Hull and east of York. The Gypsey Race enters the North Sea at its harbour. The 2011 ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire t ...

, England. Nicknamed "Matty", he was christened Alfred Edward Matthews. A prominent stage actor by his mid-40s, Matthews was among several theatre figures who then began a film career during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

with the

British Actors Film Company The British Actors Film Company was a British film production company that operated between 1916 and 1923 during the Silent era. It involved a consortium of prominent stage actors that included figures such as A.E. Matthews and Leslie Howard. Th ...

, a production company that operated between 1916 and 1923. Matthews toured during

in ''The First Mrs. Fraser'', with Dame Marie Tempest and Barry Morse, and was later cast in the extremely popular films '' Carry On Admiral, Doctor at Large'' and '' Around the World in 80 Days'', in which he played a mainstay of the Reform Club. Matthews's other best-known films include '' The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, The Million Pound Note'' (with

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

), '' Inn for Trouble'', ''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier. ...

'', ''

The Ghosts of Berkeley Square ''The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' is a 1947 British comedy film, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Robert Morley and Felix Aylmer. The film is an adaptation of the 1944 novel '' No Nightingales'' by Caryl Brahms and S. J. Simon, inspired ...

'' and '' Just William's Luck''. In 1951 Matthews was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of In ...

, and on 15 August 1951 when aged 81 he was interviewed by Roy Plomley as the guest "

castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade captors or the world in general. A person may also be left as ...

" on

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

's long-running ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'' programme. He was Roy Plomley's 100th castaway. In his 89th year, Matthews made national headlines by sitting for several days and nights on the pavement outside his beautiful Georgian home near London, his purpose being to prevent the council from installing a new streetlight, the design of which he felt was totally out of keeping with the neighbourhood and which badly needed improvement.

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish actor, comedian, writer, musician, poet, and playwright. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Colonial India, where he spent his ...

penned an episode of

the Goon Show ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

entitled "The Evils of Bushey Spon" based on the incident. The programme, first broadcast on 17 March 1958, included a guest appearance by Matthews himself at the end of the episode, and this part of the show was ad-libbed as Milligan knew Matthews had never used a script in his life, and wrote blank lines for him. Much laughter was obtained by the larking around of

the Goons ''The Goon Show'' is a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme. The first series, broadcast from 28 May to 20 September ...

interaction with their guest. Shortly afterwards, on 5 May 1958, Matthews appeared on the live BBC TV programme ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'', a notable feature of which occurred at the end when he was faded out just as he began to speak directly to the television theatre audience. Having regaled audience and viewers throughout the show with highly engaging reminiscences, there were many press and public complaints to the BBC about the fade out. Host

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

recalled in his autobiography that "Matty had been a bit of a hellion all his life, a loveable, unpredictable rebel whose sense of fun was monumental. I knew I had a tough assignment on my hands once the decision was made to present his 'life'. On transmission, he did just about every solitary thing calculated to wreck the show's intricate timing and drive me up the drapes. He snorted, contradicted, interrupted, laughed, and, at one stage, even stretched out on the couch and said he was going to have a snooze.". On the following day, the

Yorkshire Post ''The Yorkshire Post'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper, published in Leeds in Yorkshire, England. It primarily covers stories from Yorkshire although its masthead carries the slogan "Yorkshire's National Newspaper". It was previously owned by ...

declared that "There has never been a ''This Is Your Life'' quite like it", and a

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first published as a broadsheet ...

article titled ''Mattie's BBC Fade-Out Angers Viewers'' wrote that "This was THE life of the whole series." Matthews was still working as an actor right up until his death two years later. He died on 25 July 1960 in

Bushey Heath Bushey is a town in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire in the East of England. It has a population of over 25,000 inhabitants. Bushey Heath is a large neighbourhood south east of Bushey on the boundary with the London Borough of Harrow r ...

, Hertfordshire, aged 90. A

Blue Plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term ...

is displayed on his former home at 38 Little Bushey Lane, WD23 4RN.Little Bushey Lane Blue Plaque
Picasaweb , 26 October 2009 In 2008

Greg Knight The Right Honourable Sir Gregory Knight (born 4 April 1949) is a British politician, author and musician. He has served as the Conservative MP for East Yorkshire since 2001, having previously served as the MP for Derby North from 1983 to 1997 ...

, the Member of Parliament for the

constituency, (which includes Matthews's birthplace, Bridlington), launched a successful campaign to have his birthplace recognised with a

. A special ceremony to commemorate his life and career was held in the town on 22 November 2008, organised and compered by Knight. It was attended by the ventriloquist

Ray Alan Ray Alan (18 September 1930 – 24 May 2010) was an English ventriloquist and television entertainer from the 1950s until the 1980s. He was associated primarily with the dummies Lord Charles and Ali Kat and later with the puppets Tich and Quac ...

, who knew Matthews and who spoke about his memories of him.

Filmography

* ''A Highwayman's Honour'' (1914 short) * ''Wanted: A Widow'' (1916 short) * ''The Real Thing at Last'' (1916 short) as Murdered * ''The Lifeguardsman'' (1916) as Lt. Tosh * '' Once Upon a Time'' (1918) as Guy Travers * ''

The Lackey and the Lady ''The Lackey and the Lady'' is a 1919 British silent drama film directed by Thomas Bentley and starring Leslie Howard, A. E. Matthews and Roy Travers. It was based on a novel by Tom Gallon. The film was the subject of a court case after its ...

'' (1919) * '' Castle of Dreams'' (1919) as Gerald Sumner * '' The Iron Duke'' (1934) as Lord Hill * '' Men Are Not Gods'' (1936) as Frederick Skeates * '' Quiet Wedding'' (1941) as Arthur Royd * '' This England'' (1941) * ''

"Pimpernel" Smith ''"Pimpernel" Smith'' (released in the USA as ''Mister V'') is a 1941 British anti-Nazi thriller, produced and directed by its star Leslie Howard, which updates his role in ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1934) from Revolutionary France to pre-Seco ...

'' (1941) as Earl of Meadowbrook * ''

The Great Mr. Handel ''The Great Mr. Handel'' is a 1942 British Technicolor historical film directed by Norman Walker and starring Wilfrid Lawson, Elizabeth Allan and Malcolm Keen. The film is a biopic of the 18th-century German-British composer Georg Friedrich H� ...

'' (1942) as Charles Jennens * '' Thunder Rock'' (1942) as Mr. Kirby * '' The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'' (1943) as President of Tribunal * ''

The Man in Grey ''The Man in Grey'' is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures; it is considered to be the first of a series of period costume dramas now known as the "Gainsborough melodramas". It was directed by Leslie Arliss and produc ...

'' (1943) as Auctioneer * '' Escape to Danger'' (1943) as Sir Thomas Leighton * '' They Came to a City'' (1944) as Sir George Gedney * '' The Way Ahead'' (1944) as Colonel Walmsley * ''

Love Story Love Story or A Love Story may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Genres * Romance (love) ** Romance film ** Romance novel Films * ''Love Story'' (1925 film), German silent film * ''Love Story'' (1942 film), Italian drama film * ''Love ...

'' (1944) as Col. Pitt Smith * ''

Twilight Hour ''Twilight Hour'' is a 1945 British drama film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Mervyn Johns, Basil Radford, and Marie Lohr. It was shot at the British National Studios in Elstree. The film's sets were designed by the art director Wilfred A ...

'' (1945) as General Fitzhenry * ''

Flight from Folly ''Flight from Folly'' is a 1945 British musical comedy film directed and produced by Herbert Mason, in his last directorial credit before moving onto production, for Warner Bros. The cast includes Pat Kirkwood, Hugh Sinclair and Tamara Desni an ...

'' (1945) as Neville * ''

Piccadilly Incident ''Piccadilly Incident'' is a 1946 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Coral Browne, Edward Rigby and Leslie Dwyer. Wilcox teamed his wife Anna Neagle with Michael Wilding for the first time, es ...

'' (1946) as Sir Charles Pearson * ''

'' (1947) as Gen. Bristow * '' Just William's Luck'' (1947) as The Tramp * ''

William Comes to Town ''William Comes to Town'' is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film '' Jus ...

'' (1948) as Minister for Economic Affairs * '' Edward, My Son'' (1949) as Lord George Trelby * '' The Forbidden Street'' (1949) as Mr. Bly * '' Whiskey Galore'' (1949) as Colonel Linsey-Woolsey * '' The Chiltern Hundreds'' (1949) as Lord Lister * ''

Landfall Landfall is the event of a storm moving over land after being over water. More broadly, and in relation to human travel, it refers to 'the first land that is reached or seen at the end of a journey across the sea or through the air, or the fact ...

'' (1949) as Air Raid Warden * ''

Mister Drake's Duck ''Misterr Drake's Duck'' is a 1951 British science-fiction comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Yolande Donlan, Jon Pertwee, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Reginald Beckwith. The screenplay concerns a farmer who discov ...

'' (1951) as Brig. Matthews * '' The Galloping Major'' (1951) as. Sir Robert Medleigh * '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951) as Sir Charles Robson * ''

'' (1951) as. Old GentlemanRelease date for The Magic Box
in IMDb. * '' Castle in the Air'' (1952) as Blair * ''

Who Goes There! ''Who Goes There!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a grace and favour house near S ...

'' (1952) as Sir Arthur Cornwall * ''

Something Money Can't Buy ''Something Money Can't Buy'' is a 1952 British comedy drama film directed by Pat Jackson and starring Patricia Roc, Anthony Steel and Moira Lister. The film was made with backing from the NFFC as part of its British Film-Makers project with ...

'' (1952) as Lord Haverstock * '' Penny Princess'' (1952) as Selby * '' Made in Heaven'' (1952) as Hillary Topham * '' Meet Mr. Lucifer'' (1953) as Himself * '' Skid Kids'' (1953) as Man in Taxi * '' The Million Pound Note'' (1954) as Duke of Frognal * ''

The Weak and the Wicked ''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns an ...

'' (1954) as Harry Wicks, Mabel's beau * '' Happy Ever After'' (1954) as General O'Leary * '' Aunt Clara'' (1954) as Simon Hilton * '' Miss Tulip Stays the Night'' (1955) as Mr. Potts * '' Jumping for Joy'' (1956) as Lord Reginald Cranfield * '' Loser Takes All'' (1956) as Elderly Man in Casino * '' Around the World in 80 Days'' (1956) as Reform Club member * ''

Three Men in a Boat ''Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)'',The Penguin edition punctuates the title differently: ''Three Men in a Boat: To Say Nothing of the Dog!'' published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a two ...

'' (1956) as Crabtree, 1st Old Gentleman * ''The Square'' (1957 short) * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) as Duke of Skye and Lewes * '' Carry On Admiral'' (1957) as Adm. Sir Maximillian Godfrey, K.C.B. * ''The Royalty'' (1957) (BBC TV series)
– Episode 1 as Lord Charters * ''The Sky Larks'' (1958) (BBC TV series)
– Episode 9: ''Find the Lady'' as Vice Adml. Sir Geoffrey Wiggin-Fanshawe * ''How Say You?'' (1959) (BBC TV drama) as Mr. Peebles * '' Inn for Trouble'' (1960) as Sir Hector Gore-Blandish (final film role)

Selected stage appearances

* '' Lady Huntworth's Experiment'' by R.C. Carton (1900) * ''

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

'' by Gerald du Maurier (1921) * '' The Happy Husband'' by

Harrison Owen Albert John "Harrison" Owen (24 June 1890 – 30 May 1966) was an Australian playwright, novelist, poet, and journalist. Career Owen became a prolific contributor of poetry and local news articles to '' The Bulletin'' from 1912 to 1919. From ...

(1927) * '' Spring Meeting'' by

Molly Keane Molly Keane (20 July 1904 – 22 April 1996),Who's Who 1987 Mary Nesta Skrine, and who also wrote as M. J. Farrell, was an Irish novelist and playwright. Early life Keane was born Mary Nesta Skrine in Ryston Cottage, Newbridge, County Kilda ...

(1938) * '' They Came to a City'' by

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in '' The Good Comp ...

(1943) * '' But for the Grace of God'' by

Frederick Lonsdale Frederick Lonsdale (5 February 1881 – 4 April 1954) was a British playwright known for his librettos to several successful musicals early in the 20th century, including ''King of Cadonia'' (1908), ''The Balkan Princess'' (1910), '' Betty'' (1 ...

(1946) * '' The Chiltern Hundreds'' by

William Douglas Home William Douglas Home (3 June 1912 – 28 September 1992) was a British dramatist and politician. Early life Douglas-Home (he later dropped the hyphen from his surname) was the third son of Charles Douglas-Home, 13th Earl of Home, and Lady Lili ...

(1947) * ''

The Manor of Northstead ''The Manor of Northstead'' is a 1954 comedy play by the British writer William Douglas Home. It is a sequel to his 1947 hit '' The Chiltern Hundreds''. The title refers to the Manor of Northstead. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham ...

'' by

(1954)

References

External links

* *
Performance details in University of Bristol Theatre Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, AE 1869 births 1960 deaths English male film actors English male silent film actors English male stage actors People from Bridlington 20th-century English male actors