Richard Gilbert Emery (19 February 19152 January 1983) was an English

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolish (as in slapstick), or employing prop comedy. A comedian who addresses an audienc ...

and actor. His broadcasting career began on radio in the 1950s, and his self-titled television series ran from 1963 to 1981.

Life and career

Richard Gilbert Emery was born 19 February 1915, in

University College Hospital University College Hospital (UCH) is a teaching hospital in the Fitzrovia area of the London Borough of Camden, England. The hospital, which was founded as the North London Hospital in 1834, is closely associated with University College Lon ...

Bloomsbury Bloomsbury is a district in the West End of London. It is considered a fashionable residential area, and is the location of numerous cultural, intellectual, and educational institutions. Bloomsbury is home of the British Museum, the largest ...

, London. His parents were the comedy double act Callan and Emery. They took him on tour when he was only three weeks old and gave him the occasional turn on the stage during his childhood, which was always on the move and disrupted, creating problems for the future but setting the scene for eventually going into showbusiness himself. His parents split up when he was eight and he chose to stay with his mother, who gave up showbusiness. He tried a variety of jobs before the stage: mechanic, office boy, farm hand and driving instructor. During the

Second World War 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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

he was called up to the RAF and rose to the rank of corporal. However, because of family problems, he returned to London, joining the chorus line of ''The Merry Widow'' at the Majestic Theatre, although he was subsequently recognised, arrested and imprisoned. He was recruited by Ralph Reader into the RAF Gang Show to entertain air and ground crew at bases in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

. At this time he created Vera Thin (the Forces' Sweetheart), loosely based on

Vera Lynn Dame Vera Margaret Lynn (; 20 March 191718 June 2020) was an English singer and entertainer whose musical recordings and performances were very popular during World War II. She is honorifically known as the " Forces' Sweetheart", having giv ...

, later saying, "I was better in drag than combat gear". After

D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...

, his unit toured forward airbases. On leaving the RAF, he returned to the theatre as a comedian. He worked at the

Windmill Theatre The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude '' tableaux vivants'', which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians o ...

, though his name does not appear on the plaque commemorating the acts that played there. He toured his fledgling act around the United Kingdom. He also auditioned for various parts and in 1952 he starred in a role in a 15-minute

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

series on Saturdays at 7.00pm called ''Chance of a Lifetime''. This was a quiz sponsored by Marshall Ward in which merchandise to the value of £30 was awarded to contestants. Other radio work around this time included several appearances on '' Workers' Playtime'' on the BBC, a morale-boosting show that had started during the war to entertain factory workers in their canteens. Emery also made a guest appearance on the popular BBC radio programme ''

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 ...

'', replacing regular cast member

Harry Secombe Sir Harold Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian, actor, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme ''The Goon Show'' (1951–1960), playing many characters, ...

for one episode in 1957. During 1953 he briefly formed a double act with Charlie Drake. His television debut came in 1950 on ''The Centre Show'' on the BBC. He appeared on TV programmes including ''Round the Bend'' (BBC, 1955–56) and '' Educating Archie'' (ITV, 1958–59) and appeared with his friend

Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ''Hancock's Half Hour'', first broadcast on radio from 1954, ...

in several episodes of '' The Tony Hancock Show'' (ITV, 1956) and ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James; the radio version also co-starr ...

'' (BBC, 1957). He enhanced his reputation on two series with former

Goon Goon may refer to: Slang * Humans: ** People noted for brutality, or otherwise as targets of contempt: *** A guard in a prisoner of war camp (British World War II usage) *** An enforcer (ice hockey) *** A hired thug, in a goon squad ** Alterna ...

Michael Bentine: '' After Hours'' (ITV, 1958–59) and ''

It's a Square World ''It's a Square World'' is a British comedy television series starring Michael Bentine and produced by the BBC. It ran from 1960 until 1964, each episode being of 30 minutes duration. The series gained Bentine a BAFTA award in 1962 for Light E ...

'' (BBC, 1960–64). His role as Private Chubby Catchpole in the final series of '' The Army Game'', (ITV 1960) led to an exclusive BBC contract, and the long-running '' The Dick Emery Show'' (BBC, 1963–81) began.The show involved Emery dressing up as various characters, lasted 18 series totalling 166 episodes aired between 1963 to 1981. In a sporadic film career he made his debut in the Goons' ''

The Case of the Mukkinese Battle Horn ''The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn'' is a 30-minute comedy film starring Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan and Dick Emery. The film was made in November 1955, and released in 1956. p.173. Scudamore states the film was made by Richard Lester, ...

'' (directed by Joseph Sterling, 1954). He also played bungling bank robber Booky Binns in '' The Big Job'' (directed by Gerald Thomas, 1965) and was known for vocal talents as an array of characters including "The Nowhere Man" Jeremy Hillary Boob, the Mayor of Pepperland and Max, one of the Blue Meanies in the

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

' '' Yellow Submarine'' directed by George Dunning, in 1968. Emery appeared in films as Shingler in '' The Fast Lady'' (1962), as

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

's neighbour in ''

The Wrong Arm Of The Law ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. It was partly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and made by R ...

'', as Harry in ''

Baby Love "Baby Love" is a song by American music group the Supremes from their second studio album, '' Where Did Our Love Go''. It was written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland and was released on September 17, 1964 ...

'' (1968), as Mr Bateman in ''

Loot Loot may refer to: Film *''Loot'' (1919 film), a film by William C. Dowlan * ''Loot'' (1970 film), a British film by Silvio Narizzano * ''Loot'' (2008 film), a documentary * ''Loot'' (2011 film), an Indian film * ''Loot'' (2012 film), a Nepali fi ...

'' (1970) and ''

Ooh… You Are Awful ''Ooh... You Are Awful'' is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen. It is a feature-length adaptation of ''The Dick Emery Show''. It starred Dick Emery, Derren Nesbitt, Ronald Fraser and Cheryl Kennedy. Its alternative title on its N ...

'' (1972), in which he played many of the characters he had portrayed in his TV series. The plot of this comedy centred on Emery hunting down a bank account number. The digits of the number are tattooed on the bottoms of four young women. Emery has to see the girls naked, which requires disguises. One of the women is played by

Liza Goddard Louise Elizabeth Goddard (born 20 January 1950) professionally known as Liza Goddard, is an English television and stage actress, best known for her work in the 1970s and 1980s. Early life Goddard was born in Smethwick, Staffordshire.Before 1 ...

. Emery also recorded several novelty records, most notably "If You Love Her", which reached number 32 in 1969, and "You Are Awful", which just missed the top 40 in 1973. Other singles included "A Cockney Christmas" (1962), "You're The Only One" (1974) and "Rocking Horse Cowboy" (1979). In 1979, Emery moved to ITV for three specials before returning to the BBC in 1980 and resuming ''The Dick Emery Show''. By 1982, Emery was tiring of the format for his BBC series and wanted to do something different. Using a new format and character, Jewish private detective Bernie Weinstock, Emery had a new outlet – two series of comedy thrillers under the banner ''Emery Presents'' (BBC, 1982–83), ''Legacy of Murder'' and ''Jack of Diamonds''.

Personal life

Emery had a very difficult childhood initially, but things settled down following the departure of his father, Laurie Howe. He was devoted to his mother for most of his life and helped support her once he was able to work. This devotion caused problems in his marriages. He was in six long-term relationships, marrying five times, and also had numerous affairs. He often appeared in tabloid newspapers with beautiful women. At the beginning of the

he married Joan (sometimes known as Zelda) Sainsbury and had one son, Gilbert Richard. After the failure of that marriage, he married Irene (Pip) Ansell but the marriage barely lasted six months. While working in summer season in 1950, at the Winter Gardens in

Ventnor Ventnor () is a seaside resort and civil parish established in the Victorian era on the southeast coast of the Isle of Wight, England, from Newport. It is situated south of St Boniface Down, and built on steep slopes leading down to the sea. ...

on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Is ...

, he met Iris Margaret Tully, who was also in the show. At the end of the season, they returned to London and set up home together in Iris' flat in

Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadilly ...

. Iris changed her name to Emery by

deed poll A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party. Etymology The ...

until 1955, a year after she had given birth to his second son, Nicholas William. She and Emery married in 1955. The marriage was a rocky one because Emery had several affairs while away on tour. He met the woman who became his fourth wife, Victoria Chambers, in the mid-1950s. He was torn between the two women, but in late 1958 he left Iris and moved to

Thames Ditton Thames Ditton is a suburban village on the River Thames, in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Apart from a large inhabited island in the river, it lies on the southern bank, centred 12.2 miles (19.6 km) southwest of Charing Cross ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant ur ...

to set up home. In 1960, however, he returned to Iris and his son and moved them to Thames Ditton, but he could never settle, and in 1962 he left Iris for Victoria. Iris divorced him in 1964. By this time, he had set up home in

Esher Esher ( ) is a town in Surrey, England, to the east of the River Mole. Esher is an outlying suburb of London near the London-Surrey Border, and with Esher Commons at its southern end, the town marks one limit of the Greater London Built-Up ...

. Vickie bore him a son Michael and a daughter Eliza. His last wife was Josephine Blake to whom he was still married at the time of his death, although he had left her to live with Fay Hillier, an actress 30 years his junior. Outside showbusiness, he enjoyed flying, and held a pilot's licence from 1961 onwards. He also liked fast cars and motorcycles. He was a keen maker of scale models, and was president of the Airfix Modellers' Club. He also wrote a review feature for ''

Meccano Magazine ''Meccano Magazine'' was an English monthly hobby magazine published by Meccano Ltd between 1916 and 1963, and by other publishers between 1963 and 1981. The magazine was initially created for Meccano builders, but it soon became a general h ...

'' during 1971. While the public took him to heart, voting him BBC TV Personality of the Year in 1972, Emery suffered from severe

stage fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

and low self-esteem. He underwent psychoanalysis and

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

, and took sedatives to try to cure the problems. He had four children, Gilbert, Nicholas, Michael and Eliza, and was the half-brother of actress

Ann Emery Ann Emery (12 March 1930 – 28 September 2016) was a British actress. She was the half-sister of actor and comedian Dick Emery. Educated at Mrs Smith's School for Young Ladies and the Cone Ripman School, she excelled in tap dancing, which le ...

Death

In December 1982, Emery was taken to a London hospital with severe chest pains. He died at the hospital from cardiorespiratory failure on 2 January 1983 at the age of 67.

Selected filmography

Film * ''

'' (short) (1956) – Mr. Nodule / Mr.Crimp / Maurice Ponke * '' Follow a Star'' (1959) – Inebriated Party Guest (uncredited) * '' Light Up the Sky!'' (1960) – Harry * '' A Taste of Money'' (1960) – Morrissey * ''

Mrs. Gibbons' Boys ''Mrs. Gibbons' Boys'' is a play by Joseph Stein and Will Glickman. The comedy centers on the mother of three delinquent boys. Produced and directed by George Abbott, the Broadway production opened at the Music Box Theatre on May 4, 1949 and cl ...

'' (1962) – Woodrow * ''

Crooks Anonymous ''Crooks Anonymous'' is a British comedy film from 1962. Directed by Ken Annakin, it stars Leslie Phillips and Stanley Baxter and is notably the feature film debut of Julie Christie. Plot Captain "Dandy Forsdyke" (Leslie Phillips) is a habitual ...

'' (1962) – Reginald Cundell * '' The Fast Lady'' (1962) – Shingler * '' Just for Fun'' (1963) – Juke Box Jury Members * ''

The Wrong Arm of the Law ''The Wrong Arm of the Law'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr. It was partly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and made by R ...

'' (1963) – Man in Flat 307 (uncredited) * '' The Big Job'' (1965) – Frederick 'Booky' Binns * '' Yellow Submarine'' (1968) – Jeremy Hilary Boob, Ph.D. – Nowhere Man / Lord Mayor / Max (voice) * ''

'' (1969) – Harry Pearson * ''

'' (1970) – Mr. Bateman * ''

'' (1972) – Charlie Tully * '' Find the Lady'' (1976) – Leo Television * '' The Dick Emery Show'' (1963–1981) 19 series – 162 episodes – Various Characters * ''The Dick Emery Hour'' (1979) 3 episodes – Himself / Various Characters * '' Legacy of Murder'' (1982) – Bernie Weinstock / Lord Algrave / Joe Galleano / Monica Danvers-Crichton * ''Jack of Diamonds'' (1983) – Bernie Weinstock / Cyril Blackman / Det. Insp. Dearlove / Lady Holtye / Gen. von Klaus (Last appearance)

References

External links

* *
ClassicTelly.com Tributes to Dick Emery

British Comedy Guide entry for ''Emery Presents''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Emery, Dick 1915 births 1983 deaths Military personnel from London Deaths from respiratory failure English male comedians English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians Male actors from London British male comedy actors Royal Air Force personnel of World War II Royal Air Force airmen