Percy Edwards (1 June 1908 – 7 June 1996) was an English animal impersonator, entertainer and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

Biography

As a child, Edwards was fascinated by the wildlife he found in his local area, and by the age of 12 was accomplished enough at imitating many of them that this became his " party piece". In 1930 he debuted on the BBC radio series ''Vaudeville'', the start of a career that would last the best part of 60 years. During

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 ...

, Edwards worked at

Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Limited was a major British agricultural machinery maker also producing a wide range of general engineering products in Ipswich, Suffolk including traction engines, trolleybuses, ploughs, lawn mowers, combine harves ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line ...

. Edwards became a household name after his animal imitations in the radio shows ''Ray's a Laugh'' with Ted Ray, and playing Psyche the dog in the radio series ''A Life of Bliss.'' It was said that at the height of his career he could accurately imitate over 600 birds, as well as many other animals. Among other things, he provided the voices for the

orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

s in

Orca The orca or killer whale (''Orcinus orca'') is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family, of which it is the largest member. It is the only extant species in the genus '' Orcinus'' and is recognizable by its black-and-white ...

(1977), the

Reindeer Reindeer (in North American English, known as caribou if wild and ''reindeer'' if domesticated) are deer in the genus ''Rangifer''. For the last few decades, reindeer were assigned to one species, ''Rangifer tarandus'', with about 10 subs ...

in '' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985), sheep and bird sounds on

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

's song ''

The Dreaming The Dreaming, also referred to as Dreamtime, is a term devised by early anthropologists to refer to a religio-cultural worldview attributed to Australian Aboriginal beliefs. It was originally used by Francis Gillen, quickly adopted by his co ...

'', and the

alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

in the film of the same name. Edwards appeared occasionally on BBC TV's pre-school series '' Play School'' as a storyteller, in 1967 and from 1973 through 1980. One of his last stage appearances was in the Grand Order of Water Rats centenary show at the

London Palladium The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 a ...

in 1989. Edwards was appointed

Member 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 o ...

(MBE) in 1993 for services to ornithology and entertainment. Although he always referred to himself as an entertainer, Edwards was a fellow of the

Zoological Society of London The Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats. It was founded in 1826. Since 1828, it has maintained the London Zoo, and since 1931 Whipsnade Park. History On 29 ...

, and a respected and published ornithologist. In 2009, Sir David Attenborough presented a special BBC radio panel game, ''The Percy Edwards Showdown'', dedicated to Edwards's life and career. He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's,

Polstead Polstead is a village and civil parish in the Babergh district of Suffolk, England. The village lies northeast of Nayland, southwest of Hadleigh and north of Colchester. It is situated on a small tributary stream of the River Stour. Histor ...

, Suffolk.

Filmography

:''NB: Edwards worked purely as a

voice artist Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...

unless otherwise stated''

1960s

*'' A Life of Bliss'' (1960, TV Series) - Psyche, fox terrier (voice) *''

The Deadly Bees ''The Deadly Bees'' is a 1966 British horror film based on H.F. Heard's 1941 novel '' A Taste for Honey''.Ed. Allan Bryce, ''Amicus: The Studio That Dripped Blood'', Stray Cat Publishing, 2000 p 43-45 It was directed by Freddie Francis, and ...

'' (1966) - Tess the Dog (voice, uncredited)

1970s

*''

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are ide ...

'' (1971, TV Series) - (voice) *''

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer ''The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer'' is a 1970 British satirical film starring Peter Cook, and co-written by Cook, John Cleese, Graham Chapman, and Kevin Billington, who directed the film. The film was devised and produced by David Frost u ...

'' (1970) - Bird impersonator *''

On the Buses ''On the Buses'' is a British television sitcom that was broadcast on ITV from 1969 to 1973. It was created by Ronald Chesney and Ronald Wolfe, who wrote most of the episodes. It spawned three spin-off feature films and a stage version. Desp ...

'' (1971, TV Series) - Bird impressions by (voice) *'' The Morecambe and Wise Show'' (1972, TV Series) - Jungle Sounds *'' The Good Life'' (1976, TV Series) - Animal Noises (voice) *'' Ripping Yarns'' (1977, TV Series) - Frog Noises (uncredited) *'' The Goodies'' (1977, TV Series) - The Dodo (voice) *''

Just William ''Just William'' is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for ...

'' (1977, TV Series) - Parrots (voice) *''

'' (1977) - (whale vocalisations) (uncredited) *'' The Innes Book of Records'' (1979, TV Series) - Himself *''

Alien Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrater ...

'' (1979) - (vocal effects for the alien and facehugger)

1980s

*''

Hi-de-Hi! ''Hi-de-Hi!'' is a BBC television sitcom shown on BBC1 from 1 January 1980 to 30 January 1988. Set in 1959 and 1960 in Maplins, a fictional holiday camp, the show was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who also wrote '' Dad's Army'' an ...

'' (1981, TV Series) - Bubbles (voice) *''

The Island of Adventure ''The Island of Adventure'' (published in 1944) is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is the first book in the Adventure Series. The first edition was illustrated by Stuart Tresilian. Plot summary During school holidays, Jack, his si ...

'' (1982) - Kiki (voice) *'' The Plague Dogs'' (1982) - (various animal vocal effects including Rowf and Snitter's barks) (voice) *''

The Dark Crystal ''The Dark Crystal'' is a 1982 dark fantasy film directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz. It stars the voices of Stephen Garlick, Lisa Maxwell, Billie Whitelaw, Percy Edwards, and Barry Dennen. The film was produced by ITC Entertainment and The ...

'' (1982) - Fizzgig (voice) *'' Fair Ground!'' (1983, TV Series) - Captain Cutlass's Voice (voice) *'' Hilary'' (1984-1985, TV Series) - Arthur (voice) *''Buttercup Buskers'' (1984) - Narrator *'' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985) - (voice) *''

Valhalla In Norse mythology Valhalla (;) is the anglicised name for non, Valhǫll ("hall of the slain").Orchard (1997:171–172) It is described as a majestic hall located in Asgard and presided over by the god Odin. Half of those who die in combat e ...

'' (1986) - (Danish version, voice) *'' Sorry!'' (1986, TV Series) - The Duck (voice) *''

Labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth (, ) was an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by ...

'' (1986) - Ambrosius (voice)

Bibliography

* ''Call Me at Dawn'' (1948) * ''The Birdman's Pocket Book'' (1954) * ''The Road I Travelled'' (1979) * ''Country Book'' (c.1980) * ''Song Birds'' (1986)

References

External links

*
Percy Edwards at the BFI dBase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Percy 1908 births 1996 deaths 20th-century British zoologists Animal impersonators English ornithologists Members of the Order of the British Empire Scientists from Ipswich Entertainers from Ipswich Burials in Suffolk