Dennis Anthony John Sharp (16 June 1915 – 23 July 1984) was an English actor, writer and director.

Stage career

Anthony Sharp was a graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (

LAMDA LaMDA, which stands for Language Model for Dialogue Applications, is a family of conversational neural language models developed by Google. The first generation was announced during the 2021 Google I/O keynote, while the second generation was ...

) and made his stage debut in February 1938 with HV Neilson's Shakespearean touring company, playing the Sergeant in ''

Macbeth ''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...

'' at the De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea. Repertory engagements in Wigan, Hastings, Peterborough and Liverpool were followed by war service, after which he resumed his stage career at the Mercury Theatre, Notting Hill Gate in September 1946, playing Hansell in ''Tangent''. He first appeared in the West End in ''Family Portrait'' at the Strand Theatre in February 1948. Among his many subsequent appearances were '' Cry Liberty'' (Vaudeville Theatre 1950), ''

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 St J ...

'' (Vaudeville Theatre 1951), '' For Better, For Worse'' (Comedy Theatre 1952), ''Small Hotel'' (St Martin's Theatre 1955), '' No Time for Sergeants'' (Her Majesty's Theatre 1956), ''The Edwardians'' (Saville Theatre 1959), ''She's Done It Again'' (Garrick Theatre 1969), ''The Avengers'' (Prince of Wales Theatre 1971) and ''Number One'' (Queen's Theatre 1984). Other London credits included ''

The Rivals ''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of th ...

'' (Sadler's Wells 1972), ''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' (Lyric Hammersmith 1982) and several appearances at the Open Air Theatre Regent's Park. There he played Benedick in ''

Much Ado About Nothing ''Much Ado About Nothing'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare thought to have been written in 1598 and 1599.See textual notes to ''Much Ado About Nothing'' in ''The Norton Shakespeare'' ( W. W. Norton & Company, 1997 ) p. 1387 The play ...

'' in 1958 and Malvolio in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins V ...

'' the following year, rejoining the company in 1978 for such plays as ''

The Man of Destiny ''The Man of Destiny'' is an 1897 play by George Bernard Shaw, set in Italy during the early career of Napoleon. It was published as a part of ''Plays Pleasant'', which also included ''Arms and the Man'', '' Candida'' and '' You Never Can Tell.' ...

''.John Parker (ed), ''Who's Who in the Theatre'' (15th edition), Pitman Publishing 1972

Writer and director

Sharp was also a playwright. His stage version of the

Thomas Love Peacock Thomas Love Peacock (18 October 1785 – 23 January 1866) was an English novelist, poet, and official of the East India Company. He was a close friend of Percy Bysshe Shelley and they influenced each other's work. Peacock wrote satirical novels, ...

novel ''

Nightmare Abbey ''Nightmare Abbey'' is an 1818 novella by Thomas Love Peacock which makes good-natured fun of contemporary literary trends. The novel ''Nightmare Abbey'' was Peacock's third long work of fiction to be published. It was written in late March and ...

'' was a big hit at the Westminster Theatre in 1952, opening there on 27 February. "Anthony Sharp's altogether delightful adaptation provided one of the most unusual as well as most amusing offerings of the season," commented ''Theatre World'' editor Frances Stephens. After a try-out in Sheffield, the historical drama ''The Conscience of the King'' was remounted at the Theatre Royal Windsor, starting on 14 March 1955; Sharp himself played 17th century parliamentarian

John Hampden John Hampden (24 June 1643) was an English landowner and politician whose opposition to arbitrary taxes imposed by Charles I made him a national figure. An ally of Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and cousin to Oliver Cromwell, he was one of t ...

. A third play, ''Tale of a Summer's Day'', was written in 1959. In addition Sharp was a prolific director, particularly of comedy-thrillers and 'boardroom' dramas. His credits included ''Any Other Business'' (Westminster Theatre 1958), ''Caught Napping'' (Piccadilly Theatre 1959), ''Wolf's Clothing'' (Strand Theatre 1959), ''Billy Bunter Flies East'' (Victoria Palace 1959), '' The Gazebo'' (Savoy Theatre 1960), ''Guilty Party'' (St Martin's Theatre 1961), '' Critic's Choice'' (Vaudeville Theatre 1961), ''Act of Violence'' (1962 UK tour), ''Devil May Care'' (Strand Theatre 1963), ''Difference of Opinion'' (Garrick Theatre 1963), ''Hostile Witness'' (Haymarket Theatre 1964), ''

Wait Until Dark ''Wait Until Dark'' is a play by Frederick Knott, first performed on Broadway in 1966 and often revived since then. A film version was released in 1967, and the play was published in the same year. Synopsis Susy Hendrix is a blind Greenwic ...

'' (Strand Theatre 1966), ''Justice is a Woman'' (Vaudeville Theatre 1966) and ''Harvey'' (1970 UK tour). He also directed several productions in Hong Kong and Australia.

Cinema, television and radio

Cinema

Sharp was frequently cast as supercilious professional or aristocratic types, notably in the

Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his films, almost all of which are adaptations of nove ...

films '' A Clockwork Orange'' (as Minister of the Interior) and ''

Barry Lyndon ''Barry Lyndon'' is a 1975 Period film, period drama film written, directed, and produced by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel ''The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' by William Makepeace Thackeray. Starring Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Ma ...

'' (as Lord Hallam). Other film credits include

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited ap ...

's '' No Blade of Grass'', two for

Michael Winner Robert Michael Winner (30 October 1935 – 21 January 2013) was a British filmmaker, writer, and media personality. He is known for directing numerous action, thriller, and black comedy films in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, including several co ...

(''

The Jokers ''The Jokers'' is a 1967 British comedy film written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, and directed by Michael Winner. The film stars Michael Crawford and Oliver Reed as brothers who hatch a plot to steal the Crown Jewels. Very much of ...

'' and ''

I'll Never Forget What's'isname ''I'll Never Forget What's 'Isname'' (title on the original British posters and on the DVD cover) or ''I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT'S 'iSNAME'' (title on the original print, trailer and soundtrack album) is a 1967 British comedy-drama film directed ...

''),

Russ Meyer Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fe ...

's ''

Black Snake Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have ...

'' and the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

film '' One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing''. His only starring role in a feature film was the homicidal priest Father Xavier Meldrum in Pete Walker's 1975 horror picture '' House of Mortal Sin''. His final feature film, in which he played foreign secretary Lord Ambrose, was the James Bond picture ''

Never Say Never Again ''Never Say Never Again'' is a 1983 spy film directed by Irvin Kershner. The film is based on the 1961 James Bond novel '' Thunderball'' by Ian Fleming, which in turn was based on an original story by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham, and F ...

'', released in 1983.

Television

In 1977 he had a leading role in the children's television series ''

The Flockton Flyer ''The Flockton Flyer'' was a children's TV series made by Southern Television for the ITV network. It was a popular programme, which ran to two series, and provided early screen appearances for upcoming actors such as Peter Duncan and Gwyn ...

''. Other TV dramas in which he appeared included '' Angel Pavement'', ''

The Plane Makers ''The Plane Makers'' is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three se ...

'', '' Doomwatch'', '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'', ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wale ...

'', ''

Upstairs, Downstairs Upstairs Downstairs may refer to: Television *Upstairs, Downstairs (1971 TV series), ''Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971 TV series), a British TV series broadcast on ITV from 1971 to 1975 *Upstairs Downstairs (2010 TV series), ''Upstairs Downstairs'' ...

'', ''

Schalcken the Painter ''Schalcken the Painter'' is a British television horror film based on the 1839 story ''Strange Event in the Life of Schalken the Painter'' by Sheridan Le Fanu, and stars Jeremy Clyde as Godfried Schalcken and Maurice Denham as Gerrit Dou. It a ...

'' and '' The Life and Times of David Lloyd George''. He also played numerous cameo parts in

sitcoms A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

, notably ''

Dad's Army ''Dad's Army'' is a British television British sitcom, sitcom about the United Kingdom's Home Guard (United Kingdom), Home Guard during the World War II, Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft (TV producer), David Crof ...

'' (1969, 1977), ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black and ...

'' (three episodes, 1970–74), '' Nearest and Dearest'' (1973), '' Man About the House'' (1975), '' Rising Damp'' (1975), ''

George & Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from '' Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple ...

'' (1976, 1978), ''

Wodehouse Playhouse ''Wodehouse Playhouse'' is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1974 to 1978, a pilot and three series were made, with 21 half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series. The series has been ...

'', (1978), and ''

To the Manor Born ''To the Manor Born'' is a BBC television sitcom that first aired on BBC1 from 1979 to 1981. A special one-off episode was produced in 2007. Starring Penelope Keith and Peter Bowles, the first 20 episodes and the 2007 special were written ...

'' (eight episodes, 1979–81). He worked frequently with such TV comedians as

Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian, actor, singer and writer. He is remembered for his television programme ''The Benny Hill Show'', an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double ente ...

Morecambe and Wise Eric Morecambe (John Eric Bartholomew, 14 May 1926 – 28 May 1984) and Ernie Wise (Ernest Wiseman, 27 November 1925 – 21 March 1999), known as Morecambe and Wise (and sometimes as Eric and Ernie), were an English comic double act, working ...

Frankie Howerd Francis Alick Howard (6 March 1917 – 19 April 1992), better known by his stage-name Frankie Howerd, was an English actor and comedian. Early life Howerd was born the son of soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

and

Bernie Winters Bernie Winters (born Bernie Weinstein; 6 September 1930 – 4 May 1991), was an English comedian, actor, musician & TV presenter, and the comic foil of the double act Mike and Bernie Winters with his older brother, Mike. Winters later perfor ...

, and towards the end of his life appeared in the early-1980s

alternative comedy Alternative comedy is a term coined in the 1980s for a style of comedy that makes a conscious break with the mainstream comedic style of an era. The phrase has had different connotations in different contexts: in the UK, it was used to describe ...

programmes '' The Young Ones'' and ''

The Comic Strip The Comic Strip are a group of British comedians who came to prominence in the 1980s. They are known for their television series ''The Comic Strip Presents...'', which was labelled as a pioneering example of the alternative comedy scene. The c ...

''.

Radio

In 1974, he appeared as the vicar in the radio version of Steptoe and son. In 1978, he appeared as both Garkbit, the waiter at the Restaurant at the End of the Universe , and The Great Prophet Zarquon, in Fit the Fifth of the original radio series of ''

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' (sometimes referred to as ''HG2G'', ''HHGTTG'', ''H2G2'', or ''tHGttG'') is a comedy science fiction franchise created by Douglas Adams. Originally a 1978 radio comedy broadcast on BBC Radio 4, it ...

''. In 1981, he appeared as the town clerk of the fictional Frambourne Town Council in the pilot episode of '' It Sticks Out Half a Mile'', the radio sequel to ''

''; it was in that episode that

Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad' ...

reprised his role of

Captain Mainwaring Captain George Mainwaring () is a fictional Home Guard captain, first portrayed by Arthur Lowe in the BBC television sitcom ''Dad's Army''. In the 2016 movie he is played by Toby Jones and in the 2019 remake of three missing episodes he is ...

for the very last time several months before his death. In 1982–84 Sharp was a regular as Major Dyrenforth on the Radio 2 series ''The Random Jottings of

Hinge and Bracket Dr Evadne Hinge and Dame Hilda Bracket were characters devised by George Logan and Patrick Fyffe for their comedy and musical act. Hinge and Bracket were elderly, intellectual female musicians; in these personae the male Logan and Fyffe play ...

'', his last few episodes being broadcast posthumously.

Personal life

He was born Dennis Anthony John Sharp in Highgate in 1915 and was an insurance policy draughtsman before training as an actor. From 1940 to 1946 he served with the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS or R SIGS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield commun ...

and the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

in North Africa, Italy and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. "Once the war was over," he recalled, "I wangled a transfer to the Army Broadcasting Service and helped run radio stations at

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

and Rome. These were very full and very pleasant days—announcing, script-writing, disc-jockeying, organising programmes, producing, acting." He married the actress Margaret Wedlake in July 1953 and a son, Jonathan, was born in 1954. In ''

Who's Who in the Theatre ''Who's Who in the Theatre'' is a British reference work, first published in 1912 with sixteen new editions from then until its last issue in 1981. The book was a successor to ''The Green Room Book'', of which four editions were published betw ...

'' he listed his favourite part as Malvolio and his recreations as church architecture and watching cricket. He died of natural causes aged 69 in his native London; at the time of his death he was playing the Doctor in the West End production of

Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...

's ''Number One'' at the Queen's Theatre.Jean Anouilh (trans Michael Frayn), ''Number One'', Samuel French 1984

Selected filmography

* ''

Conspiracy in Tehran ''Teheran'' is a 1946 British-Italian thriller film co-directed by Giacomo Gentilomo and William Freshman. It stars Derek Farr as Pemberton Grant, a British intelligence officer who discovers a plot to assassinate the President of the United ...

'' (1946) * ''

The Sword and the Rose ''The Sword and the Rose'' is a family/adventure film produced by Perce Pearce and Walt Disney and directed by Ken Annakin. The film features the story of Mary Tudor, a younger sister of Henry VIII of England. Based on the 1898 novel '' Whe ...

'' (1953) – French Diplomat * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1954) – Humphrey – Naval Attache (uncredited) * '' Wicked as They Come'' (1956) * '' The Man Who Wouldn't Talk'' (1958) – Baker * ''

Left Right and Centre ''Left Right and Centre'' is a 1959 British satirical comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Ian Carmichael, Patricia Bredin, Richard Wattis, Eric Barker and Alastair Sim. It was produced by Frank Launder. A political comedy, it fol ...

'' (1959) – Peteron * '' Clue of the Silver Key'' (1961) – Mike Hennessey * ''

Invasion An invasion is a military offensive in which large numbers of combatants of one geopolitical entity aggressively enter territory owned by another such entity, generally with the objective of either: conquering; liberating or re-establishing co ...

'' (1965) – Lawrence Blackburn * '' Doctor in Clover'' (1966) – Dr. Dean Loftus * '' Martin Soldat'' (1966) – Le major * ''

'' (1967) – Prosecuting Lawyer (uncredited) * ''

'' (1967) – Mr. Hamper Down (uncredited) * '' Hot Millions'' (1968) – Hollis (uncredited) * '' Crossplot'' (1969) – Vicar * '' Doctor in Trouble'' (1970) – Chief Surgeon * '' No Blade of Grass'' (1970) – Sir Charles Brenner * '' Die Screaming, Marianne'' (1971) – Registrar * '' A Clockwork Orange'' (1971) – Minister Frederick * ''

I Want What I Want ''I Want What I Want'' by Geoff Brown was first published in 1966 by Great Britain's Weidenfeld & Nicolson. It was made into a film by the same title starring Anne Heywood Anne Heywood (born 11 December 1931) is a British retired film a ...

'' (1972) – Mr. Parkhurst * ''Some Kind of Hero'' (1972) – Barrister * ''

'' (1973) – Lord Clive * '' Gawain and the Green Knight'' (1973) – King * ''

Mistress Pamela ''Mistress Pamela'' is a 1973 British sex comedy drama film directed by Jim O'Connolly and starring Ann Michelle, Dudley Foster, Anna Quayle and Anthony Sharp. It was loosely based on the 1740 novel '' Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded'' by S ...

'' (1974) – Longman * '' Percy's Progress'' (1974) – Judge * '' The Amorous Milkman'' (1975) – Counsel * '' One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing'' (1975) – Home Secretary * ''

'' (1975) – Lord Hallam * '' House of Mortal Sin'' (1976) – Father Xavier Meldrum * '' Crossed Swords'' (1977) – Dr. Buttes * ''Abortar en Londres'' (1977) – Dr. Brown * ''

'' (1979, TV Movie) – Gentleman * ''

'' (1983) – Lord Ambrose

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Anthony 1915 births 1984 deaths English male film actors English male television actors People from Highgate 20th-century English male actors British Army personnel of World War II Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Royal Artillery personnel Military personnel from London