Arthur Ernest Mullard ( né Mullord; 19 September 1910His obituary in ''The Times'' gives his date of birth as 10 November 1910 but conflicts with the birthdate given in his death registration. His year of birth appears as 1908, 1910, 1912 and 1913 in various sources. However online records a

show that the birth of an Arthur E Mullord was registered in Islington in October–December 1910, which is probably him. – 11 December 1995) was an English actor and singer. Following military service and a brief boxing career, Mullard found work as a

cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

character actor in film and TV comedy, notably in the series '' Romany Jones''.

Early life

Mullard was born to a humble background in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and named Arthur Mullord. He started work at the age of 14 as a butcher's assistant and joined the army at 18. It was there that he began boxing, becoming champion of his regiment. When he left the army after three years, he had a short stint at boxing professionally. This ended after 20 fights over three years, following a knock-out from which he lost his memory. In 1939, he was a general labourer living with his parents at 35 Douglas Street, Islington. He rejoined the army in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, becoming a

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a Military rank, rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ...

(sergeant major) in 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 ...

Career

Acting

Following the end of the war in 1945, Mullard sought work as a stuntman at Pinewood and

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

film studios, from which he drifted into uncredited bit-parts in British films including '' Oliver Twist'' (1948), ''

The Lavender Hill Mob ''The Lavender Hill Mob'' is a 1951 British comedy film from Ealing Studios, written by T. E. B. Clarke, directed by Charles Crichton, starring Alec Guinness and Stanley Holloway and featuring Sid James and Alfie Bass. The title refers ...

'' (1951) and '' The Ladykillers'' (1955). Mullard's face and

accent lent themselves to a certain character and he graduated to more visible roles in comedy films and on

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

. It was on television that Mullard made a name for himself, first as a straight man for Tony Hancock,

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 a soldier Francis Alfred William (1887–1934)England & Wales, Deat ...

and Benny Hill, then in '' The Arthur Askey Show''. It was the

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT; now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV (TV network), ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00&nbs ...

series '' Romany Jones'', first aired in 1973, which gave Mullard his highest profile, playing Wally Briggs, a crafty caravan-dweller. Although popular at the time, the show did not find critical favour and has subsequently been named by one source, the ''Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy'', as one of the poorer British sitcoms made. So popular was Mullard's character that a sequel, '' Yus, My Dear'', was broadcast in 1976, in which Wally and his wife Lily ( Queenie Watts) had moved out of their caravan into a

council house A council house, corporation house or council flat is a form of British Public housing in the United Kingdom, public housing built by Local government in the United Kingdom, local authorities. A council estate is a building complex containing ...

. The series gained modest ratings, but was a disaster critically, being described by the Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy as being one of the worst British sitcoms ever produced. Mullard (or "Arfur" as he was widely known) was regularly a guest in other programmes and television commercials. He and Watts also reprised their roles of Wally and Lily appearing in the film '' Holiday on the Buses'' (1973), the last feature-length version of the popular ''On the Buses'' comedy series of the time. Mullard also appeared in '' Ladies Who Do'' (1963), '' Morgan!'' (1966), '' The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966), ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

'' (1968) and '' Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'' (1978). In 1986, invited by producer Victor Lewis-Smith, Mullard hosted an edition of '' Midweek'' on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

to replace regular host Libby Purves during her temporary absence.

Music

In 1967, Mullard recorded "I Love You, You Love Me" and "Was It Something I Said?" on the Masquerade label (MA5001). This was followed the same year by an album, ''Arthur Mullard of London'' (MQ 2003). This included his cover of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' " Yesterday", jokes, and philosophy. More singles followed in the 1970s, including 1974's "Not Now Arthur" / "If I Only Had My Time Again" (BASFBA 1012), and in 1975 " I Only Have Eyes for You" / "One 'Fing 'N' Annuver" (RCA 2610) with "Yus My Dear" / "Arthur" (RCA Z639A) being released in 1976. He entered the UK Singles Chart in 1978 with his cover of " You're the One That I Want" (Pye 7N 46121) (from the

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

'' Grease''), a duet with fellow comedy actor Hylda Baker, who was in her seventies. The single, which peaked at number 22 in the UK, was taken from the album ''Band on the Trot'' (Pye PKL 5576). The single was his last professional success during Mullard's life; there followed an uncredited narration on the Glenn Close-led live-action '' 101 Dalmatians'', released in 1996, after his death.

Personal life and abuse allegations

Mullard continued to live in a

in Islington after his success and spent much of his free time socialising in local pubs. He wrote an autobiography, ''Oh, Yus, It's Arthur Mullard'', which was published in 1977. Mullard died in his sleep on 11 December 1995, aged 85. He married Florence Rose in 1939, and the couple had three children: Brian, Barbara and Johnny. Florence died in 1961, aged 48. In May 1996, five months after his death, the ''

Sunday Mirror The ''Sunday Mirror'' is the Sunday sister paper of the ''Daily Mirror''. It began life in 1915 as the ''Sunday Pictorial'' and was renamed the ''Sunday Mirror'' in 1963. In 2016 it had an average weekly circulation of 620,861, dropping marked ...

'' reported that a '' This Is Your Life'' episode about Mullard had been planned, but it was cancelled by host Eamonn Andrews. This came after the show's producers contacted Mullard's eldest son, Brian, who had left home after "a massive row" with his father, and heard his allegations of Mullard's history of domestic violence and of

sexual abuse Sexual abuse or sex abuse is abusive sexual behavior by one person upon another. It is often perpetrated using physical force, or by taking advantage of another. It often consists of a persistent pattern of sexual assaults. The offender is re ...

of his daughter Barbara, beginning when she was 13 in the early 1950s. Despite his alleged child sexual abuse against Barbara, which she recounted in an interview with the ''Sunday Mirror'', she had nursed him in his dotage. He left her and one of her brothers £5,000 each, and £250,000 to a children's home. It was reported at the time that Mullard's son Johnny had become a successful comedian in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia; he defended his father as generous and supportive and stated that in his view, the allegations resulted from a "bust up" between Mullard and his daughter over Mullard's money, resulting in his decision to leave it to charity.Barrowclough, Anne. "THIS IS NOT YOUR LIFE..." The Free Library 12 May 1996. 25 July 2021

/ref> Mullard's wife Florence had committed suicide in 1961 by taking an overdose of sleeping tablets, after suffering from poor physical and mental health for several years. Her death was claimed by Barbara to be partly the result of the extreme physical and mental violence Mullard perpetrated against her. According to Barbara, Florence left a suicide note which said, "I don't want to live any more because of what you're doing with Barbara. Please look after my Johnny." Barbara claimed that Mullard tore up the note after showing it to her, making them the only two to have seen it.

Partial filmography

* '' To the Public Danger'' – Man standing at bar (uncredited) * '' Man on the Run'' – Man standing at bar (uncredited) * '' Girdle of Gold'' (1952) – Police officer * '' The Extra Day'' (1956) – Barney's Second (uncredited) * '' My Teenage Daughter'' – Club Bouncer (uncredited) * '' Dial 999'' (1958) – Morris (uncredited) * '' The Bank Raiders'' (1958) – Linders * '' The Haunted Strangler'' (1958) – Asylum Attendant (uncredited) * '' The Man Who Liked Funerals'' (1959) – Renny Fiasco * '' Two-Way Stretch'' (1960) – Fred * '' And the Same to You'' (1960) – Tubby * '' Dentist on the Job'' (1961) – (uncredited) * '' On the Fiddle'' (1961) – Thirsty Man Getting Off Bus (uncredited) * '' Postman's Knock'' (1962) – Sam * '' It's Trad, Dad!'' (1962) – police chief * '' Crooks Anonymous'' (1962) – Grogan * '' Band of Thieves'' (1962) – Getaway * '' The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (film)'' (1962) – Borstal Officer * '' Sparrows Can't Sing'' (1963) – Ted * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) – Brassknuckles * '' Heavens Above!'' (1963) – (uncredited) * '' Ladies Who Do'' (1963) – Mr. Merryweather * '' Father Came Too!'' (1964) – traffic warden * '' The Counterfeit Constable'' (1964) – Le malfaiteur * ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic ...

'', 'Dan, Dan, the Charity Man' (1964) — as Huge Man * '' Gonks Go Beat'' (1965) – drum master * ''

Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment ''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'' (also called ''Morgan!'') is a 1966 British comedy film directed by Karel Reisz and starring David Warner (actor), David Warner, Vanessa Redgrave, and Robert Stephens, with Irene Handl and Bernard Br ...

'' (1966) – Wally * '' The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery'' (1966) – Big Jim * '' Cuckoo Patrol'' (1967) – Yossle * '' Smashing Time'' (1967) – cafe boss * ''

'' (1968) – Cyril * '' Lock Up Your Daughters'' (1969) – night watchman * '' Crooks and Coronets'' (1969) – Perce * '' The Vault of Horror'' (1973) – Gravedigger (segment 4 "Bargain in Death") * '' Holiday on the Buses'' (1973) – Wally Briggs * '' Three for All'' (1975) – Ben * '' Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'' (1979) – Blackie * '' Mind Your Language'' (1979) on episode "The School Fete" – himself (guest appearance) * '' 101 Dalmatians'' (1996) – Voice (uncredited)

Bibliography

* Mullard, Arthur ''Oh, Yus, It's Arthur Mullard'' , autobiography, published by Everest, London, 1977;

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mullard, Arthur 1910 births 1995 deaths English male comedians English male film actors English male television actors Actors from the London Borough of Islington Royal Artillery soldiers 20th-century English male actors Child sexual abuse in England British novelty song performers 20th-century English comedians British Army personnel of World War II Male actors from London People from Islington (district) Comedians from the London Borough of Islington