Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades.

Early radio

Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father was a tailor. Shaps was a child broadcaster at the London School of Broadcasting, providing voices for radio commercials from the age of 12. He was educated at Central Foundation Boys' School, then took an office job with the London Ambulance Service. Following service as a warrant officer in the Royal Army Educational Corps during

World War II 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 ...

, he was trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, also known by its abbreviation RADA (), is a drama school in London, England, which provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in Bloomsbury, Central London ...

(RADA) and then worked for two years as an announcer, producer and scriptwriter for Radio Netherlands. His short stature and round face then led to a steady flow of character roles in film and television in a career spanning nearly 50 years.

Film

Shaps's film appearances included bit parts in '' Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962), as the officer's club bartender, '' To Sir, with Love'' (1967), as Mr Pinkus, and the ''

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

'' film '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977), as Dr Bechmann. In '' The Madness of King George'' (1994), he portrayed Dr Pepys, a royal physician obsessed with the colour of the king's stool. In 2002, at the age of 78, Shaps performed his last film roles: as a pew opener in '' The Importance of Being Earnest'', and as

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

victim Mr. Grun in ''The Pianist''.

Television

In TV, his work ranged from science fiction (including appearances in the ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' serials '' The Tomb of the Cybermen'', ''

The Ambassadors of Death ''The Ambassadors of Death'' is the third serial of the Doctor Who (season 7), seventh season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in seven weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 21 March to 2 May ...

'', '' Planet of the Spiders'' and '' The Androids of Tara''), to classic literature (such as the BBC's 1990s serialisations of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between January 1843 and July 1 ...

'' and '' Our Mutual Friend'') to detective series (with appearances in '' The Saint'', ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

'', and '' Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady''—as Emperor Franz Joseph—in 1991). He appeared in the first episode of the sitcom '' The Young Ones'', playing a neighbour. He appeared in two Jim Henson Company television films: ''

Gulliver's Travels ''Gulliver's Travels'', originally titled ''Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships'', is a 1726 prose satire by the Anglo-Irish writer and clerg ...

'' (1996) as an elderly madman, and '' Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story'' (2001) as the "Bent Little Man". He supplied the voice of Professor Rudolf Popkiss in the second series of '' Supercar'', broadcast in 1962. He also voiced the characters of Mr. Gruber in '' The Adventures of Paddington Bear'' and Great Grandfather Frost in one episode of ''

Animated Tales of the World ''Animated Tales of the World'' is a 2001 animated cartoon, animated series that aired on HBO and S4C. It was produced by Children's Television Trust International and Christmas Films for S4C and Channel 4. The series is an anthology series ada ...

''.

Other notable work

Other series featuring Shaps were '' Quatermass II'', '' Danger Man'', '' The Mask of Janus'', '' The Spies'', ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' is a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 1955 ...

'', '' Z-Cars'', '' The Saint'', '' Out of the Unknown'', '' Alexander the Greatest'', '' The Rat Catchers'', '' Man in a Suitcase'', '' Randall and Hopkirk'', '' Department S'', '' The Liver Birds'', '' When the Boat Comes In'', ''

Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em ''Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em'' is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC1, created and written by Raymond Allen (scriptwriter), Raymond Allen and starring Michael Crawford and Michele Dotrice. It was first broadcast in 1973 and ran for two series, inc ...

'', '' The Onedin Line'', ''

The Persuaders! ''The Persuaders!'' is a British action comedy television series starring Tony Curtis and Roger Moore, produced by ITC Entertainment, and initially broadcast on ITV and ABC in 1971. The show has been called 'the last major entry in the c ...

'', '' Porridge'', '' The Sweeney'', '' Jesus of Nazareth'', '' Wilde Alliance'', '' Holocaust (miniseries)'', '' Private Schulz'', '' The Young Ones'', '' Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense'', ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, broadcast on ITV (TV network), ITV from 16 October 1984 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, "Woodentop (The Bill), Woodentop" (part of the ''Storyb ...

'', '' Dark Season'', '' Midsomer Murders'' and '' Doctors''. Shaps' radio work included a stint with the BBC Drama Repertory Company in the early 1950s. Broadcast parts (his characters often being old men or priests) included Firs in ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' () is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by '' Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition later that year in Saint Petersburg, via A.F. Marks Pu ...

'', Justice Shallow in '' Henry the Fourth'', Friar Lawrence in ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

'', Polonius in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

'' and Canon Chasuble in '' The Importance of Being Earnest''.

Personal life and death

Shaps and his wife Anita were married from 1950 until her death in 2002; they had two sons, Matthew and Simon, and a daughter, Sarah. Shaps died in

Harrow, London Harrow () is a large town in Greater London, England, and serves as the principal settlement of the London Borough of Harrow. Lying about north-west of Charing Cross and south of Watford, the entire town including its localities had a populat ...

on New Year's Day 2003, aged 79, and was survived by his children.

Selected filmography

* ''

Interpol The International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL (abbreviated as ICPO–INTERPOL), commonly known as Interpol ( , ; stylized in allcaps), is an international organization that facilitates worldwide police cooperation and crime cont ...

'' (1957) – Warden * '' Miracle in Soho'' (1957) – Mr. Swoboda * '' The Silent Enemy'' (1958) – Miguel * '' Passport to Shame'' (1958) – Willie * '' Danger Within'' (1959) – Lt. Cyriakos Coutoules * '' SOS Pacific'' (1959) – Louis * '' Never Let Go'' (1960) – Cypriot * '' Follow That Horse!'' (1960) – Dr. Spiegel * '' The Boy Who Stole a Million'' (1960) – Bank Clerk * '' Return of a Stranger'' (1961) – Homer Trent * ''

The Terror of the Tongs ''The Terror of the Tongs'' is a 1961 British adventure film directed by Anthony Bushell and starring Geoffrey Toone, Christopher Lee and Yvonne Monlaur. Plot In 1910, Mr. Ming is an agent of a group which secretly fights against tongs, China ...

'' (1961) – (uncredited) * ''The Pursuers'' (1961) – Karl Luther * '' Lawrence of Arabia'' (1962) – Bartender in Officer's Club (uncredited) * '' The Small World of Sammy Lee'' (1963) – Maurice 'Morrie' Bellman * ''The Little Ones'' (1965) – Child Welfare Officer * '' Up Jumped a Swagman'' (1965) – Phil Myers * '' Rasputin: the Mad Monk'' (1966) – Foxy Face (uncredited) * '' To Sir, with Love'' (1967) – Mr. Pinkus (uncredited) * '' The Looking Glass War'' (1970) – East German Detective * '' The Kremlin Letter'' (1970) – Police Doctor * '' Our Miss Fred'' (1972) – Doctor * '' QB VII'' (1974) – Uri Lehrer * '' 11 Harrowhouse'' (1974) – Wildenstein, the Diamond Cutter * '' The Odessa File'' (1974) – Tauber's Voice (voice) * '' The Hiding Place'' (1975) – Building Inspector Smit * '' Operation Daybreak'' (1975) – Father Petrek * '' The Message'' (1976) – (voice) * '' The Spy Who Loved Me'' (1977) – Dr. Bechmann * '' Unidentified Flying Oddball'' (1979) – Dr. Zimmerman * '' Avalanche Express'' (1979) – Sedov * '' Erik the Viking'' (1989) – Gisli the Chiseller * '' Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady'' (1991) – Emperor Franz Joseph * '' The Madness of King George'' (1994) – Pepys * ''For my Baby'' (1997) – Joshua Orgelbrand * '' The Governess'' (1998) – Doctor * '' Simon Magus'' (1999) – Chaim * '' The Lost Son'' (1999) – Mr. Spitz * '' Solomon and Gaenor'' (1999) – Ephraim * '' The Clandestine Marriage'' (1999) – Canton * '' The End of the Affair'' (1999) – Waiter * '' The Man Who Cried'' (2000) – Older Man in Sweatshop * '' The Pianist'' (2002) – Mr. Grün * '' The Importance of Being Earnest'' (2002) – Pew Opener (final film role)

Doctor Who

1967 '' The Tomb of the Cybermen'' – John Viner 1970 ''

'' – Lennox 1974 '' Planet of the Spiders'' – Professor Clegg 1978 '' The Androids of Tara'' – Archimandrite

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Shaps, Cyril 1923 births 2003 deaths 20th-century English male actors 21st-century English male actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art BBC people British Army personnel of World War II English male film actors English male radio actors English male television actors English male voice actors English Ashkenazi Jews English people of Polish-Jewish descent English radio producers English radio writers Jewish English male actors Male actors from London People educated at Central Foundation Boys' School Radio and television announcers Royal Army Educational Corps soldiers 20th-century English businesspeople Military personnel from London