George Layton (born George Michael William Löwy; 2 March 1942) is a British actor, director, screenwriter and author best known for three television roles – junior doctor Paul Collier in the comedy series ''
Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to:
* Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon
** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel
*** Doctor i ...
'' and its sequels ''
Doctor at Large'', ''
Doctor in Charge'' ''and
Doctor at the Top'', Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons in the first two series of ''
It Ain't Half Hot Mum'', and Des the mechanic in early episodes of ''
Minder''. He also appeared in two episodes of ''
The Sweeney'' and played
Norman Simmonds
The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2011 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. The first regular character to be anno ...
in ''
EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' as well as a few early appearances as himself on the light entertainment
BBC1
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and Flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includ ...
consumer show ''
That's Life!
''That's Life!'' was a satirical consumer affairs programme on the BBC, at its height regularly reaching audiences of fifteen to twenty million, and receiving between 10,000 and 15,000 letters a week. The series was broadcast on BBC1 for 21 yea ...
''.
Life and career
Layton was born George Michael William Löwy in
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire was one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the riding was an administrative county named County of York, West Riding. The Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding of Yorkshire, lieu ...
, England to Fritz and Edith Löwy (née Hecht). Both of Layton's parents were
Austrian Jews who fled their native
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to England just before the outbreak of 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 ...
. The family moved to
Surrey
Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
before settling in Bradford where Layton was born in
Bradford Royal Infirmary.
Layton was educated at
Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School in
Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
during which time, in an interview for Talking Pictures TV Channel in April 2020, he mentioned his work on BBC Children's Hour at the former BBC Studios at Piccadilly, Manchester, where he came under the influence and guidance of
Trevor Hill,
Violet Carson and Doris Gamble. He then studied acting 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 ...
where he won the Emile Littler award. He went on to leading parts at
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
and
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
and appeared on Broadway in ''
Chips with Everything'' as well taking over the role of
Fagin from
Roy Hudd in 1979 in the first London revival of
Oliver! at the
Albery Theatre Albery is a name. It may refer to:
Given name
* Albery Allson Whitman (1851−1901), African American poet, minister and orator
Surname
* A. S. Albery, British politician
* Bronson Albery (1881−1971), English theatre director and impresario
* Do ...
. He also appeared in an Australian production called ''Funny Peculiar''.
His early television work includes ''
Swizzlewick'', ''Enter Solly Gold'', ''United!'', ''Thirty-Minute Theatre'', ''Detective'', ''Toast'', ''What's in It For Me?'' and ''Lay Down Your Arms''. He also made guest appearances in many classic British series, including ''
The Likely Lads'', ''
Z-Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police and CID detectives in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by ...
'', ''
The Liver Birds'', two episodes of ''
The Sweeney'', ''
Minder'' and played the lead in ''
Len and the River Mob''. In 1969, he played a small role 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 ...
'' story ''
The Space Pirates''.
Later that year he made his debut as medical student Paul Collier in ''
Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to:
* Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon
** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel
*** Doctor i ...
''. As well as continuing to star in the series and its sequels, in 1971, he began to co-write episodes with former co-star
Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Adam Lynn (born 3 April 1943) is an English film director, screenwriter, and actor. He directed the comedy films '' Clue'', '' Nuns on the Run'', '' My Cousin Vinny'', and '' The Whole Nine Yards''. He also co-created and co-wrote the ...
, the first under the pseudonym Oliver Fry to conceal the new writer's identity from his fellow cast members.
At the end of the ''Doctor in Charge'' series in 1973 he left the show (although he stayed on as a writer), and the following year he appeared in the first two series of ''
It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' as Bombardier 'Solly' Solomons. He then joined forces with Jonathan Lynn once again to co-write and co-star in another sitcom ''
My Brother's Keeper''. He also appeared in ''
Carry On Behind'' in 1975 playing a hospital doctor.
Layton was also one of the main presenters on the original series of ''
That's Life!
''That's Life!'' was a satirical consumer affairs programme on the BBC, at its height regularly reaching audiences of fifteen to twenty million, and receiving between 10,000 and 15,000 letters a week. The series was broadcast on BBC1 for 21 yea ...
'', hosted by
Esther Rantzen.
His other television writing credits with Jonathan Lynn include episodes of ''
On the Buses'', ''
Nearest and Dearest'', ''
Romany Jones'' and ''
My Name Is Harry Worth''.
In the mid-1970s, he and Lynn began to write separately, and Layton became a regular writer of ''
Robin's Nest'', in which he also played a guest character. Following this, he created and wrote the sitcoms ''
Don't Wait Up'' starring
Nigel Havers and
Tony Britton and ''
Executive Stress'' with
Geoffrey Palmer Geoffrey Palmer may refer to:
Politicians
*Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 1st Baronet (1598–1670), English lawyer and politician
*Sir Geoffrey Palmer, 3rd Baronet (1655–1732), English politician, member of parliament (MP) for Leicestershire
*Geoffrey Pal ...
, (later
Peter Bowles), and
Penelope Keith. In 1990, ''Don't Wait Up'' won the Television and Radio Industries Club's 'Best Comedy Series' award.
In the 1980s,he played the recurring character 'Des’in the hit comedy-drama ''
Minder''. In a 2021 interview with
Paul Stenning
Paul David Stenning (born 12 June 1976) is an English author and ghostwriter. He has written twenty-nine books, of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and biography. The best-known of his books is ''The Robert Pattinson Album'', a biography of Robert P ...
, Layton described how he left Minder temporarily as he had committed to a pantomime and now bitterly regrets he lost his role in the show.
Layton provided voices for the children's cartoons ''
Pigeon Street'' and ''Joshua Jones'', and was the voice behind Sydney, a character in the long-running advertising campaign for
Tetley tea.
After a brief return to the role of Paul Collier in 1991's ''Doctor at the Top'', he starred in the hit comedy-drama series ''
Sunburn
Sunburn is a form of radiation burn that affects living tissue, such as skin, that results from an overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, usually from the Sun. Common symptoms in humans and other animals include red or reddish skin tha ...
'' (1999–2000), playing Alan Brooks, area manager of Janus Holidays in
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
. His most recent acting appearances have been in ''
Doctors'', ''
Holby City
''Holby City'' (stylised on-screen as HOLBY CIY) is a British medical drama television series that aired weekly on BBC One. It was created by Tony McHale and Mal Young as a Spin-off (media), spin-off from the established BBC medical drama '' ...
'' and ''
Casualty''. In 2006, he made five appearances in Dictionary Corner on the game show ''
Countdown'' and made a guest appearance in an episode of ''
Heartbeat''.
On 18 January 1999 Layton was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life''. He has also appeared on ''
Lily Savage's Blankety Blank''.
Layton's less well-known voiceover work includes TV commercials for various financial products, and narration of promotional videos for property speculators
Inside Track.
In August 2012 Layton competed in
Celebrity Masterchef.
Author
Layton has written three books of short stories, entitled ''The Fib and Other Stories'', ''The Swap and Other Stories'' and ''The Trick and Other Stories''. The tales describe family life in the
North of England
Northern England, or the North of England, refers to the northern part of England and mainly corresponds to the historic counties of Cheshire, Cumberland, Durham, Lancashire, Northumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. Officially, it is a gr ...
in the post-
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 ...
era. The books have been part of the
National Curriculum A national curriculum is a common programme of study in schools that is designed to ensure nationwide uniformity of content and standards in education. It is usually legislated by the national government, possibly in consultation with state or othe ...
in British schools, and film versions are being planned. Myles McDowell quotes Layton's ''The Balaclava Story'' as an example of how adults are often mostly absent from children's fiction.
Filmography
Film
Television
Selected theatre
''As actor:''
*''
Billy Liar
''Billy Liar'' is a 1959 novel by Keith Waterhouse that was later adapted into a play, a Billy Liar (film), film, a Billy (musical), musical and a Billy Liar (TV series), TV series. The work has inspired and been featured in a number of popul ...
'' as Geoffrey Fisher (
King's Head, Islington)
*''
The Caucasian Chalk Circle'' as Lavrenti (
Belgrade Theatre,
Coventry
Coventry ( or rarely ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands county, in England, on the River Sherbourne. Coventry had been a large settlement for centurie ...
)
*''Chicago'' as Amos Hart (
Adelphi Theatre, London)
*''Chips With Everything'' as First Corporal (Royal Court and Broadway)
*''
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' as Ponty (New Theatre, Bromley)
*''
More Lies About Jerzy'' as
Jerzy Kosinski (
New End Theatre, Hampstead)
*''The Odd Couple'' as Felix (Theatre Royal, Windsor)
*''
Oliver!'' as Fagin Albery Theatre 1978/9 then at the(
London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in Soho. The theatre was designed by Frank Matcham and opened in 1910. The auditorium holds 2,286 people. Hundreds of stars have played there, many wit ...
)
*''
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 entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...
'' as Feste (Belgrade Theatre, Coventry)
''As director:''
*''
Barefoot in the Park'' (
Cambridge Theatre Company)
*''Dangerous Corner'' (
Cambridge Theatre Company)
*''Aladdin'' (
Theatre Royal, Bath)
*''
Dick Whittington'' (Shaw Theatre)
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Layton, George
1942 births
Living people
Writers from Bradford
20th-century British short story writers
20th-century English male writers
20th-century English male actors
21st-century English male actors
20th-century English writers
Male actors from Bradford
English male film actors
English male radio actors
English male stage actors
English male television actors
English male voice actors
English male short story writers
English short story writers
Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
People educated at Belle Vue Boys' Grammar School, Bradford