Gerald Grant Sim (4 June 1925 – 11 December 2014) was an English television and film actor who is perhaps best known for having played the Rector in '' To the Manor Born''.

Early life

Sim was born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. He was the younger brother of the actress

Sheila Sim Sheila Beryl Grant Sim, Baroness Attenborough (5 June 1922 – 19 January 2016) was an English film and theatre actress. She was also the wife of the actor, director and peer Richard Attenborough. Career Sheila Beryl Grant Sim was born in Li ...

and brother-in-law of the actor/director

Richard Attenborough Richard Samuel Attenborough, Baron Attenborough (; 29 August 192324 August 2014) was an English actor, film director, and Film producer, producer. Attenborough was the president of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and the British Acade ...

Career

Sim made over a hundred film and television appearances, beginning with an uncredited role in the film '' Fame Is the Spur'' (1947). Film and TV roles include '' The L-Shaped Room'' (1962), ''

Séance on a Wet Afternoon ''Séance on a Wet Afternoon'' is a 1964 British crime thriller film, directed by Bryan Forbes, and starring Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, Nanette Newman, Mark Eden and Patrick Magee (actor), Patrick Magee. Based on the 1961 novel by Mark ...

'' (1964), '' King Rat'' (1965), '' The Avengers'' (1966), ''

Oh! What a Lovely War ''Oh! What a Lovely War'' is a 1969 British epic comedy historical musical war film directed by Richard Attenborough (in his directorial debut), with an ensemble cast, including Maggie Smith, Dirk Bogarde, John Gielgud, John Mills, Kenneth Mo ...

'' (1969), '' Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971), '' Frenzy'' (1972), '' Young Winston'' (1972), ''

The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin ''The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' is a British sitcom starring Leonard Rossiter in the title role. Three series were produced from 1976 to 1979, based on a series of novels written by David Nobbs. Nobbs adapted the screenplay for the fi ...

'' (episode 7, as the Vicar - 1976), '' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977), '' The New Avengers'' (1977), '' Edward & Mrs. Simpson'' (1978), ''

Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British ...

'' (1982), as Dr George Bagster Phillips in ''

Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer who was active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer was also ...

'' (1988), ''

Chaplin Chaplin may refer to: People * Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977), English comedy film actor and director * Chaplin (name), other people named Chaplin Films * ''Unknown Chaplin'' (1983) * Chaplin (film), ''Chaplin'' (film) (1992) * Chaplin (2011 fi ...

'' (1992) and '' Patriot Games'' (1992). Another occasion in which he played a vicar was when he appeared in an episode of ''

Keeping Up Appearances ''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle-class social climber, Hyacinth Bucket ( Patricia Ro ...

''. Although he had retired, he agreed to reprise his best-known role and appeared in the 2007 25th anniversary special episode of '' To the Manor Born''.

Personal life and death

Sim was married to the British actress Deidre Benner, from 1967 until her death in 1999. In his later years, Sim lived in Denville Hall, the same north London care home for entertainers as his sister and brother-in-law, who occupied the rooms on either side of him. Sim died on 11 December 2014, aged 89.

Filmography

*'' Fame Is the Spur'' (1947) – Reporter (uncredited) *'' Josephine and Men'' (1955) – Detective Sgt. Allen *'' The Angry Silence'' (1960) – Masters *'' Cone of Silence'' (1960) – Operations Room Worker (uncredited) *'' Whistle Down the Wind'' (1961) – Detective Wilcox *'' Flat Two'' (1962) *'' Only Two Can Play'' (1962) – Cigarette Thief at Party (uncredited) *'' The Painted Smile'' (1962) – Plain Clothes Policeman *'' The Amorous Prawn'' (1962) – 1st Telephone Operator *'' The L-Shaped Room'' (1962) – Doctor in Hospital *'' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) – Airfield Official (uncredited) *'' I Could Go On Singing'' (1963) – Assistant Mgr. at the Palladium *'' Heavens Above!'' (1963) – Self-Service Store Manager *'' The Pumpkin Eater'' (1964) – Man at party *''

'' (1964) – Beedle *'' King Rat'' (1965) – Jones *'' The Murder Game'' (1965) – Larry Landstorm *'' The Wrong Box'' (1966) – First Undertaker *'' The Whisperers'' (1967) – Mr. Conrad *'' Our Mother's House'' (1967) – Bank Clerk *'' Nobody Runs Forever'' (1968) – Airport Official (uncredited) *''

'' (1969) – Chaplain *'' Strange Report'' (TV) (1969) – Chief Superintendent Cavanagh *''

The Madwoman of Chaillot ''The Madwoman of Chaillot'' (, ) is a play, a poetic satire, by French dramatist Jean Giraudoux, written in 1943 and first performed in 1945, after his death. The play is in two acts. The story concerns an eccentric woman who lives in Paris and ...

'' (1969) – Julius *''Mischief'' (1969) – Jim *'' The Man Who Haunted Himself'' (1970) – Morrison *'' The Last Grenade'' (1970) – Dr. Griffiths (uncredited) *'' Doctor in Trouble'' (1970) – 1st Doctor *'' Ryan's Daughter'' (1970) – Captain *''

The Raging Moon ''The Raging Moon'' (released in the US as ''Long Ago, Tomorrow'') is a 1971 British romantic drama film starring Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman and based on the book by British novelist Peter Marshall. Adapted and directed by Bryan Forbe ...

'' (1971) – Rev. Carbett *'' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'' (1971) – Prof. Robertson *'' Frenzy'' (1972) – Mr. Usher – Solicitor in Pub *'' Dr. Phibes Rises Again'' (1972) – Hackett *'' Young Winston'' (1972) – Engineer *''Kadoyng'' (1972) – Prof. Balfour *'' No Sex Please, We're British'' (1973) – Reverend Mower *'' The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella'' (1976) – 1st Lord of the Navy *'' A Bridge Too Far'' (1977) – Colonel Sims *''

'' (1982) – Magistrate *''

Miss Marple Miss Jane Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Miss Marple lives in the village of St Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterised as an elderly spinster, she is one ...

'' (1985) – Coroner *'' Cry Freedom'' (1987) – Police Doctor *''Number One Gun'' (1990) – Stockwell – MI5 Boss *'' Patriot Games'' (1992) – Lord Justice *''

'' (1992) – Doctor *'' Shadowlands'' (1993) – Superintendent Registrar

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sim, Gerald 1925 births 2014 deaths Male actors from Liverpool English male film actors English male television actors Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Attenborough family 20th-century English male actors