Leonard Rossiter
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Leonard Rossiter (21 October 1926 – 5 October 1984) was an English actor. He had a long career in the theatre but achieved his highest profile for his television comedy roles starring as Rupert Rigsby in the ITV series '' Rising Damp'' from 1974 to 1978, and Reginald Perrin in the BBC's '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' from 1976 to 1979.


Early life

Rossiter was born on 21 October 1926 in Wavertree,
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 ...
, the second son of John and Elizabeth (née Howell) Rossiter. The family lived over the barber's shop owned by his father. He was educated at the
Liverpool Collegiate School Liverpool Collegiate School was an all-boys grammar school, later a comprehensive school, in the Everton, Liverpool, Everton area of Liverpool. Foundations The Collegiate is a striking, Grade II listed building, with a facade of pink Woolton s ...
(1939–46). In September 1939, when 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 ...
began, Rossiter was an evacuee, along with his schoolmates, and went to Bangor in north Wales, where he stayed for 18 months. While at school, his ambition was to go to university to read modern languages and become a teacher; however, his father, who served as a voluntary ambulanceman during the war, was killed in the May Blitz air raid in 1941. Rossiter then had to support his mother, therefore he could not take up the place he had been offered at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
. Instead, he completed his National Service as a sergeant, initially in the Intelligence Corps, then in the Army Education Corps, spending much of the time in Germany writing letters home for other soldiers. After being demobbed he worked for six years as an insurance clerk in the claims and accident departments of the Commercial Union Insurance Company.


Career


Theatre

Rossiter started acting after his actress girlfriend challenged him to try it, after he had scoffed at the performances of the amateur group she was in. He joined the Wavertree Community Centre Drama Group and made his first appearance with the Adastra Players in Terence Rattigan's '' Flare Path''. The local critic said that he "was particularly outstanding, his one fault being a tendency to speak too fast on one or two occasions". He gave up his insurance job to enrol in Preston repertory theatre and became a professional actor at the age of 27. He made his professional stage debut in Joseph Colton's ''The Gay Dog'' in Preston on 6 September 1954. He later became assistant stage manager there, and then went on to
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...
and
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repertory companies. In his first 19 months in the business he played some 75 roles. He said later: "There was no time to discuss the finer points of interpretation. You studied the part, you did it and then you studied the next part. I developed a frightening capacity for learning lines. The plays became like Elastoplast, which you just stuck on and then tore off. It was the perfect preparation for rehearsing
situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...
on television at the rate of one episode a week." In 1957–58, he played in the musical '' Free as Air'' and then toured in
Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...
's '' The Iceman Cometh''. He joined the
Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
and was there for two years, from 1959 to 1961, a time he described as "the bedrock of his career", followed by other stage work, in, among other plays, ''The Strange Case of Martin Richter'', ''Disabled'', ''The Heretic'', '' The Caretaker'' and ''
Semi-Detached A semi-detached house (often abbreviated to semi) is a single-family Duplex (building), duplex dwelling that shares one common party wall, wall with its neighbour. The name distinguishes this style of construction from detached houses, with no sh ...
'' (in New York). His performance in the premiere of Michael Blakemore's stage production of
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known as Bertolt Brecht and Bert Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a p ...
's '' The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui'' in 1969 met with critical acclaim.


Film and television

Rossiter soon established himself as a
character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...
in films and television, as well as on stage. He stated: "I think I sensed fairly early on that I was not physically or facially built in the way that would ever fit even remotely into heroic or what used to be called juvenile parts. I always played character parts – right from the start." His first film role was in '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962). In ''
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 ...
'' (1963) he played the title character's boss. His first major television role was as Detective-Inspector Bamber in the long-running police television series '' Z-Cars''. He also had guest roles in series as diverse as '' The Avengers'' (" Dressed to Kill", 1963) and '' Steptoe and Son'' ("The Lead Man Cometh", 1964; "The Desperate Hours", 1972). Among his early film credits were four films directed by
Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes Order of the British Empire, CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2 ...
, namely '' King Rat'' (1965), '' The Wrong Box'' (1966), '' The Whisperers'' (1967), and '' Deadfall'' (1968). In 1968, he played Mr Sowerberry in the film version of
Lionel Bart Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was an English writer and composer of pop music and musicals. He wrote Tommy Steele's "Rock with the Caveman" and was the sole creator of the musical ''Oliver!'' (1960). With ''Oliver!'' and his work ...
's musical '' Oliver!'' and took one of the few speaking supporting roles in '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' as the Russian scientist Smyslov. He worked with
Stanley Kubrick Stanley Kubrick (; July 26, 1928 – March 7, 1999) was an American filmmaker and photographer. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Stanley Kubrick filmography, his films were nearly all adaptations of novels or sho ...
again in '' Barry Lyndon'' (1975), in the role of Captain John Quin. He appeared opposite
Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...
in '' The Pink Panther Strikes Again'' (1976) as Superintendent Quinlan. In 1968, he appeared in Nigel Kneale's television play '' The Year of the Sex Olympics'', an episode of
BBC2 BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
's '' Theatre 625'', one of his four appearances in the series. In '' Rising Damp'', on ITV, Rossiter played Rupert Rigsby, the lecherous
landlord A landlord is the owner of property such as a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate that is rented or leased to an individual or business, known as a tenant (also called a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). The term landlord appli ...
of a house converted into shabby bedsits, reprising the role from the successful stage version, ''The Banana Box''. While he was in ''Rising Damp'' he also took the lead role in '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'', adapted by David Nobbs from his own comic novels and broadcast on the BBC. Rossiter was given a surprise tribute on '' This Is Your Life'' in 1975. He appeared in ''I Tell You It's Burt Reynolds'', an episode of the 1977
Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...
series ''The Galton & Simpson Playhouse'', as well as the short films ''The Waterloo Bridge Handicap'' (1978), and the Galton and Simpson-scripted '' Le Pétomane'' (1979). After his portrayal of Reginald Perrin, Rossiter's non-comedy roles on television became less frequent, although there were exceptions, such as a debt collector in the one-off HTV thriller ''Machinegunner'' (1976), and Frank Harris in ''Fearless Frank, or Tit-bits from the Life of an Adventurer'' (1978), a BBC ''Play of the Week''. From 1978 to 1983, Rossiter performed in ten commercials for Cinzano. The series of adverts was created by film director
Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...
and, at Rossiter's suggestion, used an old music hall joke where he spills a drink over his wife, played by Joan Collins. In the
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
programme '' The 100 Greatest TV Ads'' (2000) Terry Lovelock, the director of two of the commercials, said that Rossiter used to refer jokingly to Collins as "The Prop". Rossiter reprised Rigsby for a film version of ''Rising Damp'' in 1980, thus achieving the distinction of playing the same role on stage, television, and film. He continued to make a steady stream of film appearances, including a role in Lindsay Anderson's '' Britannia Hospital'' (1982). His last television role was as the
supermarket A supermarket is a self-service Retail#Types of outlets, shop offering a wide variety of food, Drink, beverages and Household goods, household products, organized into sections. Strictly speaking, a supermarket is larger and has a wider selecti ...
manager in another ITV sitcom, '' Tripper's Day'' (1984). He performed comic monologues in '' The Green Tie on the Little Yellow Dog'', which was recorded 1982, and broadcast by
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
in 1983. Rossiter also played the title role in the ''
BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...
'' production of '' The Life and Death of King John'' (1984). His last film appearance was in ''
Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
'' (1985).


Radio and voice work

In the animated adaptation of '' The Perishers'' (1979), Rossiter provided the voice for Boot the dog. He narrated an abridged version of the
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 ...
book ''
A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...
'', which was released on cassette in 1979. He appeared on the
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 ...
show '' Desert Island Discs'' in 1980. In 1981, he hosted an episode of the BBC Radio 4 show '' With Great Pleasure'' in which he recited some of his favorite poetry and prose alongside his wife, Gillian Raine, and his friend, the actor James Grout. Also in 1981, he narrated a seven-part series of satirical five-minute monologues, written by Barry Pilton for BBC Radio 3, titled ''In a Nutshell'', followed in 1982 by a second series, also written by Barry Pilton, this time comprising 8 five-minute monologues. Rossiter narrated a three-part series of the children's story ''Harlequin and Columbine'' for '' Story Teller'' magazine in 1984. He voiced the King of Hearts in two episodes of Anglia Television's version of '' Alice In Wonderland'', which was broadcast in April 1985, six months after Rossiter's death.


Writing

Rossiter displayed his acid wit in two books: ''The Devil's Bedside Book'' (1980), a collection of cynical dictionary definitions in the style of
Ambrose Bierce Ambrose Gwinnett Bierce (June 24, 1842 – ) was an American short story writer, journalist, poet, and American Civil War veteran. His book '' The Devil's Dictionary'' was named one of "The 100 Greatest Masterpieces of American Literature" by the ...
's '' The Devil's Dictionary'', and ''The Lowest Form of Wit'', (1981), a collection of biting bons mots, stinging retorts, insults and sarcasm illustrated with cartoons by
Martin Honeysett Martin Honeysett (20 May 1943 – 21 January 2015) was an English cartoonist and illustrator. Early life Honeysett was born in Hereford. When he was two years old, his parents moved to London. He attended Selhurst High School, Selhurst Gramm ...
. He also wrote the introduction to cook Keith Floyd's 1981 book ''Floyd's Food''.


Personal life

Rossiter's first marriage was to the actress Josephine Tewson, with whom he had worked many times in repertory theatre in the 1950s. They married in 1958. The marriage ended in divorce in 1961. His second wife was the actress Gillian Raine, with whom he had a daughter, Camilla, and to whom he was still married at the time of his death. Rossiter had met Raine when he played the lead role of Fred Midway in David Turner's play ''Semi-Detached'', in a production directed by
Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director, producer and screenwriter, whose career spanned five decades. He was identified with the "angry young men" group of British directors and play ...
. The play opened on 8 June 1962 at the Belgrade Theatre in
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 ran for a week. During the play's second run at the Belgrade, in September 1963, the couple fell in love and moved in together, but they did not marry until 1972. Rossiter was a fan of the football club Everton, and a staunch supporter of the Conservative Party. He was also a wine connoisseur, and converted his attic into a sort of
wine cellar A wine cellar is a storage room for wine in bottles or barrels, or more rarely in carboys, amphorae, or plastic containers. In an ''active'' wine cellar, important factors such as temperature and humidity are maintained by a climate control s ...
. After his death, it was revealed that Rossiter had a five-year
affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...
with the broadcaster Sue MacGregor. His wife had not been aware of their relationship until she received a letter from MacGregor breaking the news that her memoirs, which were about to be published, would include an account of the affair.


Death

On 5 October 1984, Rossiter died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy while waiting to go onstage at the Lyric Theatre,
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 ...
, where he was performing in Joe Orton's play '' Loot''. His funeral took place at St. Mary's Church, The Boltons, London. A memorial service was held on 15 November 1984 at St Paul's, Covent Garden. Attendees included Rossiter's ''Loot'' castmates, as well as Derek Nimmo, Fulton Mackay, and Ned Sherrin. ''Loot'' director, Jonathan Lynn, gave a eulogy in which he said of Rossiter: "Now that Leonard is up there, things had better be properly managed: I hope that the Heavenly Gates opened on cue and that the Choir of Angels is singing in tune. They had better be professional in Paradise. Because, if not, they'll certainly hear about it from Leonard."


Legacy and tributes

Rossiter was posthumously nominated for a
Laurence Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply The Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognize excellence in West End theatre, professional theatre in London. The awards were originally known as the Society of We ...
for "Comedy Performance of the Year", for his role as Inspector Truscott in ''Loot''. In 1985, the book ''Leonard Rossiter'' by author Robert Tanitch was published. The book featured a collection of rare photos and reminiscences from friends and colleagues of Rossiter's. In 2000, the ITV biography series '' The Unforgettable'' broadcast an episode about Rossiter's life. His wife and daughter were interviewed, as well as former colleagues, including Don Warrington, Joan Collins, and Sue Nicholls. A biography of Rossiter, ''Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven'', was published in 2010 by author Guy Adams.


Film


Television


Theatre


Awards and nominations


References


Further reading

*Tanitch, Robert (1985), ''Leonard Rossiter'', Robert Royce Ltd. *Adams, Guy (2010), ''Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven'', Aurum Press Ltd. *Lynn, Jonathan (2011), ''Comedy Rules: From the Cambridge Footlights to Yes Prime Minister'', Faber and Faber.


External links

* *
Performances listed in the Theatre Archive University of Bristol

LeonardRossiter.com: Authorised Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossiter, Leonard 1926 births 1984 deaths 20th-century British Army personnel 20th-century English male actors Conservative Party (UK) people Deaths from cardiomyopathy English male film actors English male stage actors English male television actors Intelligence Corps soldiers Male actors from Liverpool Military personnel from Liverpool People educated at Liverpool Collegiate Institution Royal Army Educational Corps soldiers