Mario Edgio Pantaleone Fabrizi (25 June 1924 – 5 April 1963) was an English

comedian A comedian (feminine comedienne) or comic is a person who seeks to entertainment, entertain an audience by making them laughter, laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting foolishly (as in slapstick), or employing prop c ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

of Italian descent, noted for his luxuriant moustache. He was active in

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Life

Fabrizi was born to Italian parents in

Holborn Holborn ( or ), an area in central London, covers the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Camden and a part (St Andrew Holborn (parish), St Andrew Holborn Below the Bars) of the Wards of the City of London, Ward of Farringdon Without i ...

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 ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in 1924, his mother's maiden name being Pisani. His father was a

Vicomte A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is s ...

(Italian: ''visconte''), a title that Mario inherited on his father's death in 1959.Daily Mirror 27 May 1960 p26 "Mush Takes a (Real-Life) plunge!" He married Katherine Boyne of Leeds on 28 May 1960. They had a son, Anthony, in 1961.Pellegrineti claim to fame
/ref> On 5 April 1963 Fabrizi died of an stress-related illness at his home in

Neasden Neasden is a suburban area in northwest London, England. It is located around the centre of the London Borough of Brent and is within the NW2 (Cricklewood) and NW10 (Willesden) postal districts. Neasden is near Wembley Stadium, the Brent Reserv ...

, London; his wife and son survived him. A week before his death, he had announced that he was leaving show business to become an advertising executive because he had not had a job in four months. His son Anthony is now a businessman based in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

Career

On ITV, Fabrizi was well known for his role in

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

's popular series ''

The Army Game ''The Army Game'' is a British television sitcom that aired on ITV from 19 June 1957 to 20 June 1961. It was the first ITV sitcom and was made by Granada, and created by Sid Colin. It follows the exploits of Hut 29, a dysfunctional group of ...

'', as Corporal "Moosh" Merryweather, while on

BBC television BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1 January 1927. It p ...

, he was a regular member of the ensemble cast of the Tony Hancock sitcom ''

Hancock's Half Hour ''Hancock's Half Hour'' was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy series, broadcast from 1954 to 1961 and written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The radio series starred Tony Hancock, with Sidney James, Bill Kerr and,at various ...

''. His most notable film role was as Neville Shanks, the photographer, in Hancock's

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

film, '' The Punch and Judy Man''. He also worked frequently with

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 ...

and

Spike Milligan Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was an Irish comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright and actor. The son of an English mother and Irish father, he was born in British Raj, British India, where he spent his ...

. He was buried in St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery, Harrow Road,

Kensal Green Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington, London, North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent ...

, London, W.10.

Selected filmography

* '' The Smallest Show on Earth'' (1957) - Actor in 'The Mystery of Hell Valley' (uncredited) * '' The Naked Truth'' (1957) - Man in Autograph Crowd (uncredited) * '' Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'' (1959) - Deputy Minister (uncredited) * '' The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film'' (1960) - (uncredited) * '' Two-Way Stretch'' (1960) - Jones * '' The Rebel'' (1961) - Coffee Bar attendant * '' Postman's Knock'' (1962) - Villager * ''

Operation Snatch ''Operation Snatch'' (also known as ''Top Secret'' ) is a 1962 British comedy film starring Terry-Thomas and George Sanders and directed by Robert Day (director), Robert Day. It was written by Alan Hackney, Len Heath and John Warren (actor), ...

'' (1962) - Tall Man * '' Village of Daughters'' (1962) - Antonio Durigo * ''

It's Trad, Dad! ''It's Trad, Dad!'' (U.S. title: ''Ring-A-Ding Rhythm'') is a 1962 British musical comedy film directed by Richard Lester in his feature directorial debut. It stars singer and actress Helen Shapiro alongside Craig Douglas, John Leyton, the ...

'' (1962) - Spaghetti Eater * '' Carry On Cruising'' (1962) - Second Cook * '' On the Beat'' (1962) - Newspaper Seller * '' Just for Fun'' (1963) - Diner * '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) - Van Driver (uncredited) * '' The Punch and Judy Man'' (1963) - Nevil Shanks * ''

The Mouse on the Moon ''The Mouse on the Moon'' is a 1963 British comedy film, the sequel to ''The Mouse That Roared (film), The Mouse That Roared''. It is an adaptation of the 1962 novel ''The Mouse on the Moon (novel), The Mouse on the Moon'' by Irish author Leona ...

'' (1963) - Mario - the Valet * ''

The Pink Panther ''The Pink Panther'' is an American media franchise primarily focusing on a series of comedy-mystery films featuring an inept French police detective, Inspector Clouseau, Inspector Jacques Clouseau. The franchise began with the release of the fil ...

'' (1963) - Hotel Manager (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

Getty Images
Mario Fabrizi and Katherine Boyne just married *

fro
Tony Hancock online
English male comedians English male film actors English male television actors 1924 births 1963 deaths Actors from the London Borough of Camden People from Neasden English people of Italian descent 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians Male actors from London Comedians from the London Borough of Brent Comedians from the London Borough of Camden Actors from the London Borough of Brent People from Holborn {{UK-comedian-stub