Richard Caldicot (7 October 1908 – 16 October 1995) was an English actor famed for his role of Commander (later Captain) Povey in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

radio series ''

The Navy Lark ''The Navy Lark'' is a radio sitcom about life aboard a British Royal Navy frigate named HMS ''Troutbridge'' (a play on HMS ''Troubridge'', a Royal Navy destroyer) based in HMNB Portsmouth. In series 1 and 2, the ship and crew were statione ...

''. He also appeared often on television, memorably as the obstetrician delivering Betty Spencer's baby 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 ...

''. His father was a civil servant and he attended

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2-18 private, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

prior to training 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 ...

. He then appeared in repertory theatre and on the London stage from 1928. Among numerous West End appearances, he played Lance-Corporal Broughton in the original production of ''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry com ...

'' from 1929–30, Harry Soames in ''

Edward, My Son ''Edward, My Son'' is a 1949 British drama film directed by George Cukor for MGM-British Studios that stars Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr. The screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart is based on the 1947 play of the same title by Noel Langley and ...

'' (1947–49) and Mr Bromhead in ''

No Sex Please, We're British ''No Sex Please, We're British'' is a British farce written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott, which premiered in London's West End on 3 June 1971 at the Strand Theatre. It was panned by critics, but ran until 5 September 1987, transferr ...

'' from 1971 to 1976. His film debut was in ''

The Million Pound Note ''The Million Pound Note'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Gregory Peck, Ronald Squire, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Jane Griffiths (actress), Jane Griffiths. It is based on the 1893 Mark Twain short story "The Mi ...

'' (1954). Caldicot's television appearances include '' The Four Just Men'', ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a British television series created by Patrick McGoohan. McGoohan portrays Number Six (The Prisoner), Number Six, an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a The Village (The Prisoner), mysteri ...

'': "

Many Happy Returns "Many happy returns" is a greeting which is used by some on birthdays, and by others in response to "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year". Since the 18th century this has been used as a salutation to offer the hope that a happy day being marked ...

", ''

Steptoe and Son ''Steptoe and Son'' is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about a father-and-son rag-and-bone business in 26a Oil Drum Lane, a fictional street in Shepherd's Bush, London. Four series were broadcast by the BBC in black a ...

'', '' Vanity Fair'', ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, originally broadcast on BBC Two in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The series is set in Fawlty Towers, a dysfunctional fictional ...

'' and ''

Coronation Street ''Coronation Street'' (colloquially referred to as ''Corrie'') is a British television soap opera created by ITV Granada, Granada Television and shown on ITV (TV network), ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced ...

''. He was also seen in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

on ''

The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...

''. Caldicot worked virtually right up till his death in October 1995.

Filmography

* ''

Calling Bulldog Drummond ''Calling Bulldog Drummond'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Victor Saville and featuring Walter Pidgeon, Margaret Leighton, Robert Beatty, David Tomlinson and Bernard Lee.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; 20 October 1951, page 167 ...

'' (1951) – Judge (uncredited) * ''

'' (1954) – James, the Butler (uncredited) * '' One Good Turn'' (1955) – Mr. Bigley * ''

A Question of Adultery ''A Question of Adultery'' (U.S. title: ''The Case of Mrs. Loring'') is a 1958 British drama film directed by Don Chaffey and starring Julie London and Anthony Steel. It was written by Anne Edwards, based on the 1948 play ''Breach of Marriage' ...

'' (1958) – Mr. Duncan * ''

Virgin Island The Virgin Islands () are an archipelago between the North Atlantic Ocean and northeastern Caribbean Sea, geographically forming part of the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean islands or West Indies. Geologically separate ...

'' (1958) * ''

The Horse's Mouth ''The Horse's Mouth'' is a 1944 novel by Anglo-Irish writer Joyce Cary, the third in his ''First Trilogy'', whose first two books are ''Herself Surprised'' (1941) and ''To Be a Pilgrim'' (1942). ''The Horse's Mouth'' follows the adventures o ...

'' (1958) – Roberts (uncredited) * '' Room at the Top'' (1959) – Taxi Driver (uncredited) * ''

Horrors of the Black Museum ''Horrors of the Black Museum'' is a 1959 British horror film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Michael Gough, June Cunningham, Graham Curnow and Shirley Anne Field. It was the first film in what film critic David Pirie dubbed Angl ...

'' (1959) – Ted, barman in night club (uncredited) * ''

Follow a Star ''Follow a Star'' is a 1959 British black and white comedy musical film directed by Robert Asher and starring Norman Wisdom, June Laverick and Jerry Desmonde. It was written by Henry Blyth, Jack Davies and Wisdom. Plot Norman Truscott works ...

'' (1959) – Conductor (uncredited) * ''

Clue of the Twisted Candle ''Clue of the Twisted Candle'' is a 1960 British second feature crime film directed by Allan Davis and starring Bernard Lee, David Knight and Francis de Wolff. The screenplay was by Philip Mackie, based on the 1918 Edgar Wallace novel ''The Clu ...

'' (1960) – Ake Pisher * ''

The Trials of Oscar Wilde ''The Trials of Oscar Wilde'', also known as ''The Man with the Green Carnation'' and ''The Green Carnation'', is a 1960 British drama film based on the libel and subsequent criminal cases involving Oscar Wilde and the Marquess of Queensberry. I ...

'' (1960) – Bookshop Proprietor (uncredited) * ''

Dentist on the Job ''Dentist on the Job'' (U.S. title ''Get On with It!'') is a 1961 British comedy film directed by C. M. Pennington-Richards, and starring Bob Monkhouse, Kenneth Connor, Ronnie Stevens and Eric Barker It is the sequel to ''Dentist in the Chai ...

'' (1961) – Prison Governor * ''

The Court Martial of Major Keller ''The Court Martial of Major Keller'' is a 1961 British second feature ('B') film directed by Ernest Morris and written by Brian Clemens. It stars Laurence Payne, Susan Stephen and Austin Trevor. The film recounts the court martial for murder ...

'' (1961) – Harrison * ''

The Durant Affair ''The Durant Affair'' is a 1962 British second feature 'B' drama film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Jane Griffiths, Conrad Phillips and Nigel Green. It was written by Eldon Howard. Plot A will is contested in court after a fo ...

'' (1962) – The Judge * '' The Battleaxe'' (1962) – Judge * ''Le voyage à Biarritz'' (1963) * '' The V.I.P.s'' (1963) – Hotel Representative (uncredited) * '' Echo of Diana'' (1963) – Fisher * ''

The Sicilians ''The Sicilians'' is a 1964 British second feature film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Robert Hutton, Reginald Marsh and Ursula Howells. The screenplay was by Ronald Liles and Reginald Hearne. Plot Mafia member Angelo Di Marco betray ...

'' (1963) – Police Commissioner * ''

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold ''The Spy Who Came in from the Cold'' is a 1963 Cold War spy fiction, spy novel by the British author John le Carré. It depicts Alec Leamas, a United Kingdom, British intelligence officer, being sent to East Germany as a faux Defection, defect ...

'' (1965) – Mr. Pitt (uncredited) * '' You Must Be Joking!'' (1965) – (uncredited) * '' The Weekend Murders'' (1970) – Mr. Caldicot, the lawyer * ''

The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer ''The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer'' is a 1970 British satirical film directed by Kevin Billington, and starring Peter Cook, Vanessa Howard and John Cleese. It was co-written by Cook, Cleese, Graham Chapman and Billington. The film was devi ...

'' (1970) – Bream * ''

Professor Popper's Problem ''Professor Popper's Problem'' is a 1975 British children's science fiction comedy film directed by Gerry O'Hara, starring Charlie Drake in the title role. Featuring a number of child actors, Todd Carty, Milo O'Shea, and Sydney Bromley also ap ...

'' (1974) – Headmaster * '' Eskimo Nell'' (1975) – Ambrose Cream * ''

Adventures of a Private Eye ''Adventures of a Private Eye'' is a 1977 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil, Suzy Kendall, Harry H. Corbett and Liz Fraser. It followed '' Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' (1976), and was followed b ...

'' (1977) – Craddock * ''

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate ''Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'' is a 1978 British sex comedy film directed by Stanley Long and starring Christopher Neil as Sid South. It was written by Stephen D. Frances and Aubrey Cash. Following '' Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' (1976) a ...

'' (1978) – Wallings * ''

Firepower Firepower is the military capability to direct force at an enemy. It involves the whole range of potential weapons. The concept is generally taught as one of the three key principles of modern warfare wherein the enemy forces are destroyed or ...

'' (1979) – Harry Calman * '' Mountains of the Moon'' (1990) – Lord Russell * '' The Fool'' (1990) – Duke

References

External links

* 1908 births 1995 deaths English male radio actors English male television actors Male actors from London People educated at Dulwich College 20th-century English male actors {{england-actor-stub