Who
was Leonard Rossiter?
Leonard Rossiter was
a very
much-respected and greatly-missed British character actor who had a
very
busy career in all media of entertainment - theatre, television, radio
and film.
What is he
most famous
for?
His most famous
roles (on
television at least) were as the landlord Rigsby in Yorkshire
Television's
series 'Rising
Damp', written by Eric Chappell, and also for his portrayal of
Reginald
(or 'Reggie') Perrin in the BBC's 'The
Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin', from the novels by David Nobbs.
These programmes have been shown worldwide and both series are now
regarded
as 'classic television', thanks largely to the brilliant acting of
Leonard.
Theatre fans will also remember him for stunning stage performances as Arturo
Ui, B.R.
Haydon, King
John, Richard
III, and Fred Midway in 'Semi-Detached'.
On film, his appearances in 'Billy
Liar', 'Otley'
and as the fartiste Monsieur Pujol in 'Le
Petomane' will be long-remembered for their excellence and
professionalism.
How many
performances
did he make?
Over 150 roles on
stage,
with productions selling out for months and Leonard making sometimes a
dozen appearances a week; over 80 television appearances, from one-off
plays to long-running series; 25 films, plus business training videos,
and TV and radio commercials.
Where and When
was he
born?
Leonard was born in
Liverpool
on October 21st 1926, a second son to John and Elizabeth Rossiter.
He grew up living in
the
flat above his father's barber's shop. See the biography
for more detailed information.
How did he get
into acting?
By accident. He
arrived
to pick up his amateur actress girlfriend one night, but their
rehearsals
were running late. Leonard was not very impressed by what he saw, and
he
told her so! She challenged him to do better. His first ever acting
role
was as Flight Lieutenant Graham in 'Flight Path'. A local writer
criticised
his tendency to speak his lines too fast (this was to become one of
Leonard's
trademarks in later life). He left his insurance company office job
soon
after.
Which roles
made him a
star?
It was his portrayal
of
Adolf Hitler in Bertolt Brecht's 'The
Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui' that made him a West-End star. In it,
he played the dictator in the manner of an Al Capone-style American
gangster.
His performance has been described as one of the great virtuoso
performances
of modern times. His occasional television appearances became more
regular
from the mid-1970s when 'Rising
Damp' and 'The
Fall and Rise Of Reginald Perrin' hit our screens for four and
three
series respectively, until 1979. These series, particularly 'Rising
Damp',
became a hallmark of 1970s television and are still repeated regularly
today. Even more regular appearances were to follow when Leonard teamed
up with Joan Collins to promote Cinzano's
new liquor in a series of hugely popular commercials from 1978 to 1983.
Leonard never pigeon-holed himself into any type of role, and would
probably
have cringed at being labelled 'a star'.
What is known
about his
private life?
Very little. Leonard
was
a very private man, and almost timid when not speaking in a
professional
capacity. His marriage to actress Josephine Tewson was dissolved and he
went on to marry another co-star of his theatre performances, Gillian
Raine.
They had a daughter, Camilla. Leonard was a keen sportsman, and could
see
off some of the fittest athletes of his time at squash, cricket and
football.
He used this talent for sports, mixed with his celebrity, to raise
thousands
of pounds for charity, his favourite being the Malcolm Sargent Cancer
Fund
For Children.
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How
did critics and colleagues rate him?
It is rare these
days to
hear the words Leonard Rossiter mentioned without the word 'genius'
being
included also. He was undoubtedly a master of his craft, and gave 110%
to every performance, regardless of the medium. His ability to reel off
enormous amounts of dialogue from memory, coupled with his expert eye
for
location in front of cameras, the perfect inflection of every line, and
the sheer energy and intensity he put into his roles were admired and
envied
around the world. He had the rare ability to speak faster than most
actors
and yet still be completely understood by all. He did not suffer fools
gladly, and often not at all. He was a perfectionist, and in being so,
would be frank about substandard performances by his co-stars,
sometimes
losing his temper when he felt lines were delivered incorrectly, even
if
the director disagreed. During the height of his popularity, there was
hardly a negative word written about Leonard's performances. After the
giant successes of Rigsby and Reggie, however, his subsequent roles,
such
as Sydney Foskett in 'The
Losers' and Norman Tripper in 'Tripper's
Day', received only luke-warm reviews. Nonetheless, any mention of
Leonard Rossiter in a programme, play or theatre role would always
guarantee
an audience of millions.
How and where
did he die?
The phenomenal
success and
huge popularity of Leonard Rossiter only added to the nationwide shock
and disbelief of his tragic death at the age of just 57. He was
appearing
as Inspector Truscott in 'Loot',
a play by Joe Orton at the Lyric Theatre in London's West End. On
Friday,
October 5th 1984, Leonard was in his dressing room preparing for his
role.
His co-stars on stage had started to improvise after his missed
entrance,
and everyone knew something was wrong. Fellow actor David John rushed
to
his dressing room and found Leonard slumped in an armchair. First Aid
was
administered but Leonard was pronounced dead on arrival at Middlesex
Hospital.
Only the day before, he had visited his doctor complaining of chest
pains,
but had been given a clean bill of health. It was widely agreed by
those
that knew him and had worked with him that the cause of his early death
was due to the immense amount of energy and concentration he put into
every
part of his every role. He knew what was expected of him and strove to
deliver that to his audience, lest he fail. His absolute
professionalism
was, ultimately, his downfall. This most private, yet most popular of
men,
a rare giant of both theatre and television, and
ambassador
to all that is great about British talent, had been killed by a
condition
known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a congenital disease of the heart
muscles.
What is his
legacy?
Contemporary actors,
especially
those in theatre, are still being compared to Leonard Rossiter, but
usually
only in one respect - either in mannerisms, rate of delivery, acting
style
or intensity of performance, but never in combination. Leonard was
unique
in the elements he brought to every performance, and remains so even
today.
In television, in a world where sex, sexual innuendo, violence and bad
language seem to have taken over from good writing, there is hardly
ever
a vehicle for a television actor to come even close to matching
Leonard's
energy and drive, with perhaps Rowan Atkinson and David Jason coming
the
closest. Leonard Rossiter has left us with a rich heritage of superb
performances
in all the media in which he played a part. Best known for his comedy
roles,
yet never a comedy actor; introspective, yet famous for speaking his
mind;
a charmer, and yet famous for being a tough act to work with. Leonard
Rossiter
was a perfectionist, a true professional, a master craftsman in his
trade
and, quite simply, a genius.
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