Bernard Bresslaw
Biography
Bernard Bresslaw was an English actor and comedian, best known as one of the regulars in the Carry On film series. Born in Stepney, London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a London County Council scholarship and won the Emile Littler Award as most promising actor. Television work in The Army Game and radio in Educating Archie came first, followed by film, Shakespearean theater and more television. His first Carry On was Carry On Cowboy (1965), and he revived his Cockney catchphrase I only arsked in Carry On Camping (1969). Taller than the other Carry On regulars, he also played the villain Varga in the Doctor Who story The Ice Warriors, voiced Gorilla in The Giddy Game Show and recorded singles that charted in the UK. He acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the English Stage Company and published a poetry collection, Ode to the Dead Sea Scrolls. He died in 1993.
59years old at death
- Born Stepney
- Died London Borough of Enfield
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
Movie Career
- Films
- 20
- Career span
- 25 years1958 to 1983
Genres
First and latest
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A role that slipped away
Bernard Bresslaw was briefly considered for the Creature in Hammer's Curse of Frankenstein (1957), but the part went to the shorter Christopher Lee instead.
Early training
Bresslaw trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art on a scholarship from London County Council. There he was named the most promising actor and received the Emile Littler Award.
Getting ready for a role
Bresslaw put in great efforts to prepare for his roles, such as learning Fanagalo phrases for his part in Carry On Up the Jungle (1970).
Beyond film
Bresslaw's catchphrase "I only arsked" began on The Army Game and was brought back later in Carry On Camping (1969).
Beyond film
The Rutles' TV special featured Bresslaw's "You Need Feet," a parody of Max Bygraves's "You Need Hands," playing alongside the Yoko Ono film parody "A Thousand Feet of Film."
Bernard Bresslaw movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Gerald Thomas directed ten of these films. Two actors appear in ten of them each. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Joan Sims's page
Kenneth Williams's page
Peter Butterworth's page
Charles Hawtrey's page
Sidney James's page
Jim Dale's page
Gerald ThomasDirector, 10 films, 1965 to 1977
All films by Gerald Thomas
Also five films together1 more actor
- Angela DouglasThat's Carry On! (1977), Carry On Up the Khyber (1968), Carry on in the Legion (1967), Carry On Screaming (1966) and Carry on Cowboy (1965)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.