Clive Francis

Did you know?!

1. First role

   At 16, Clive Francis started acting in weekly repertory at Bexhill-on-Sea, where he was a Penguin Player. He has since performed on stage, radio, television and in films.

2. First role

   Francis played Tommy Traddles in the 1966 production of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield, and this was his first television role, opposite Ian McKellen.

3. First role

   In 1968, Francis played Mr. Sloane in the ITV Playhouse production of Entertaining Mr Sloane. He counts that part as his first important television role, and he appeared alongside Sheila Hancock and Edward Woodward.

4. First role

   Francis made his first appearance in the West End in There's a Girl in My Soup, playing opposite Donald Sinden.

5. Beyond film

   Francis tours a one-man staging of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on a regular basis, bringing the show to France, Ireland, Monaco and numerous towns and cities across the UK.

6. Behind the camera

   Francis is a caricaturist whose work has appeared on book covers, including Alec Guinness's Blessings in Disguise and a biography of John Gielgud.