Edward Chapman
Known for: Acting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edward Chapman (13 October 1901 - 9 August 1977) was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s. Chapman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greet's Company in June 1924 at the Repertory Theatre, Nottingham, playing Gecko in George du Maurier's Trilby. He made his first London stage appearance at the Court Theatre in August 1925 playing the Rev Septimus Tudor in The Farmer's Wife. Among dozens of stage roles that followed, he played Bonaparte to Margaret Rawlings's Josephine in Napoleon at the Embassy Theatre in September 1934. In 1928 he attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock, who gave him the role of "The Paycock" in the 1930 film, Juno and the Paycock. In the same year he also made an appearance in Caste (of which no prints are known to exist). He had a role in The Citadel in 1938 and appeared alongside George Formby in the Ealing Studios comedy Turned Out Nice Again in 1941. During the Second World War he took a break from acting and joined the Royal Air Force. After training he was posted to 129 (Mysore) Squadron as an intelligence officer. This Spitfire squadron was based at Westhampnett and Debden. The squadron was heavily engaged in combat during this period and many of Chapman's fellow squadron mates were killed in action. Chapman first starred alongside Wisdom in 1957's Just My Luck in the role of Mr. Stoneway, but the next year in The Square Peg he appeared as Mr. Grimsdale for the first time opposite Wisdom's character of Norman Pitkin. In 1960 he and Wisdom acted together again in The Bulldog Breed, playing the roles of Mr. Philpots and Norman Puckle - Mr. Grimsdale and Pitkin in all but name. Wisdom appeared alone as Norman Pitkin in On the Beat in 1962, while Chapman branched out, starring in the Danish folktale Venus fra Vestø, but Grimsdale and Pitkin were reunited for 1963's A Stitch in Time. Their final performance together was in The Early Bird in 1965, Wisdom's first film in colour. In all, he appeared alongside Norman Wisdom in five films. After Sir John Gielgud was arrested for "persistently importuning male persons for immoral purposes", Chapman started a petition to force him to resign from Equity. Sir Laurence Olivier reportedly threw Chapman out of his dressing room when he solicited his signature for the petition. From 1965 Chapman played mostly characters roles on television. His final role was as Mr. Callon for nine episodes of the BBC's seafaring melodrama The Onedin Line between 1971 and 1972. Chapman died of a heart attack in Brighton, East Sussex, England at the age of 75. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward Chapman, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
Series
Maigret
1960
Series
No Hiding Place
1959
Series
The Onedin Line
Mr. Callon
1971
Series
The World of Hammer
Self (archive footage)
1994
Series
The Man in Room 17
Oliver Crawford
1965
Film
Night and the City
Hoskins (uncredited)
1950
Film
Convoy
Captain Eckersley
1940
Champion House
1967
The Men From Room 13
Mr. Grandland
1959
Film
Things to Come
Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
1936
Film
The Skin Game
Dawker
1931
Film
Joey Boy
Tom Hobson
1965
Film
Murder!
Ted Markham
1930
Film
The Citadel
Joe Morgan
1938
Film
X: The Unknown
John Elliott
1956
Film
Gone to Earth
Mr. James
1950
Film
The Card
Mr. Duncalf
1952
Series
Armchair Theatre
Sir Pierson Cale
1956
Film
The Man Who Haunted Himself
Barton
1970
Film
Mandy
Ackland
1952
Film
The Magic Box
Father in Family Group
1952
Film
The Bulldog Breed
Mr. Philpots
1960
Film
School for Scoundrels
Gloatbridge
1960
Film
Innocent Sinners
Manley
1958
Film
A Yank in Ermine
Duke of Fontenham
1955
Film
Rembrandt
Fabrizius
1936
Film
It Always Rains on Sunday
George Sandigate
1947
Film
The Ringer
Stranger
1952
Film
Marigold
Mordan
1938
Film
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
Major Grigsby
1936
Film
Juno and the Paycock
Captain Boyle
1930
Film
Bhowani Junction
Thomas Jones
1956
Film
Poison Pen
Len Griffin
1939
Film
The Square Peg
Private Wilfred Grimsdale
1958
Film
The October Man
Mr. Peachy
1947
Film
Caste
Sam Gerridge
1930
Film
Lisbon
Edgar Selwyn
1956
Film
A Stitch in Time
Mr. Grimsdale
1963
Film
The Early Bird
Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
1965
Film
Ships with Wings
Papadopoulos
1941
Film
The Intruder
Lowden
1953
Film
The Crowded Day
Mr. Bunting
1954
Film
They Flew Alone
Mr. Johnson
1942
Film
A Day to Remember
Mr. Robinson
1953
Film
The Flying Squad
Sedeman
1932
Film
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
Birkland
1948
The Big Deal
Sir Pierson Cale
1961
Film
Blossom Time
Meyerhoffer
1934
Film
Oscar Wilde
Marquis of Queensberry
1960
Film
Doctor at Large
Mr. Wilkins
1957
Film
Venus fra Vestø
1962
Film
Law and Disorder
Detective Inspector Bray
1940
Film
The Proud Valley
Dick Parry
1940
Film
The Spider and the Fly
Minister for War
1949
Film
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
Mr. Blenkinsop
1941
Film
The Young and the Guilty
George Connor
1958
Film
The History of Mr. Polly
Mr. Johnson
1949
Film
The Four Just Men
B.J. Burrell
1939
Film
Just My Luck
Mr. Stoneway
1957
Happy Ever After
Colonel
1932
Film
Now You're Talking
Alf Small
1940
Film
Man on the Run
Chief Inspector Mitchell
1949
Film
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
Captain Edwin Fraser
1939
Film
The Love Match
Mr Longworth
1955
Film
Jeannie
Mr. Jansen
1941
The Divine Spark
Saverio Mercadante
1935
Film
Girls Will Be Boys
Grey
1934
Premiere
Lohrmann
1938
Film
His Excellency
The Admiral
1952
Film
The End of the Road
Works Manager
1954
Film
Mister Cinders
Mr. Gaunt
1935
Film
Turned Out Nice Again
Uncle Arnold
1941
Film
There Ain't No Justice
Sammy Sanders
1939
Film
Folly to Be Wise
Joseph Byres M.P.
1952
Film
The Church Mouse
Wormwood
1934
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
1939
Film
Hide and Seek
McPherson
1964
Someone at the Door
Price
1936
Who Killed John Savage?
Inspector Chortley
1938
Film
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
Mr. Jones
1941
Film
The Briggs Family
Charley Briggs
1940
Tilly of Bloomsbury
Percy Welwyn
1931
Film
The Queen's Affair
Guard
1934
Let’s Keep Our Teeth
Self - Commentator
1952
Film
The Cocktail Party
1952