Character actor, Tony Haygarth, has died from Alzheimer’s, at the age of 72.
A regular and familiar face on British TV, he was, perhaps, best known for portraying P.C. Wilmot, in BBC.1’s comedy series, ‘Rosie’, (1977-81).
Regularly appearing both on stage, and screen, in period productions, sitcoms, and police dramas, he was never short of work, appearing in many TV series, including: ‘Special Branch’, ‘The Protectors’, ‘I, Claudius’, ‘Holocaust’, ‘Z Cars’, ‘Dick Turpin’, ‘Kinvig’ (Penned by ‘Quatermass’ creator, Nigel Kneale), ‘The Borrowers’, and ‘Emmerdale Farm’.
He also appeared in the films, ‘Clockwise’ (with John Cleese), ‘A Private function’, and ‘Dracula’ (1979).
In recent years, he also voiced the character of Mr. Tweedy, in ‘Chicken Run’.
With a career lasting over seven decades, Chuck, an instantly recognisable guitarist, and song-writer, produced such gems as ‘Roll Over, Beethoven’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’, ‘Johnny B Goode’, and - of course - the once heard, never to be forgotten, ‘My Ding A Ling’.
Indeed. The word “Legend” is bandied around all the time but there’s no hyperbole whatsoever in applying it here. Chuck Berry was unquestionably one of the most important musicians of the last 100 years. I am a fan of punk, of rock, of rock ‘n’ roll, of metal, rockabilly and surf revival and Chuck’s influence can be heard in almost every chord of all of it.
Asa, you put it better than I did…I’ve just been revisiting Chuck on ‘Youtube’, and found my feet doing all the moves…
…Sheer magic!
Funnily enough, while recently re-watching my entire TV series of ‘Till Death Us Do Part’ (Alf Garnett), Alf takes offence at Chuck’s ‘My Ding a Ling’ being played on the radio.
When ‘My Ding-aLing’ came out, in the 1970’s, I vaguely remember that my whole family absolutely loved it…after all, it was the time of the ‘Carry On’s’, etc.
‘Inspector Morse’ creator, Colin Dexter, has just died, peacefully, at the majestic age of 86.
Penned between 1975, and 1999, his series of ‘Morse’ novels, were lovingly brought to the screen with the ever-popular, long-running ITV series, starring the incomparable actor, John Thaw.
I,ve been working my way through them too over the past couple of years and agree, they are well written and entertaining detective fiction. I have two more left to read I think.
Apart from that, I could, unfortunately, not find out a great deal of back-ground on this lovely lady. Perhaps, other ‘SWDB’ members may have some info…
Amazing! I checked the Miami papers and not a word. Most of the news is coming out of Italy where he was huge. Another of the greats of the genre has left us.
I’ve never seen a birth date but she had to be in her late 70s. I’ve read she was a ballerina and met and married Sergio after working as a choreographer on The Colossus of Rhodes. I e-mailed Sir Christopher Frayling who replied he had not heard that she died but that she was suffering from dementia. I did find a listing of her passing in necrology in a Rome paper last evening.
