Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Acting up by John Inman British Actor John Inman Dies at 71
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Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Acting Up by John Inman British actor John Inman dies at 71. The British stage and television actor John Inman has died at the age of 71. Mr. Inman, born in Preston, Lancashire, had been suffering from the Hepatitis A infection for some time. "John, through his character Mr. Humphries of Are You Being Served? was known and loved throughout the world. He was one of the best and finest pantomime dames working to capacity audiences throughout Britain," said Inman's manager, Phil Dale. Most famous for his role in the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served? , Inman entered popular culture with his appearance as the camp store assistant, Mr Humphries, and popularised the catchphrase "I'm Free!" across British society. Tributes from across the acting and stage professions have been coming in all morning, since the death was announced by Mr Inman's spokesman earlier this morning. According to the Londonpaper, dated 8th of March, Inman's long-term partner, Ron Lynch, was said to be "devastated" at his death. His co-star, Wendy Richard who played opposite him in the BBC show, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme, "John was one of the wittiest and most inventive actors I've ever worked with. He was a brilliant, brilliant pantomime dame and he was a very good all-round actor, really. He was a true professional." Inman’s manager Phil Dale told the BBC - "John was known and loved throughout the world. He was one of the best and finest pantomime dames working to capacity audiences throughout Britain". Mike Berry, who played Mr Spooner in Are You Being Served? , told the BBC: "I felt like going home at the end of the day and ironing my face, he made me laugh so much! As funny as he was in front of the camera, he was funnier off.” It was revealed on Friday, March 9 that Australia's premier gay and lesbian publication, SX , would publish a special tribute in Inman's honour, commemorating the actor with a feature article written by the magazine's star journalists, Katrina Fox and Peter Hackney. Sources. "John Inman dies" — Sydney Morning Herald , March 9, 2007 "John Inman, British comedy actor, dies" — Times Online , March 8, 2007 "Comedy Actor Inman dies at 71" — BBC News Online , March 8, 2007 "John Inman dead at 71" — Brisbane Courier & Mail , March 8 2007. This page is archived, and is no longer publicly editable. Got a correction? Add the template > to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators. Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections. Note that some listed sources or external links may no longer be available online due to age. Got a correction? Add the template > to the talk page along with your corrections, and it will be brought to the attention of the administrators. Please note that due to our archival policy, we will not alter or update the content of articles that are archived, but will only accept requests to make grammatical and formatting corrections. John Inman. The actor John Inman, who has died aged 71 after a long illness, endeared himself to millions as the outrageously camp menswear shop assistant in the 1970s BBC television series Are You Being Served. But the role had a less welcome side; it subjected the actor to unsought controversy and protests from militant gay men who thought the character's limp-wristed gestures and mincing walk ridiculed homosexuals. Inman's Mr Humphries was, against stiff competition, one of the most arresting characters on the staff of Grace Brothers department store, created by the formidable comedy writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft (Croft himself had once worked in a department store). The show was first tried as a pilot in the BBC Comedy Playhouse slot in 1972. It ran at peak time for 12 years from 1973 to 1985 - a total of 69 episodes. The large and anachronistic family business at its heart was run on traditional lines by a doddering "Young Mr Grace", and staffed by oddities like Mrs Slocombe of ladies' wear, played by Molly Sugden, who was always prattling on about her "pussy", and a floor manager, Captain Peacock (Frank Thornton), who was invariably referred to by his military rank. Inman's suggestive catchphrase, when asked to attend to a customer, was "I'm free," after which he would set about measuring an inside leg with attentive enthusiasm. He become instantly recognisable in the street and was constantly asked, "Are you free?" "No, but I'm reasonable," became one of his stock ripostes. Inman claimed he was cheeky but not dirty, and that he found the character a joy to play. Mr Humphries was, in Inman's eyes, a jokey figure about whom the audience could never decide whether or not he was "queer". "I always say that when it comes to sex, Mr Humphries is nothing really. He's neither one way or the other." Some critics who had no such doubts described Inman and Mr Humphries as two of the best friends of gay liberation on television. But the gratitude was not universal. In 1977, the Campaign for Homosexual Equality targeted Inman in Brighton, where he was appearing in a seaside show. They handed out leaflets blaming him for depicting homosexuals as sexually obsessed, too extravagant in manner and too eager to drag up. They argued that most homosexuals did not behave like Mr Humphries, and that Inman was contributing to television's distortion of their image. Poor Inman, not a strong swimmer in the fast-flowing river of controversy, argued that he was not campaigning in any way, merely trying to make people laugh. There were compensations for him, too. Are You Being Served? made Inman famous not only in Britain but also in the US, where the series was sold. He was recognised in Los Angeles as much as in London. Once, in San Francisco, a young man fell off his bicycle because he was so surprised to see Inman, and lay in the road shouting "I love you, Mr Humphries." Before the success of that one role, however, Inman's impact had been modest. He was born in Preston, Lancashire, the son of two hairdressers who moved to Blackpool to open a boarding house. His parents financed his elocution lessons at the local church hall, and he made his professional debut at 11 on the South Pier, Blackpool. The Jack Rose Repertory Company paid him £5 a week to play a boy in the drama Frieda. But it was showbiz rather than acting that had the greater appeal for Inman. "I'm a tits-and-feathers man really," he explained. He loved the Tiller Girls, and blamed the Beatles for making showbusiness less glamorous. At 17, he left Blackpool for London to become a window dresser. To augment his income, he sewed garments for theatres and lived in a £3-a-week bedsit. At 21, he joined the repertory company at Crewe as an actor, and made his first West End appearances in Anne Veronica, Salad Days and Let's Get Laid (which, he had to explain to his mother, was about a poultry farm). Summer shows became his speciality, alternating with more than 40 appearanaces as the pantomime Dame. Instead of "resting" he sometimes went back to shop-window dressing. In 1977, ITV offered him an exclusive contract and his own show, Odd Man Out, but the divorce from the BBC was not a success, and it ran for only seven episodes. So Inman returned to the corporation and Are You Being Served? Seven years after the final episode, five of the characters returned for a sequel - Grace And Favour - but there were only two series. By this time, however, Inman was secure as a national comic treasure. In 2005 a poll found that the 1977 film of Are You Being Served? was the worst ever feature film remake of a television series - but his reputation had never been dependent on the cinema, and the television episodes continued to sell around the world. Inman suffered from poor health. In 1993, he was hospitalised with bronchitis. In 1995, he collapsed during a performance of Mother Goose, and in 2004 he had to withdraw from Dick Whittington at Richmond theatre after contracting hepatitis A through eating contaminated food. In December 2005, he went through a civil partnership ceremony with Ron Lynch, his partner of more than 30 years. · John Inman, actor, born June 28 1935; died March 8 2007. Nancy Banks-Smith writes: I would like to apologise to John Inman. It is long overdue. Thirty odd years ago I was on a TV jury to choose the best of the new comedies. One entry was Are You Being Served? I remember the piece de resistance with embarrassing clarity. Mrs Slocombe's stocking promotion went out of control. An oo-la-la line of legs, all snapping garters and saucy frillies, cancan-ed wildly to Offenbach. Any one of those high kicks would have had your hat off. Captain Peacock retreated in good order. Mr Humphries fled. Germaine Greer did not look amused. We all pursed our lips and chose something else. I have no recollection whatsoever of the winner, but Are You Being Served? ran for 12 years. The moral of this is that when your nose is pressed so close to something, you cannot see it.