Nicholas Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas Smith (born March 5, 1934 in Banstead, Surrey, England) is an English actor. He is also known as Nicholas Pilgrim Smith and is best known for playing the bald, jug-eared manager Mr. Rumbold in the BBC's sitcom Are You Being Served?
His earliest TV roles were as a non-speaking extra in various ITV programmes. He got his first speaking role in 1964, in the BBC's Doctor Who serial The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Smith persuaded the serial's director Richard Martin to expand the role, so that his character, Wells, appeared in three of the serial's six episodes instead of only one or two as originally scripted.
This was followed by small roles in many other adventure series, such as The Saint, The Avengers, The Champions and Ace of Wands.
Are You Being Served? began in 1972, with Smith playing Mr. Cuthbert Rumbold, the manager of the menswear and ladieswear departments in a large fictional London store called Grace Brothers. He remained with the programme until its end in 1985, as well as repeating his role in the spin-off film in 1977, and the sitcom sequel Grace & Favour in 1992 and 1993.
He appeared in the TV miniseries Martin Chuzzlewit. In 2005 Nicholas Smith was also featured in a supporting role as Vicar Cleveland Hedges in the Academy Award Winning film, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Smith is the father of actress Catherine Russell.
