Richard Beckinsale
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| Richard Beckinsale | |
|---|---|
 as Lennie Godber |
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| Born | Richard Arthur Beckinsale 7 July 1947 Carlton, Nottingham, England |
| Died | 19 March 1979 (aged 31) Sunningdale, Berkshire, England |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969 - 1979 |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Bradley (1965–71) Judy Loe (1977–79) |
Richard Arthur Beckinsale (7 July 1947 – 19 March 1979) was an English actor best known for his role as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge. He also played Alan Moore in the British sitcom Rising Damp.
He is the father of the actresses Samantha Beckinsale and Kate Beckinsale.
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[edit] Early days
Beckinsale was born in Carlton, Nottinghamshire in 1947, to a part-Burmese father (Beckinsale's paternal great grandfather was Burmese) and an English mother, and left Alderman White Secondary Modern school at 15 with ambitions to become an actor, so while working in numerous manual jobs he gained some experience by enrolling at a Nottingham adult drama class. As a consequence, he won a place at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, turning professional in 1968. He then moved to Crewe to begin in repertory theatre, like most newly-graduated actors at the time, and then made his television debut in 1969 as a police officer in Coronation Street, in which he had to arrest veteran character Ena Sharples.
[edit] Sitcom star of the 70s
Beckinsale acquired his first starring role in 1970 as Geoffrey in the sitcom The Lovers, opposite fellow newcomer Paula Wilcox. The show was a success without being a runaway triumph, and did enough to put both lead performers in the public eye. It also, like many sitcoms of the time, spawned a movie version.
There followed a purple patch when he was appearing in two of British TV's most successful sitcoms at the same time. On ITV, he was playing naive medical student Alan Moore in Rising Damp (voted ITV's best-ever sitcom in the Britain's Best Sitcom survey of 2004) while also starring in Porridge. Shortly after his 30th birthday, Beckinsale was surprised by Eamonn Andrews with the famed 'big red book' for an appearance on This Is Your Life.
Beckinsale quit Rising Damp in 1977, the same year that Porridge was brought to a natural end after his character of Godber was released from his prison sentence in the final episode. He subsequently starred alongside Barker in Going Straight, a spin-off of Porridge in which the two criminal characters are seen on the outside rebuilding their lives.
At the beginning of 1979, Beckinsale filmed a movie version of Porridge. It was to be his last completed work.
[edit] Death
On 19 March 1979, Beckinsale died of a massive heart attack in his sleep, at his home in Sunningdale, Berkshire. He was alone in the house at the time as his wife was in hospital and his five-year-old daughter Kate was staying with relatives. Beckinsale had expressed worries about his cholesterol to director friend Stephen Frears over dinner just days earlier, but he seemed healthy and fit and had no cardiac problems in his medical records. According to Frears, Beckinsale's high cholesterol was a factor in his early death.
On the day she was due to go into hospital, about a week before he died, Beckinsale complained to his wife Judy Loe of feeling unwell and said he was unable to take her to the hospital. At the time, they both put it down to nerves; she was due to have an operation to increase the couple's chances of having another child. The day before he died, he and Kate visited Loe in hospital. He seemed to be in good health, although he did tell his wife he'd been feeling tired. Upon leaving the hospital, Beckinsale dropped Kate off at the home of relatives to spend the night. He then returned to his house in Sunningdale.
According to newpaper reports, sometime that evening he telephoned friends. During the conversation he repeated that he had been feeling tired, and also said that he had some pain in his chest and arms. One of his friends told Beckinsale to see a doctor, but Beckinsale laughed it off, and seemed to be in good spirits when the conversation ended. It appears that he suffered a massive heart attack, which probably killed him almost instantly, sometime after falling asleep that night
Porridge co-star Ronnie Barker commented on Beckinsale's premature death saying: "He was so loved. He hadn't done much but he was so loved that there was a universal sort of grief that went on." And his daughter Kate, when asked to comment on his death years later said, "It was so sudden. He just went to sleep one night, and didn't wake up again."
[edit] Unfinished work
At the time of his death, Beckinsale had almost completed a 6-part BBC sitcom called Bloomers — writer James Saunders' original script reveals that Beckinsale was due to attend the sixth and last rehearsal for the final episode of the series on the day he died, with the show to be recorded the following day. The five completed Bloomers episodes were aired later in the year.
He was also filming a movie, Bloody Kids, which then had to be re-cast: This role marked a change in direction for Beckinsale, being a more hard-nosed character than those he had played before. Three days after his death, Going Straight won a BAFTA award. A clearly distressed Barker delivered a brief but emotional acceptance speech in tribute to his co-star.
Plans had been drawn up to make a movie of Rising Damp — Beckinsale's other big sitcom success — and ultimately the movie was made in 1980. Christopher Strauli was recruited to replace Beckinsale, playing a different character.
[edit] Legacy and private life
In 2001, a documentary was broadcast on ITV in tribute, called The Unforgettable Richard Beckinsale. It featured interviews with his widow, the actress Judy Loe, as well as his father, brother, closest schoolfriend and two daughters. Also contributing were his co-stars, Barker and Rising Damp's Don Warrington.
Beckinsale married twice — firstly to Margaret Bradley, with whom he had a daughter, Samantha Beckinsale (also an actress), in 1966. They divorced in 1971. He then married Loe in 1977, four years after the birth of their daughter, Kate.
As a tribute to Beckinsale, pop star Robbie Williams wrote a song about him and his daughter Samantha titled "Baby Girl Window".[citation needed].
[edit] Television roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 to 1971 | The Lovers | Geoffrey Scrimgeor |
| 1974 to 1977 | Rising Damp | Alan Moore |
| 1974 to 1977 | Porridge | Lennie Godber |
| 1978 | Going Straight | Lennie Godber |
| 1979 | Bloomers | Stan |
