Charles hawtrey biography

George Frederick Joffre Hartree 30 November — 27 October , known as Charles Hawtrey , was an English actor, comedian, singer, pianist and theatre director. He began at an early age as a boy soprano, in which role he made several records , before moving on to radio. His later career encompassed the theatre as both actor and director , the cinema where he regularly appeared supporting Will Hay in the s and s in films such as The Ghost of St.

Michael's , through the Carry On films , and television. He took his stage name from the theatrical knight Sir Charles Hawtrey , and encouraged the suggestion that he was Hawtrey's son though his father was actually a London car mechanic. Following study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, he embarked on a career in the theatre as both actor and director.

Charles hawtrey age

Hawtrey made his first appearance on the stage in Boscombe , a suburb of Bournemouth , as early as His London stage debut followed a few years later when, at the age of 18, he appeared in another "fairy extravaganza", this time at the Scala Theatre singing the role of the White Cat and Bootblack in the juvenile opera Bluebell in Fairyland.

The music for this popular show had been written by Walter Slaughter in , with a book by Seymour Hicks providing part of the inspiration for J. Barrie 's Peter Pan. This played in several regional theatres, including His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen. In Hawtrey played in a revival of the play, this time taking the larger role of Slightly, alongside the husband-and-wife partnership of Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton playing Peter and Hook.

A review in The Daily Telegraph commended Hawtrey for having "a comedy sense not unworthy of his famous name". The play ran for performances at the Ambassadors Theatre before moving to the Hippodrome , Golders Green , Barnet , on 16 August Hawtrey acted in films from an early age, first appearing while still a child, and as an adult his youthful appearance and wit made him a foil to Will Hay 's blundering old fool in the comedy films Good Morning, Boys and Where's That Fire?

In all he appeared in more than 70 films including, from this period, Alfred Hitchcock 's Sabotage