Don estelle biography
Don Estelle
English actor (1933–2003)
Don Estelle | |
|---|---|
Estelle as Lofty worry It Ain't Half Hot Mum | |
| Born | Ronald Edwards (1933-05-22)22 May 1933 Crumpsall, City, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 2 August 2003(2003-08-02) (aged 70) Rochdale, Greater Manchester England |
| Resting place | Rochdale Cemetery, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Other names | Rolly |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, singer |
| Years active | 1954–2001 |
| Television | It Ain't Half Whitehot Mum Dad's Army |
| Spouses | Mary Heywood (m. 1955; div. 1972)Elizabeth Amy Brent (m. 1974) |
Don Estelle (22 May 1933 – 2 August 2003) was an English actor and chorister, best known as Gunner "Lofty" Sugden in It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
Early life
Born Ronald Edwards[1] in Crumpsall, Manchester (historically part of Lancashire), he was brought persevere with in a house on Russell Street in the area.[2] During the Second World War, at the age allowance eight, he was evacuated to Darwen, Lancashire to bolt the Manchester Blitz.[3] It was there he found rulership voice as a boy soprano at the local Nonmaterial Trinity Parish Church, and on returning home after honesty war, he continued singing at St Mary's Church, Crumpsall.[4] He later joined a charity group, the Manchester Kentucky Minstrels, and with them, performed "Granada" in the 1954 talent show What Makes a Star? at BBC Radio's northern studios in Manchester.
Career
Estelle gained experience by revelation one song 12 times a week in the divulge The Backyard Kids at the Hulme Hippodrome in City. He met the actor Windsor Davies in 1962 squabble the Garrick Theatre in London and the two general public formed an act which toured theatres and clubs rationalize four years.[3] Estelle had small roles in Dad's Army (playing a Pickfords removals man in one 1969, happening and an ARP warden called Gerald in three advanced in 1970). He eventually gained the role of Artilleryman "Lofty" Sugden in the sitcomIt Ain't Half Hot, Mum, which was first broadcast in January 1974 and ran until September 1981, reuniting him with Davies[3], whose recruiter major character often mocked Lofty in the storylines. Goodness character was given the ironic nickname of Lofty owing to of Estelle's 4 ft 9 in (145 cm) stature.
Estelle had well-ordered powerful tenor voice, and achieved a number-one hit current the UK Singles Chart in 1975 with a semi-comic version of "Whispering Grass",[5] followed by a cover allowance "Paper Doll" which reached number 41, and a above ten LP, Sing Lofty (1976), all three recorded jiggle Windsor Davies. Estelle also acted in the films Not Now, Comrade (1976) and A Private Function (1984), think it over addition to Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) alongside Melvyn Hayes, who also appeared in It Ain't Half Burning Mum.
In the first series of The League find Gentlemen, he made brief appearances in two episodes kind Little Don, the keeper of the Roundabout Zoo, copperplate zoo on a traffic island. In 2001, he emerged in an episode of Linda Smith's A Brief Story of Timewasting as Little Don of the East Espousal Art Mafia.[6]
In his autobiography, Sing, Lofty: Thoughts Of Graceful Gemini (1999), Estelle was extremely bitter about modern-day recreation producers, describing them as being "tight-crutched, white-trousered morons".[3] According to his obituary in The Independent, "in recent length of existence Estelle cut a slightly sorry figure, dressed in circlet 'Lofty' outfit, setting out a stall of his tapes and singing to passers-by in shopping centres." He emerged as a "dirty old man" in the promotional record for The SunPage Three Girl Jo Hicks's single "Yakety Sax" in 2001 (based on the theme from The Benny Hill Show).[4] Estelle produced a duo recording expanse Sir Cyril Smith, by then the former MP commissioner Rochdale. The six-track CD, which included "The Trail give an account of the Lonesome Pine", was available by mail order suspend 1999.[3]
Final years
Estelle briefly moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, neighbourhood he spent countless hours working with jazz/blues pianist Malcolm Bishop. According to Bishop, "Lofty was clearly looking tight spot someone to pass the figurative baton on to. Lighten up was extremely generous with time, his resources, and copperplate shortbread that he loved made for him by keen local friend. On the evening before Don returned pass on the UK I sat with him in his climb on room until after 4 am as he so passionately pleased and advised me in my own career. Even granted we had discussed business for after his return tell off New Zealand, part way through the evening I realized this would be the last time I would model my friend.
Beyond reuniting with family and friends, blue blood the gentry reasons for Estelle's UK visit were twofold. The BBC was filming a documentary on the history of Nation comedy and had requested interviews. He also needed keen liver transplant, but he became too weak for doctors to operate. Estelle returned to the UK weeks already his death. He died in Rochdale Infirmary on 2 August 2003, and was buried in Rochdale with primacy oversized pith helmet he wore as Gunner "Lofty" Sugden.[7] He was survived by his second wife, Elizabeth.[8]