Entertainment
Carry On and Harry Potter actor Leslie Phillips dies aged 98 after long illness as wife pays tribute to ‘national treasure’-Alicia Adejobi-Entertainment – Metro
The veteran actor died on Monday.
Leslie Phillips died on Monday (Picture: Getty Images)
Carry On actor Leslie Phillips has died at the age of 98.
The veteran actor, also known for voicing the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter movies, is said to have battled a long illness and died on Monday.
The actor enjoyed eight decades in entertainment and was well-known for his catchphrases including ‘ding dong’, ‘I say’ and ‘well hello’.
Phillips’ wife Zara Carr led tributes to the star and said: ‘I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman.
‘He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.’
The actor starred in four Carry On films, including 1960’s Carry On Constable alongside Kenneth Connor (Picture: Rex Features)
Phillips starred in over 200 movies, TV shows and radio series (Picture: Rex Features)
She also recalled to The Sun: ‘When we married he cheekily introduced me to the Press as royalty, insisting I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the Queen.’
Over the course of his career, Phillips starred in over 200 movies and TV shows as well as radio programmes, including 17 years starring opposite Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee on BBC Radio show The Navy Lark.
Phillips made his acting debut on the West End at the tender age of 14 and went on to star in various Shakespeare theatre productions around the world.
The actor appeared in four Carry On movies, including 1959’s Carry On Nurse and 1992’s Carry On Columbus.
In 2006, Phillips starred alongside veteran actor Peter O’Toole in Venus and earned a Bafta nomination for his performance.
He received two honours from the late Queen Elizabeth II, first an OBE in 1998 and then a CBE for services to showbiz a decade later.
Phillips rubbed shoulders with the best in showbiz, including June Whitfield, Barbara Windsor and Jack Douglas (Picture: Rex Features)
Phillips’ wife Zara Carr remembered him as a ‘national treasure’ (Picture: Rex Features)
Phillips received two honours from Queen Elizabeth II; first the OBE and then a CBE (Picture: Rex Features)
However, Phillips suffered much heartache in his personal life, including his first wife Penny Bartley dying in a house fire in 1981. They divorced in 1965 after he had a nine-year affair with Caroline Mortimer, the stepdaughter of Rumpole of the Bailey creator John Mortimer.
Phillips missed Bartley’s funeral due to working abroad and it’s said the two children they shared never forgave him.
In 1966, Phillips married Bond girl Angela Scoular who was pregnant with another man’s son when they began dating six years prior, with the actor raising the child as if he were his own.
Further tragedy struck in 1993 when Phillips’ 92-year-old mother was mugged at a bus stop by teenagers. She died several weeks after the incident after suffering injuries but the thugs were never caught.
The actor’s sister Doris was so distraught by the incident that she died six months later.
In 2011, Angela overdosed on drugs and alcohol to ease pain as she suffered terminal bowel cancer. She was transported to hospital but died the following day.
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