Derek Royle

Derek Royle (7 September 1928 – 23 January 1990) was a British actor born in London, England.[1] He graduated from RADA in 1950.[2] His face was probably better known than his name to British viewers, but he acted in films and TV from the early 1960s until his death.[1] He had a supporting role in the Beatles' film Magical Mystery Tour in 1967, as well as a minor one with Cilla Black in the film Work Is a Four-Letter Word a year later.[3]

Derek Royle
Born(1928-09-07)7 September 1928
London, England
Died23 January 1990(1990-01-23) (aged 61)
England
Spouse(s)
Jane Royle
(m. 1953; his death 1990)
ChildrenAmanda Royle
Carol Royle

Most of his film appearances were in comedy films such as Don't Just Lie There, Say Something! (1973), Tiffany Jones (1973) and Confessions of a Sex Maniac (1974).[1]

Stage and television roles

He appeared in a children's TV comedy series, Hogg's Back (1975) as Doctor Hogg, an eccentric general practitioner (GP); in 2016 this series has appeared on Talking Pictures TV.[4] Royle acted with Wendy Richard and Pat Coombs over two series.[5] (Hog's Back is a ridge of hills in Surrey in Britain.)[6] Royle played an unfortunate hotel guest in a Fawlty Towers episode, "The Kipper and the Corpse", wherein he played the eponymous corpse.[7]

He also was the second actor to portray Monsieur Ernest Leclerc in the sixth series of 'Allo 'Allo! following the death of Jack Haig in 1989, and had a supporting role in a remake of Indiscreet (1988) and a new BBC version of a Lord Peter Wimsey story.[8][9] As a stage actor he was a mainstay of Brian Rix's Whitehall farces company.[10] He specialised in absent minded characters and used his acrobatic skills to fall down stairs and immediately get up again as if nothing had happened.[11] Theatre critic Michael Coveney called him "simply one of the funniest men on the English stage."[12]

Personal life and death

He was married to make-up artist Jane Royle and their daughters Amanda and Carol Royle became actresses.[12] He died from cancer aged 61.[13]

References
  1. "Derek Royle". BFI.
  2. "Derek Royle — RADA". www.rada.ac.uk.
  3. https://www.allmovie.com/artist/derek-royle-p121889
  4. "Hogg's Back (1975)". BFI.
  5. Guide, British Comedy. "Hogg's Back - ITV Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  6. "In pictures: View from the Hogs Back". 30 November 2009 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  7. "Fawlty Towers - S2 - Episode 4: The Kipper and the Corpse". Radio Times.
  8. "BFI Screenonline: 'Allo 'Allo (1984-92) Credits". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  9. "A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery: Strong Poison". 25 March 1987. p. 65 – via BBC Genome.
  10. "Derek Royle | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
  11. Clark, Steve; Paphitis, Theo (30 August 2011). "Only Fools and Horses - The Official Inside Story". Splendid Books Limited – via Google Books.
  12. Hayward, Anthony (7 March 2011). "Jane Royle obituary" – via www.theguardian.com.
  13. "Derek Royle (1928-1990) - Find A Grave Memorial". www.findagrave.com.


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