Gordon Charles Rollings (17 April 1926 – 7 June 1985)[1] was an English actor who mainly appeared on television, but also appeared on-stage and in feature films. He was born in Batley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England in 1926 and started his career in radio in Palestine. It was in Palestine while serving in the British Army during the Mandate that he was shot by a sniper of the Stern Gang. He later trained as a clown in Paris, appearing in the Medrano Circus.[2]
Gordon Rollings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Gordon Charles Rollings 17 April 1926 Batley, England |
| Died | 7 June 1985 (aged 59) Bristol, England |
| Years active | 1949–1985 |
Rollings made an uncredited screen appearance in the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night. He played the man in the pub who is shocked to find that Ringo has thrown a dart into his lunch. Director Richard Lester later used him in both Superman films he directed: in the first, he plays a fisherman who is stunned to see General Zod walking on water and in the second, he appears as a pedestrian in a flat cap who upsets a display of toy penguins that triggers the slapstick chaos in the opening credits scene.
After a number of small parts in TV shows such as Z-Cars in the early 1960s, on 21 April 1964, he was the first presenter of BBC 2's daily programme for young children, Play School, alongside Virginia Stride.[3] In the same year he played the character of Charlie Moffitt in Coronation Street. Between 1966 and 1967 Rollings appeared as a storyteller in ten episodes of the BBC children's television show Jackanory, reading amongst others, stories of Worzel Gummidge. (Rollings would later appear in a 1981 episode of the televised series of Worzel Gummidge). He later narrated The Herbs, and as the character Arkwright with his small dog, Tonto, in the adverts for John Smith's Bitter.
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | A Weekend with Lulu | Humper | Uncredited |
| 1961 | What a Whopper | Constable Doone | |
| 1962 | Captain Clegg | Wurzel | |
| 1963 | Edgar Wallace Mysteries | Walker | Episode: 'Five to One (film)' |
| 1963 | Just for Fun | Party Official with radio | |
| 1964 | The Comedy Man | Skippy | |
| 1964 | A Hard Day's Night | Man with sandwich in pub | Uncredited |
| 1966 | Press for Time | Bus conductor | |
| 1967 | Carry On Doctor | Night Porter | |
| 1968 | Great Catherine | Glaizer | |
| 1969 | The Bed-Sitting Room | Drip feed patient | (as Gordon Rawlings) |
| 1969 | Rhubarb | Artist Rhubarb | |
| 1972 | Something to Hide | 2nd Man at Airport | |
| 1976 | The Pink Panther Strikes Again | Inmate | |
| 1977 | Jabberwocky | King's taster | (as Gordon Rawlings) |
| 1980 | Superman II | Fisherman | |
| 1983 | Superman III | Man in cap | (as Gordon Rawlings) |
| 1983 | Fanny Hill | Beggar | |
| 1983 | The Sign of Four | Mr. Sherman | |
| 1984 | Bloodbath at the House of Death | Man at bar | |
| 1984 | Give My Regards to Broad Street | Monster |
References edit
- ^ "Biography of Gordon Rollings". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- ^ "A Proper Charlie" (jpg image). TV Times. 1960s. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- ^ "Play School (Episode 1)". National Media Museum. Retrieved 30 December 2007. [dead link]
External links edit
- "IMDb entry for Gordon Rollings". IMDb. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
- "Gordon Rollings, The Herbs, John Smiths advert". The Herbs and The Adventures of Parsley. Retrieved 30 December 2007.