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Vale: Norman Wisdom

Actor Norman Wisdom, a comic genius on Britain's silver screen, has died aged 95.

He was a comic genius on Britain’s silver screen, delighting generations with his slapstick comedy. Actor Norman Wisdom died peacefully on Monday at a nursing home on the Isle of Man. He was 95.

Wisdom, best known for his comedy films in the 1950s and 1960s, had suffered from a series of strokes in the months before his death.

The cheeky comedian was known for his roles as a clumsy underdog battling against adversity, enjoying a career spanning around 55 years until he decided to retire when he celebrated his 90th birthday.

It was while performing in an Army concert that he was spotted by Rex Harrison, who urged him to pursue a career on the stage.

He joined the entertainment company the Rank Organisation and made his first film, Trouble in Store, in 1953, winning a BAFTA Award for the most promising newcomer to film. He went on to film some 18 more productions during the 1950s and 1960s, coining his famous catchphrase “Mr Grimsdale!”.

Wisdom’s television acting roles were predominantly from the 1980s onwards in British productions Bergerac, Casualty, Dalziel and Pascoe, The Last Detective, Between the Sheets, Coronation Street and 7 episodes of Roy Clarke’s Last of the Summer Wine.

His final role was voicing a character in Labrats (2010) alongside Martin Clunes.

Source: Herald Scotland

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