(1915-02-04)4 February 1915 Marylebone, London, England
Died
4 October 2010(2010-10-04) (aged 95) Ballasalla, Isle of Man
Resting place
Kirk Bride Churchyard, Bride, Isle of Man
Medium
Comedian
actor
singer
Years active
1946–2008
Spouse
Doreen Naomi Brett
(m. 1941; div. 1946)
Freda Simpson
(m. 1947; div. 1969)
Children
3, including Nicholas Wisdom
Military career
Allegiance
United Kingdom
Service/branch
Merchant Navy British Army
Years of service
1930–1946
Unit
10th Royal Hussars Royal Corps of Signals
Battles/wars
Second World War
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom,[1]OBE[2] (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring a hapless character called Norman Pitkin.[3] He was awarded the 1953 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles following the release of Trouble in Store, his first film in a lead role.
Wisdom gained celebrity status in lands as far apart as South America, Iran and many Eastern Bloc countries, particularly in Albania where his films were the only ones with Western actors permitted to be shown by dictator Enver Hoxha.[4] Charlie Chaplin once referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown".[5]
Wisdom later forged a career on Broadway in New York City, alongside stars such as Mandy Patinkin and as a television actor, winning critical acclaim for his dramatic role of a dying cancer patient in the television play Going Gently in 1981. He toured Australia and South Africa.[3] After the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, a hospice was named in his honour.[4] In 1995, he was given the Freedom of the City of London and of Tirana.[4] The same year, he was appointed OBE and was knighted five years later.[4]
^ ab"Birth Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
^"No. 54066". The London Gazette (Supplement). 17 June 1995. p. 14.
^ abDixon, Stephen (5 October 2010). "Sir Norman Wisdom obituary". The Guardian. London, UK. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
^ abcd"Sir Norman Wisdom". The Daily Telegraph. London, UK. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
^Cite error: The named reference BBCFool was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBE (4 February 1915 – 4 October 2010) was an English actor, comedian, musician and singer best known for a series of comedy...
medium pace. The son of Sir NormanWisdom, the comedian, singer-songwriter and actor, he was born in Edmonton, Middlesex. Wisdom made two first-class appearances...
Robert Ray Wisdom (born September 14, 1953) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Howard "Bunny" Colvin in The Wire, Norman "Lechero" St...
Normandy Norman (2010 film), a 2010 drama film Norman (2016 film), a 2016 drama film Norman (TV series), a 1970 British sitcom starring NormanWisdom The Normans...
war comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring NormanWisdom. NormanWisdom plays two different characters: a man who digs and repairs roads...
Abroad (1972) and Carry On Girls (1973). She also starred alongside NormanWisdom in the film What's Good for the Goose (1969), and appeared with Vincent...
with a ten-second talking role in the NormanWisdom film On the Beat and in 1963 as a nurse in the NormanWisdom film A Stitch in Time – both were uncredited...
1953 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring NormanWisdom as a department store clerk in his cinema debut. The film also featured...
Trouble in Store Two Cities John Paddy Carstairs Maurice Cowan NormanWisdomWisdom's first starring vehicle, one of biggest hits of 1954 Dec 1953 The...
was an influence on future comedians—particularly Charlie Drake and NormanWisdom—and, culturally, on entertainers such as the Beatles, who referred to...
1960 British comedy film directed by Robert Asher and starring NormanWisdom. Norman Puckle, a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, cannot seem...
He is perhaps best known for his work as a comedic foil in duos with NormanWisdom and Sid Field. Jerry Desmonde was born James Robert Sadler in the Linthorpe...
"Sir NormanWisdom". Telegraph. London. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2010. "NormanWisdom Mobbed...
Wisdom of a Fool is a one-man play based on the early life and career of actor and comedian NormanWisdom. The play premiered at The Capitol Theatre Horsham...
white comedy musical film directed by Robert Asher and starring NormanWisdom. Norman Truscott works as a dry cleaner, but dreams of being a stage performer...
best known British film comedy stars include Will Hay, George Formby, NormanWisdom, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers and the Monty Python team. Other actors...
Global Information
United Kingdom