Norman Wisdom
Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Joseph Wisdom, OBEwas an English actor, comedian, and singer-songwriter best known for a series of comedy films produced between 1953 and 1966 featuring his hapless onscreen character Norman Pitkin. 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 by Western actors permitted by dictator Enver Hoxha to be shown. Charlie Chaplin once referred to Wisdom as his "favourite clown"...
NationalityEnglish
ProfessionMovie Actor
Date of Birth4 February 1915
Don't get me wrong: I'm overjoyed with my career to date. But perhaps I could have done more. Mostly, I just did whatever the directors told me to do.
When you're as famous as I am, stories take on a life of their own.
Of course I've done musicals here in London.
My father used to be away for months at a time, and he'd never leave any money for food, so my brother and I had to go out and nick it.
Most of my comedies were low on budgets - certainly by American standards.
I've been making people laugh for 40 years, so I know how important it is!
I must admit I like to muck around a bit; I always have.
I believe in physical comedy, because that reaches out most to people.
Well if I was going to describe my audience, it's going to take longer than you'd ever expect, hundreds of years in fact, because there's many of them, all over the world.
Years ago, there was a variety theatre in every British town, and people paid to go down and see it. Comedy was the main part of the theatre, and comedians earned a living by being funny. Now you have comedy in television instead. Comedians now have to be funny within a play.