Roy Hudd

Infobox performer
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name = Roy Hudd

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imagesize =
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birthname =
birthdate = birth date and age|1936|5|16|df=yes
location = Croydon, England [GRO: JUN 1936 2a 883 CROYDON - Roy Hudd, mmn = Barham]
deathdate =
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othername =
homepage =
genre = Radio & TV actor
Music hall singer
playwright & author
spouse = Debbie Flitcroft

Roy Hudd, OBE (born 16 May 1936 in Croydon) is an English radio and television actor. He is also a playwright, author and music hall singer.

Early life

His father was a carpenter and he attended Tavistock Secondary Modern School, Croydon and Croydon Technical School. His jobs then included messenger for an advertising agency, window dresser and commercial artist. In 1958 he took a summer job as a Redcoat at Butlins, Clacton.

Radio

Hudd first appeared on radio in 1959 on the "Workers' Playtime" show and he is best known for his very long-running BBC Radio 2 series "The News Huddlines". He starred in the title role in "The Newly Discovered Casebook of Sherlock Holmes" in 1999, and has also given his voice to the roles of Max Quordlepleen in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and James Phillimore in "The Singular Inheritance of Miss Gloria Wilson," an original Sherlock Holmes radio play in the series "The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" (2002).

Television

He has appeared on TV variety shows and his acting roles include the Dennis Potter series "Lipstick on Your Collar" for which he received critical praise. He has recently appeared as the undertaker Archie Shuttleworth in the ITV1 soap opera "Coronation Street"and in the Hollyoaks spin-off, "In the City". He will next be seen on TV in episodes of New Tricks and Casualty.

Stage appearances

Hudd has appeared in live in pantomime and variety performances. In the eighties Roy Hudd starred as Fagin in the revival of Lionel Bart's musical Oliver! at the Albery Theatre, London. and the musical version of Hard Times at the Haymarket with Brian Blessed. In 2004 he launched a new one man show "All My Own Work". It premièred during the National Music Hall and Variety Festival at The Playhouse in Weston-super-Mare and then continued to tour around the UK.

In 2008, he played the part of the Wizard in a production of the "Wizard of Oz" at London's Royal Festival Hall.

Music Hall

Hudd has written several books on music hall, made music hall records and appeared in the music hall revival show "The Good Old Days." He is seen by broadcasters as an authority on the subject and is the longstanding President of The British Music Hall Society.

Film

His Film appearances include the Avarice segment of "The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins" and Up Pompei.

Max Miller

He is an authority on the comedian Max Miller and is known for his impersonation of him. He appeared as his hero in the Big Finish Productions "Doctor Who" audio play "Pier Pressure" in 2006.

Charity work

He has also had a long association with the Bristol Hospital Broadcasting Service where he is considered an honorary member. In 1994 he officially opened their current studios in the Bristol Royal Infirmary. He is also a Past King Rat of the show business charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.

Honours

He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's 2003 New Year's Honours List. In 1983 (1982 season), he was awarded the "Best Actor in a Musical" Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for his role in "Underneath the Arches", as Bud Flanagan. According to Hudd, Bud Flanagan had stated shortly before his death that he considered Hudd to be the best choice to star in a dramatisation of Flanagan's life.

Trivia

His name is sometimes confused with Rod Hull, who had the puppet Emu. This is referenced in the fifth episode of the second series of "The Office".

One of his early TV appearances was in a short information advert for the Cycling Proficiency Test.

He had a guest appearance in the comedy "One Foot In The Grave", episode "Threatening Weather" (Series 6) as a character whom the Meldrews had to take care of during a power cut on the hottest day of the year.

Hudd now lives in Suffolk.

External links

*imdb name|id=0399647|name=Roy Hudd
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/profiles/roy_hudd.shtml BBC Biography/Profile]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/3357351.stm BBC -- Radio comic Roy Hudd honoured with OBE]

References

Persondata
NAME= Hudd, Roy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Music hall, Actor and Entertainer
DATE OF BIRTH= 16 May 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH= Croydon, Surrey
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=