David Battley

David Santuary Battley
Born	5 November 1935(1935-11-05) Battersea, London
Spouse	Sarah Hanrahan (1971 -)

David Battley (5 November 1935 – 20 January 2003) was a British actor specialising in laconic, lugubrious comedy roles.

Early life

David Battley, eldest son of a postwar Labour MP, was born in Battersea. Born with a hole in the heart, he was initially taught at home before attending a special school. He later enrolled at Camberwell Art School but left before completing the course. He earned a living working for the family printing firm, Battley Brothers, before applying to Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career

Battley was known for his dry, ironic delivery on television and in films. He found steady work as a character actor and comic stooge. Battley's TV work ranged from the satire show BBC 3 and the military police drama Redcap in the 1960s through Eric Sykes' BBC sitcom and the 1977 Christmas Special of The Good Life, and later The Bill, Lovejoy and Mr Bean. His best known work in the mid-1970s was as comic foil to Monty Python team member Eric Idle in the BBC series Rutland Weekend Television (RWT). Idle praised Battley's dry, poker-faced style on the show. Battley did not appear in the American TV film of RWT spin-off The Rutles' All You Need Is Cash, about a rock group based on the Beatles.

Battley also made many films, including Hotel Paradiso (1966), Crossplot (1969), That's Your Funeral (1970) and Rentadick (1972).

Best-known work

His best-known film roles are as schoolteacher Mr. Turkentine in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and Ergo the Magnificent in Krull (1983).

One of his last roles was a golf course employee in the episode "Tee Off, Mr. Bean" (1995) of the comedy series Mr. Bean.

External links

• David Battley at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Battley, David
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	5 November 1935
Place of birth	Battersea, London
Date of death
Place of death