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Harold Berens

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Harold Berens
Born
Isadore Harold Berenbaum

(1903-03-04)4 March 1903
Glasgow, Scotland
Died10 May 1995(1995-05-10) (aged 92)
London, England
Occupation(s)Comedian, character actor

Harold Berens (born Isadore Harold Berenbaum; 4 March 1903 – 10 May 1995) was a British comedian and character actor.

Biography

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He was born into a Jewish family in Glasgow, the son of a tailor, and grew up and was educated in Leeds, Harrogate, and Brussels. After his father built up a successful business in Brighton, he moved there, and began performing at show business parties organised by his father. After completing his education he worked as a shirt salesman, primarily to a show business clientele, while developing his own talent for comedy, especially his ability to imitate a wide range of different dialects, at private functions. In the 1930s he opened his own shop in Regent Street, London, where he styled himself as "Shirtmaker to the Stars". One of his customers was Carroll Levis, who thought that Berens was too professional a performer to perform in his regular amateur talent shows, and recommended that he audition for the BBC.[1]

He won the support of BBC radio producer Ernest Longstaffe, who used him in radio programmes from the late 1930s and wrote some of his scripts.[2] Berens compered broadcasts by Maurice Winnick and his orchestra from the Dorchester Hotel, and then, in 1939, started compering shows by Jay Wilbur and his band for Radio Luxembourg. During the Second World War, he made regular broadcasts for the services, and by 1941 was well known for his comedy routines, in which one of his characters was Mrs Twiddleswitch. He became known as "The Man with a Thousand Voices."[3]

He featured regularly in the radio series Hoop-La, with Robb Wilton and Max Wall, and became more popular after 1945 playing the role of a Cockney ignoramus on Ignorance Is Bliss, chaired by Stewart MacPherson, which was a BBC adaptation of the American show It Pays to Be Ignorant.[1][3] According to Roy Hudd, Berens' exclamations of "What a Geezer!" became a national catchphrase.[2] By 1947, it was said that he had done over 2,000 radio broadcasts. He also appeared in four Royal Variety Performances.[2]

He continued to feature on radio through the 1950s, notably as Mrs Mosseltoff on the show Ted Ray Time.[3] He also developed a career as a supporting actor in films and television. His first film appearance was in Candlelight in Algeria (1944), followed by appearances in Third Time Lucky (1949), Up for the Cup (1950), Man from Tangier (1957), and The Pure Hell of St Trinian's (1960), among others. He also appeared in such television shows as The Avengers and It's a Square World.[1] His final film appearances came in Trail of the Pink Panther (1982), Hear My Song (1991), and Carry On Columbus (1992).[3]

Berens died in London in 1995, aged 92.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1944 Candlelight in Algeria Toni
1945 The Man from Morocco Ali
1947 Dual Alibi Ali
1949 Third Time Lucky Young Waiter
1950 Up for the Cup Auctioneer
1955 A Kid for Two Farthings Oliver
1955 The Secret Frank Farmer
1956 Not So Dusty Driver
1956 The Big Money Bookmaker
1957 Man from Tangier Sammy
1960 Jazz Boat Barber Shop Owner Uncredited
1960 Bluebeard's Ten Honeymoons Jeweller Uncredited
1960 Surprise Package Max Schissel Uncredited
1960 The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's British Consul
1961 A Weekend with Lulu Card Seller
1961 What a Whopper Sammy
1962 The Painted Smile Mikhala
1962 Live Now, Pay Later Solly Cowell
1964 Mozambique Banker
1969 Hostile Witness Rosen
1969 The Magic Christian Waiter Uncredited
1972 Straight On till Morning Mr. Harris
1976 Queen Kong Man in Phone Booth Uncredited
1976 The Pink Panther Strikes Again Hotel Clerk (scenes deleted)
1982 Trail of the Pink Panther Hotel Clerk
1991 Hear My Song Benny Rose
1992 Carry On Columbus Cecil the Torturer (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Denis Gifford (13 May 1995). "Obituary: Harold Berens". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Roy Hudd and Philip Hindin, Roy Hudd's Cavalcade of Variety Acts, Robson Books, 1998, ISBN 1-86105-206-5, pp.13-14
  3. ^ a b c d "Harold Berens 1903-1995", Jewish Lives Project. Retrieved 28 November 2020
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