Syd Walker | |
---|---|
Born | Sydney Kirkman 22 March 1886 Salford, Lancashire, England |
Died | 13 January 1945 | (aged 58)
Occupation(s) | Comedian, actor |
Spouse | Lily (Lydia) Louie Margaret Kirkman |
Children | Pete Walker |
Syd Walker (born Sydney Kirkman; 22 March 1886 – 13 January 1945) was a British actor and comedian.
Born in Salford, Lancashire, he started his career in music halls, both as a solo performer and in double acts. He was also a member of Fred Karno's comedy troupe.[1] After some years performing with Karno, and after losing his Lancashire accent, he became a regular on BBC radio's Band Waggon (1938–1939) as Mr. Walker, a philosophical rag-and-bone man with the popular catch phrase: "What would you do, chums?"[2][3] He later had his own show, Mr Walker Wants to Know.[1]
He fell ill with appendicitis while playing in pantomime in Croydon, and died in Hove, Sussex, in 1945 at the age of 58.[1]
His son is the film director Pete Walker.[4]