Jimmy Gardner (actor)

Jimmy Gardner
Born
Edward Charles James Gardner

(1924-08-24)24 August 1924
Newmarket, Suffolk, England
Died3 May 2010(2010-05-03) (aged 85)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1954–2005

Edward Charles James Gardner, DFM (24 August 1924 – 3 May 2010) was an English actor.[1]

During World War II, Gardner served in the Royal Air Force as an air gunner with No. 10 Squadron. He completed 30 sorties as a Halifax rear gunner and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.[1]

His first film appearance was in The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb released during 1964.[2][3] Thereafter he appeared in over 30 films and also made extensive TV and theatre appearances. Some of his best known Shakespearean roles such as Adam in As You Like It, and Gravedigger in Hamlet were performed under the direction of Terry Hands.[4]

He played Knight Bus driver Ernie Prang in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the third film in the Harry Potter film series.[5][6]

  1. ^ a b Rylance, Mark (6 May 2010). "Jimmy Gardner: War hero and actor whose roles ranged from gravedigger in the RSC's 'Hamlet' to a bus driver in 'Harry Potter'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  2. ^ "THE CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB | British Board of Film Classification". www.bbfc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 October 2016.
  3. ^ Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2010. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. 21 March 2016. ISBN 9780786486496.
  4. ^ http://www.ahds.rhul.ac.uk/ahdscollections/docroot/shakespeare/performancedetails.do?performanceId=11100
  5. ^ "Jimmy Gardner obituary". TheGuardian.com. 16 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Veteran actor, brought up in Marlborough, dies, 85". 6 May 2010.