Sid James | |
|---|---|
 James in 1974 | |
| Born | Solomon Joel Cohen 8 May 1913 |
| Died | 26 April 1976 (aged 62) Sunderland, England |
| Resting place | Golders Green Crematorium, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1947–1976 |
| Spouses | Berthe Sadie Delmont
(m. 1936; div. 1940)Meg Williams
(m. 1943; div. 1952)Valerie Ashton (m. 1952) |
| Children | 4, including Reina |
Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a South African–British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. Noted for his distinctive dirty laugh, he was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series.[1]
Born to a middle-class Jewish family in South Africa, James started his career in his native country before finding his greatest success in the UK. Beginning his screen career playing bit parts in films from 1947, he was cast in numerous small and supporting roles into the 1950s. He appeared in the film The Lavender Hill Mob in 1951, starring Alec Guinness.
His profile was raised as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour, firstly in the radio series and later when it was adapted for television and ran from 1954 to 1960. After this he became known as a regular performer in the Carry On films, appearing in 19 films of the series, top-billed in 17 of them (in the other two he was billed below Frankie Howerd).
His starring roles in television sitcoms continued. He starred in the 1970s sitcom Bless This House until his death in 1976.
- ^ Roberts, Andy. "Beyond Carry On: Sid James's 20 best - and weirdest - films". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2017.