Leslie Phillips's story begins with a poverty-stricken childhood in north London, made all the worse when his father died when Leslie was just ten years old. Soon after, he began his acting career, and since then he has worked with all the greats, from Laurence Olivier to Steven Spielberg.
Best known for his comic roles in the Carry On and Doctor series, he took the decisi
Leslie Phillips's story begins with a poverty-stricken childhood in north London, made all the worse when his father died when Leslie was just ten years old. Soon after, he began his acting career, and since then he has worked with all the greats, from Laurence Olivier to Steven Spielberg.
Best known for his comic roles in the Carry On and Doctor series, he took the decision in later life to take on more serious roles in films such as Empire of the Sun, Out of Africa and Scandal, as well as performing in plays such as The Cherry Orchard.
Packed with hilarious anecdotes, in this long-awaited autobiography he recalls some of the great characters he has worked with, and also highlights how different he is in real life from his onscreen persona as a bounder. It is a fascinating story, brilliantly told.
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Hardcover
,
406 pages
Published
January 3rd 2006
by Orion
(first published January 2006)
On the whole this is no more than the usual showbiz autobiography; chatty and name-droppy, without a very great deal of substance. Leslie Phillips admits that he's never kept a diary, so his reminiscences have been pieced together retrospectively - and, since he seems generally to be quite a nice chap, it's all about the people he's met and become fond of in the course of his career - it's packed with names like Denholm Elliot, Ronnie Barker, Stephen Murray, and just about everyone else who ever
On the whole this is no more than the usual showbiz autobiography; chatty and name-droppy, without a very great deal of substance. Leslie Phillips admits that he's never kept a diary, so his reminiscences have been pieced together retrospectively - and, since he seems generally to be quite a nice chap, it's all about the people he's met and become fond of in the course of his career - it's packed with names like Denholm Elliot, Ronnie Barker, Stephen Murray, and just about everyone else who ever trod a stage or stood behind a microphone from the 1930s to the 1990s and beyond. Even his ex-wife and various ex-girlfriends come in for very little criticism, and his affection for such well-known 'monsters' as Tony Hancock and Kenneth Williams appears to be totally unfeigned. (Bizarrely, only Brenda Blethyn ever really seems to have upset him!) It's not a book to challenge preconceptions, in fact, so much as one that will amply reinforce them.
On the other hand, I have a huge liking for 'Lovable Leslie' and have had since earliest childhood; his voice reminds me vividly of a great many things that are lost and gone forever, and he is undoubtedly the last of the most glorious generation of radio comedians; he is now 89, and when he passes away it will truly be the end of an era.
It could fairly be said that I was predisposed to enjoy this book anyway, despite its lack of depth; nevertheless 'Hello' is a charming book - and indeed it could hardly be anything else, written as it is by one of the greatest charmers of all time - and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who is interested in enjoying a nostalgia-packed and utterly undemanding read.
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