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Comedy. A despondent man hires a professional assassin to take himself out. Stars David Jason and Monty Python's Graham Chapman.
1978
General
Movie/Drama
Cast & Crew
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Did You Know..
David Jason
(Actor)
Born:
February 02, 1940
in
London
Best Known For:
His role as Del-Boy in Only Fools and Horses.
Early-life:
Born David John White in Finchley, north London, on February 2, 1940, the son of a cleaner and a porter. As a child, he blossomed after appearing in a school play, but he followed his father's wishes and became an electrician. He remained a member of an amateur theatre group until a local newspaper critic advised him he had real talent and should turn professional. He signed up for drama school and joined actors' union Equity, only to be told they already had a David White on their books.
Career:
After stints in local theatre, Jason graduated to TV, joining Michael Palin, Eric Idle and Terry Jones for Do Not Adjust Your Set in 1967. In the early 1970s, he appeared in the films White Cargo and Under Milk Wood and played the lead in TV comedy A Sharp Intake of Breath, before being cast opposite Ronnie Barker in the popular sitcom Open All Hours. He worked with the comedian again in 1975 in Porridge when he played old man Blanco, a performance that prompted producers to invite him to audition for the role of Grandad in Only Fools and Horses in 1981. The show's makers decided to cast him as Del-Boy instead after noticing his obvious chemistry with on-screen brother Nicholas Lyndhurst. It turned him into a household name. In the 1980s, he also provided the voices for animated children's favourites, including Danger Mouse and Count Duckula. Jason's huge success continued in the 1990s with The Darling Buds of May and A Touch of Frost. Even though he retired from the role of Det Insp Jack Frost in 2008, after playing the character for 16 years, he claimed to have no plans to retire himself from acting. His recent work includes The Royal Bodyguard and Still Open All Hours.
Quote:
"I've never 'felt my age', whatever that means. I think there are a lot of people who feel 22 when in fact they're 62, and there are a lot of youngsters who behave as if they were four times their age. It's an attitude of mind, isn't it?"
Trivia:
He was knighted by the Queen in December 2005.
Graham Chapman
(Actor)
Born:
January 08, 1941
in
Leicester
Best Known For:
Being a member of Monty Python.
Early-life:
Graham Arthur Chapman was born in Leicester on January 8, 1941. He studied at St Bartholomew's Medical College and at Emmanuel College, Cambridge. He was a fan of radio comedy from an early age, especially The Goon Show.
Career:
During the 1960s, Chapman began writing professionally with John Cleese. They wrote for David Frost and Marty Feldman, and episodes of long-running sitcom Doctor in the House. Chapman also contributed sketches to the BBC radio series I'm Sorry, I'll Read That Again and TV programmes such as Cilla Black and This is Tom Jones. In 1969, Chapman and Cleese joined Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones and Michael Palin to star in sketch comedy series Monty Python's Flying Circus. He would often play comical authority figures. Chapman went on to star in the Monty Python films Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) and Monty Python's the Meaning of Life (1982). In 1983 he co-wrote and starred in the movie Yellowbeard. He died of cancer on October 8, 1989, a day before the 20th anniversary of Monty Python.
Quote:
On Monty Python: "We don't deliberately set out to offend. Unless we feel it's justified. And in the case of certain well-known religions, it was justified."
Trivia:
A long-time alcoholic, Chapman suffered liver damage before he stopped drinking in 1977.
Diana Quick
(Actor)
Peter Medak
(Abridged by)
