Graham Moffatt | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Graham Victor Harold Moffatt (1919-12-06)6 December 1919 Hammersmith,London, England |
| Died | 2 July 1965(1965-07-02) (aged 45) |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation(s) | Comedy actor and publican |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Richard, Chris, Jayne |
Graham Victor Harold Moffatt (6 December 1919 – 2 July 1965) was an English comediccharacter actor. He is best known for a number of films where he appeared withWill Hay andMoore Marriott as 'Albert': a plump cheekily insolent street-savvy youth.[1]
Moffatt was born on 6 December 1919 inHammersmith, West London, the son of Frederick Victor Moffatt (1896–1977) and Daisy Eleonora née Whiteside (1895–1969), both of whom outlived him. He had two sisters, one being Rita Doreen Moffatt (1936–1991). He was born exactly 31 years afterWill Hay, with whom Moffatt would perform with in a string of successful cinema films in the 1930s.[2] He wanted to act from an early age. He first worked as acall boy at Shepherd's Bush Studios, and often saw actorTom Walls going in and out of the sound stages. Walls took a liking to Moffatt, and chose him for a bit part in the 1934 filmA Cup of Kindness. He then gave up his job as a call boy, and went on to appear in five more films in minor, mostly uncredited roles before getting his big break in Will Hay's films.[3]
His first film with Will Hay wasWhere There's a Will (1936) in which he plays an office boy. In his next film with Hay,Windbag the Sailor (1936), he is joined by Moore Marriott and his character has become 'Albert'. He is known by this name in all his later films with Hay and Marriott:Oh, Mr Porter! (1937),Old Bones of the River (1938),Convict 99 (1938),Ask a Policeman (1939) andWhere's That Fire? (1940). Still as Albert, he appeared again with Moore Marriott in a series of films starringArthur Askey:Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940),I Thank You (1941), andBack Room Boy (1942). His later films includePowell and Pressburger'sA Canterbury Tale andI Know Where I'm Going!.
In the mid-1940s he semi-retired from show business to become apublican with his wife, Joyce Muriel Hazeldine, whom he married in June 1948 and remained married to for 17 years until his death in July 1965. Together, they ran the Swan Inn atBraybrooke (nearMarket Harborough), followed by the Englishcombe Inn atBath. Whilst landlord of the Swan Inn, Moffatt became good friends with local musician and actorJim Dale who would often drink at the pub.[4]
In March 1952 he was admitted to hospital inKettering after two weeks ofhiccuping.[5] He still made sporadic cinema film appearances in minor parts, the last being in the 1963 film80,000 Suspects, directed byVal Guest, who was a writer of many of the films that Moffatt starred in with Will Hay and Moore Marriott.[6][7]
Moffatt married Joyce Muriel Hazeldine in 1948. He died on 2 July 1965 inBath,Somerset from heart failure at the early age of 45.[7] His ashes were scattered in theEnglish Channel at the village ofBeer inDevon. He is survived by his three children Richard, Jayne and Chris.[8]
The Will Hay Appreciation Society was founded in 2009 by British artistTom Marshall, and aims to preserve the legacy of Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt and to bring their work to a new generation of fans. As of June 2019, the organisation has over 4200 members.[9]The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a memorial bench to Will Hay, Moore Marriott and Graham Moffatt in October 2018, inCliddesden,Hampshire the filming location forOh, Mr. Porter!. The bench was unveiled byPete Waterman.[10]
Moffatt's life story was made into a short film byThe Will Hay Appreciation Society which features interviews from his three children, Richard, Chris and Jayne. The film is calledGraham Moffatt: Britain's Favourite Fat Boy.[1]
On 18 August 2019The Will Hay Appreciation Society unveiled a plaque commemorating Graham Moffatt at one of the pubs he was landlord at, the Swan Inn,Braybrooke. The unveiling was attended by his children, members of the society and local villagers.[11]