Leslie Phillips, best known for his appearances in the Carry-On films and his suggestive catchphrases, also voiced the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter series and collaborated with a variety of stars during a lengthy and diverse career in the entertainment industry.
Leslie Phillips, a 98-year-old veteran British actor noted for his performances in multiple Carry-On films and the Harry Potter series, has passed away.
The celebrity died “peacefully in his sleep” on Monday, according to his agent Jonathan Lloyd.
Phillips made his first film appearances as a child in the 1930s and went on to have a distinguished career on stage and cinema, notably in the Carry On series, which included Carry On Teacher, Carry On Columbus, Carry On Constable, and Carry On Nurse.
He became well-known for catchphrases such as “Ding Dong!”, “Well, hello,” and, “I Say!”
Throughout his multi-decade career in the entertainment industry, the actor collaborated with a vast array of A-listers, from Steven Spielberg and Laurence Olivier to Anthony Hopkins and Angelina Jolie.
Although he was noted for his plummy accent and exaggerated depictions of the English upper class, he was born in Tottenham and grew up speaking estuary English; he took elocution training and lost his accent later in life because it was viewed as a hindrance in the acting industry at the time.
In his 2005 autobiography, Hello, he describes how he discovered acting following a “powerful upbringing in north London” and the death of his father when he was just 10 years old.
Phillips has been on television programs such as Heartbeat, Midsomer Murders, Monarch Of The Glen, and Holby City, in films such as Empire Of The Sun, Scandal, and Out Of Africa, and plays such as Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
In 2007, the actor played alongside Peter O’Toole in Hanif Kureshi’s film Venus, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA for best-supporting actor.
In recent years, his voice has become instantly recognizable to younger generations as the Sorting Hat from the Harry Potter movie.
He received the OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours and the CBE in the 2008 New Year’s Honours.
Born Leslie Samuel Phillips on April 20, 1924, the actor studied at the esteemed Italia Conti Stage School before serving as a lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry from 1942 to 1945, when he was discharged due to illness.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he starred in the Carry On films, which cemented his reputation for portraying slick, rogue-like, yet inept members of high society.
Then came films like Brothers In Law, The Smallest Show On Earth, and The Man Who Liked Funerals, and he became well-known for his appearances in the Doctor series as well as the comedies he co-starred in with Scottish comedian and impressionist Stanley Baxter, such as Very Important Person, Crooks Anonymous, The Fast Lady, and Father Came Too.
He pursued a career in Hollywood, as did the majority of his colleagues, but stated that he preferred Britain.
“Once, he stated, “I could have stayed, but I am a Londoner through and through. I wish to travel everywhere, but London will always be my desired home. So I returned.”
Luminaries give homage
Following the news of his passing, celebrities who had worked with or met him were among those who paid respect.
Sanjeev Bhaskar uploaded footage of Phillips’s appearance on The Kumars At No. 42. In the video, Phillips remembered a time when he was trapped on the London Underground besieged by people demanding he perform his catchphrases.
Bhaskar commented, “A truly kind, humorous, and compassionate man #RIPLesliePhillips.”
Tony Maudsley of Coronation Street stated that working with Phillips was “a pleasure.”
In 1965, Phillips’ 1948 marriage to Penelope Bartley was annulled. They have two girls and two sons.
Angela Scoular became his second wife in 1982, and the couple remained together until her death in April 2011.
He leaves behind Zara Carr, his third wife, whom he wed in 2013.
