Alfred Marks
Encyclopedia
Alfred Edward Marks OBE (28 January 19211 July 1996) was a comic actor and comedian.
, London. He left Bell Lane School at 14 and started in entertainment at the Windmill Theatre
. He then served in the RAF as a Flight Sergeant
in the Middle East where he arranged concerts for servicemen. He also worked as an auctioneer and engineer.
He started in variety at the Kilburn Empire in 1946, and his stage appearances included The Sunshine Boys and Fiddler On The Roof
. He was also involved in comedy work with Peter Sellers
and Harry Secombe
which later led to the formation (along with writer Spike Milligan
) of The Goon Show
, though Marks himself was not to become a member of that comedy group
His films included The Frightened City
and Scream and Scream Again
. His television show, Alfred Marks Time, ran for 6 years on ITV
. He compered Sunday Night at the London Palladium
and appeared in numerous other television programmes including Albert and Victoria
, The Good Old Days
, Blankety Blank
, The Marti Caine Show
, The Two Ronnies
, The Generation Game
, Lovejoy
, Minder (TV series)
, Parkinson
, The All New Alexei Sayle Show
and the Dramarama
play The Comeuppance of Captain Katt (a satire on the current state of Doctor Who
).
In 1967 Marks toured Australia for JC Williamson Theatres in Bill Naughton's Spring & Port Wine. In 1968 he played the lead in The Young Visiters a musical version of the turn of the 20th century Daisy Ashford novel, written when she was six and published as submitted by her with the spelling error, at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.
Marks also appeared in the role of Wilfred Shadbolt in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Yeomen of the Guard
in 1982.
While on tour in Australia, Marks was appointed the second King of Moomba (1968) by the Melbourne
Moomba
festival committee; when asked what his qualifications were, he quipped (in full Cockney):
in 1952. They remained together until his death. Their son, the actor Gareth Marks, is probably best known for his role as Jean-Daniel Marcel in BBC1's Bugs and as Simon in Marketing in Bridget Jones Diary. O'Neil died in 2010. He also had a daughter, Danielle Marks (see Gareth Marks website).
Biography
Marks was born as Ruchel Kutchinsky in HolbornHolborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, London. He left Bell Lane School at 14 and started in entertainment at the Windmill Theatre
Windmill Theatre
The Windmill Theatre, later The Windmill International, was a variety and revue theatre in Great Windmill Street, London. The theatre was famous for its nude tableaux vivants...
. He then served in the RAF as a Flight Sergeant
Flight Sergeant
Flight sergeant is a senior non-commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and several other air forces which have adopted all or part of the RAF rank structure...
in the Middle East where he arranged concerts for servicemen. He also worked as an auctioneer and engineer.
He started in variety at the Kilburn Empire in 1946, and his stage appearances included The Sunshine Boys and Fiddler On The Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
. He was also involved in comedy work with Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
and Harry Secombe
Harry Secombe
Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE was a Welsh entertainer with a talent for comedy and a noted fine tenor singing voice. He is best known for playing Neddie Seagoon, the central character in the BBC radio comedy series The Goon Show...
which later led to the formation (along with writer Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
) of The Goon Show
The Goon Show
The Goon Show was a British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC Home Service from 1951 to 1960, with occasional repeats on the BBC Light Programme...
, though Marks himself was not to become a member of that comedy group
His films included The Frightened City
The Frightened City
The Frightened City is a 1961 British film about extortion rackets and gang warfare in the West End of London. It stars Sean Connery, who plays a burglar called Paddy Damion. He is lured into a protection racket by oily mobster Harry Foulcher , in order to support his partner in crime , who is...
and Scream and Scream Again
Scream and Scream Again
Scream and Scream Again is a 1970 British horror film directed by Gordon Hessler and starring Christopher Lee, Vincent Price and Peter Cushing. It is based on the novel The Disorientated Man by Peter Saxon.- Plot :...
. His television show, Alfred Marks Time, ran for 6 years on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. He compered Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Sunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
and appeared in numerous other television programmes including Albert and Victoria
Albert and Victoria
Albert and Victoria is a British sitcom that aired on ITV from 1970 to 1971. Starring Alfred Marks, it was written by Reuben Ship. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television....
, The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days
The Good Old Days is a popular BBC television light entertainment programme which ran from 1953 to 1983.It was performed at the Leeds City Varieties and recreated an authentic atmosphere of the Victorian–Edwardian music hall with songs and sketches of the era performed by present-day...
, Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank
Blankety Blank is a British comedy game show based on the 1977–1978 Australian game show Blankety Blanks ....
, The Marti Caine Show
Marti Caine
Marti Caine, born Lynne Denise Shepherd was an English actress, dancer, presenter, singer, writer, and comedienne who gained fame from the television talent show New Faces and became a major variety star....
, The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
, The Generation Game
The Generation Game
The Generation Game was a British gameshow produced by the BBC in which four teams of two competed to win prizes...
, Lovejoy
Lovejoy
Lovejoy is a TV series about the adventures of Lovejoy, a British antiques dealer and faker based in East Anglia, a less than scrupulous yet likeable rogue. The episodes were based on a series of picaresque novels by John Grant...
, Minder (TV series)
Minder (TV series)
Minder is a British comedy-drama about the London criminal underworld. Initially produced by Verity Lambert, it was made by Euston Films, a subsidiary of Thames Television and shown on ITV...
, Parkinson
Parkinson (TV series)
Parkinson is a British television talk show that was presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on the BBC from 1971 to 2004, and on ITV from 2004 to 2007.-Background:...
, The All New Alexei Sayle Show
The All New Alexei Sayle Show
The All New Alexei Sayle Show was a comedy sketch show broadcast on BBC2 television for a total of twelve episodes, over two series in 1994 and 1995...
and the Dramarama
Dramarama
Dramarama is an alternative rock band.It may also refer to:* Dramarama , a 1980s British television series* Dramarama , a 2006 film that was to star Lindsay Lohan but was unreleased...
play The Comeuppance of Captain Katt (a satire on the current state of Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
).
In 1967 Marks toured Australia for JC Williamson Theatres in Bill Naughton's Spring & Port Wine. In 1968 he played the lead in The Young Visiters a musical version of the turn of the 20th century Daisy Ashford novel, written when she was six and published as submitted by her with the spelling error, at the Vaudeville Theatre in London.
Marks also appeared in the role of Wilfred Shadbolt in the Gilbert and Sullivan opera The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard; or, The Merryman and His Maid, is a Savoy Opera, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It premiered at the Savoy Theatre on 3 October 1888, and ran for 423 performances...
in 1982.
While on tour in Australia, Marks was appointed the second King of Moomba (1968) by the Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
Moomba
Moomba
Moomba is Australia's largest free community festival and one of the longest running festivals in Australia. Held annually in the city of Melbourne, Australia, Moomba is celebrated during the Labour Day long weekend , and has been celebrated since 1955...
festival committee; when asked what his qualifications were, he quipped (in full Cockney):
- "When I was eleven there were rival gangs around a fruit market in the East End. And desperately, I always wanted to be a member of the bigger rival gang. One day when I was in my best Easter suit, someone from one of the other gangs said to me 'would you like to be King of the Golden Apples?' 'All right, just sit there on this box and call out Apples, Apples, give me the Golden Apples.' Which innocently I did and they cobbled me with every rotten apple in the market."
Personal life
Marks married actress Paddie O'NeilPaddie O'Neil
Paddie O'Neil OBE was a British actress and singer.-Filmography:* Penny Points to Paradise * The Early Bird * The Adding Machine * Fanny Hill -External links:***...
in 1952. They remained together until his death. Their son, the actor Gareth Marks, is probably best known for his role as Jean-Daniel Marcel in BBC1's Bugs and as Simon in Marketing in Bridget Jones Diary. O'Neil died in 2010. He also had a daughter, Danielle Marks (see Gareth Marks website).
Selected filmography
- Johnny, You're WantedJohnny, You're WantedJohnny, You're Wanted is a 1956 British crime B-movie, directed by Vernon Sewell and starring John Slater. The film features famous strongwoman Joan Rhodes performing her stage act.-Plot:...
(1956) - Desert MiceDesert MiceDesert Mice is a 1959 British comedy film featuring Alfred Marks, Sid James, Dora Bryan, Irene Handl, John Le Mesurier and Liz Fraser. A group of ENSA entertainers with the British army in the North Africa desert during the Second World War thwart a Nazi plan...
(1959) - There Was a Crooked ManThere Was a Crooked Man (film)There Was a Crooked Man is a 1960 British comedy film directed by Stuart Burge. It starred Norman Wisdom, Alfred Marks, Andrew Cruickshank, Reginald Beckwith, and Susannah York. This is the only Norman Wisdom film that has not had a television viewing or released on video/DVD...
(1960) - A Weekend with LuluA Weekend with LuluA Weekend with Lulu is a 1961 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Bob Monkhouse, Leslie Phillips, Alfred Marks, and Shirley Eaton.-Cast:*Bob Monkhouse as Fred Scrutton*Leslie Phillips as Timothy Gray...
(1961) - Hide and SeekHide and Seek (1972 film)Hide and Seek is a 1972 British drama film directed by David Eady starring Peter Newby, Gary Kemp, Robin Askwith, Liz Fraser and David Lodge.-Cast:* Peter Newby as Keith* Gary Kemp as Chris* Eileen Fletcher as Beverley...
(1972) - Valentino (1977)
- Fanny HillFanny Hill (1983 film)Fanny Hill is a 1983 British comedy film directed by Gerry O'Hara and starring Lisa Foster, Oliver Reed, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Shelley Winters...
(1983)