Clive Swift

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Clive Swift
Clive Swift 2007.jpg
Swift in Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned
Birth nameClive Walter Swift
Born(1936-02-09)9 February 1936
Liverpool, England
Died1 February 2019(2019-02-01) (aged 82)
London, England
MediumTelevision, film
NationalityBritish
Years active1965–2017
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1975)​
ChildrenAdam Swift
Rebecca Swift
Joe Swift
Relative(s)David Swift (brother)

Clive Walter Swift (9 February 1936 – 1 February 2019) was an English actor and songwriter. He was best known for his role as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth (played by Dame Patricia Routledge) in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances, but played many other film and television roles.

Life and career[]

Swift was born in Liverpool on 9 February 1936,[1] the son of Lily Rebecca (née Greenman) and Abram Sampson Swift.[2] His elder brother David was also an actor. Both were educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where Clive read English literature. He was previously[when?] a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His family was Jewish.[3]

He appeared as Snug in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1968 film production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of a cast that included Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren and Ian Richardson.[4] During the 1970s, he appeared as Doctor Black in two of the BBC's M. R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious, as well as the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles.[4] He is best known for his role on Keeping Up Appearances as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth.[4] Swift made two appearances in Doctor Who, in the 1985 story Revelation of the Daleks and the 2007 Christmas special.[5] He also played Sir Ector, the adoptive father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur.[4]

In addition to acting, he was a songwriter. Many of his songs were included in his shows Richard Bucket Overflows: An Audience with Clive Swift, which toured the UK in 2007,[6] and Clive Swift Entertains, in which he performed his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009.[7] He also played the part of the Reverend Eustacius Brewer in Born and Bred, which aired on BBC One from 2002 to 2005.[1]

Personal life and death[]

Swift was married to novelist Margaret Drabble from 1960 until their divorce in 1975.[8] He was the father of one daughter, Rebecca (who died in April 2017), known for running The Literary Consultancy in London, and two sons, Adam Swift, an academic, and Joe Swift, a garden designer, journalist and television presenter.[9]

Swift died at home on 1 February 2019, following a short illness, aged 82.[10] Paying tribute to Swift, fellow actor James Dreyfus said he "loved this extremely talented, subtle actor".[11] His Keeping Up Appearances co-star Dame Patricia Routledge said: "Clive was a skilful and inventive actor with wide experience, as his successful career proved," and that she was very sad to hear of her former co-star's death.[12]

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Catch Us If You Can[13] Duffie
1968 A Midsummer Night's Dream[14] Snug
1972 Frenzy[15] Johnny Porter
1972 Death Line[16] Inspector Richardson
1973 The National Health[17] Ash
1973 Man at the Top[18] Massey
1978 The Sailor's Return[19] Reverend Pottock
1981 Excalibur[20] Ector
1984 Memed My Hawk[21] Magistrate
1984 A Passage to India[22] Major Callendar
1988 Young Toscanini[23] Comparsa Uncredited
1990 Othello[24] Brabantio DVD re-released 2004[25]
1997 Gaston's War[26] General James

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1970 Mad Jack
1971 The Stalls of Barchester[27] Dr. Black
1972 The Liver Birds[28] Jim Royle 1 episode
1972 Dead of Night[29] Dan
1972 A Warning to the Curious[30] Dr. Black
1973 The Frighteners James Machen 'The Classroom', episode (ITV (TV channel)) (4th. May)
1976 Romeo and Juliet[1] Friar Lawrence
1978 Bless Me, Father[31] Fred Dobie 1 episode: "Father and Mother"
1978 1990
1979 Henry IV, Part 1[32] Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
1980 The Nesbitts Are Coming Ernie Nesbitt 6 episodes
1981 Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years[33] Sir Horace Wilson
1982 Tales of the Unexpected[1] Latham 1 episode: S5, E5 "Stranger in Town"
1982 The Barchester Chronicles[34] Bishop Proudie
1985 The Pickwick Papers[35] Tracy Tupman
1985 Doctor Who Professor Jobel Revelation of the Daleks[35]
1986 First Among Equals[1] Alec Pimkin
1987 Inspector Morse[35] Doctor Bartlett
1987 Pack of Lies[36] Ellis
1988 Journey's End[37] Captain Hardy
1990–1995 Keeping Up Appearances[35] Richard Bucket Main role, 44 episodes
1993 Heartbeat[38] Victor Kellerman 1 episode: "Going Home"
1997 The Famous Five[35] Mr. Pottersham ‘Five Have a Wonderful Time” Part 1&?2
1998 Peak Practice[39] Norman Shorthose 10 episodes
1999 Aristocrats[40] King George II
2002–2005 Born and Bred[35] Reverend Eustacius Brewer
2007 Doctor Who Mr. Copper "Voyage of the Damned"[41]
2009–2010 The Old Guys[35][1] Roy 12 episodes
2011 Hustle[42] Yusef Episode: “The Delivery”
2014 Cuckoo[1] Dr. Rafferty Episode: “Funeral”
2015 Rosamunde Pilcher Edward Whiteley “Fighting for Her Family”[1]
2015 SunTrap Colin Episode: “In the Line of Fire”
2017 Midsomer Murders[43] Felix Hope S19, E2: “Crime and Punishment”(final appearance)

Radio[]

  • Oblomov as the Doctor (2005)[44]
  • The Right Time (2008)[45]
  • Measure for Measure as Escalus (2004)[46]
  • Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities as Nash (2011)[47]
  • The Price of Fear – Remains to be Seen as Fred Treiber (2012)[48]
  • "Vivat Rex" as Lord Talbot in "Henry VI" by William Shakespeare, in episodes 15–16, BBC (1977)

Stage[]

Other[]

  • As Cyril (Beatie's brother-in-law in Australia) in a TV commercial for British Telecom (1989)[51]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Barker, Dennis (1 February 2019). "Clive Swift obituary". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  2. ^ Clive Swift profile, filmreference.com; accessed 12 October 2016.
  3. ^ Margaret Drabble (20 April 2010). "Art Thou Contented, Jew?". Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Clive Swift Obituary". The Guardian. 1 February 2019.
  5. ^ Warner, Sam (30 October 2017). "Hilariously grumpy Doctor Who interview resurfaces". Digital Spy. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  6. ^ Padman, Tony (5 April 2014). "Whatever happened to Keeping Up Appearances' Richard Bucket?". Daily Express. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  7. ^ "Clive Swift, star of Keeping Up Appearances, dies". Daily Telegraph. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
  8. ^ Sadler, Lynn Veach (1986). Margaret Drabble. Twayne Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8057-6907-4. Retrieved 27 July 2013.
  9. ^ Silgardo, Melanie (25 April 2017). "Rebecca Swift obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Keeping Up Appearances actor Clive Swift dies aged 82". The Independent. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  11. ^ "Tributes Pour In For Keeping Up Appearances Actor Clive Swift". HuffPost UK. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Keeping Up Appearances' Clive Swift dies". 1 February 2019 – via www.bbc.com.
  13. ^ "Having a Wild Weekend (1965) - John Boorman - Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  14. ^ "Midsummer Night's Dream, A · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  15. ^ "Frenzy (1972) - Alfred Hitchcock - Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  16. ^ "Raw Meat (1973) - Gary Sherman - Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  17. ^ Guide, British Comedy (1 February 2019). "Actor Clive Swift dies aged 82". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  18. ^ "Man at the Top (1973)". BFI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  19. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Sailor's Return, The (1978)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  20. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Excalibur (1981) Credits". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  21. ^ "Memed My Hawk (1984)". BFI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  22. ^ Barker, Dennis (1 February 2019). "Clive Swift obituary". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  23. ^ "Young Toscanini (1988)". Letterboxd.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  24. ^ Brooke, Michael. "Othello (1990)". BFI Screenonline. Retrieved 29 April 2017.
  25. ^ "William Shakespeare Othello DVD with Michael Grandage, Ian McKellen, Clive Swift (NR) +Movie Reviews". Swapadvd.com. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
  26. ^ "GASTON'S WAR (1997)". BFI. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  27. ^ "The Stalls of Barchester". British Film Institute Database. Archived from the original on 1 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  28. ^ Mumford, Gwilym (1 February 2019). "Clive Swift, actor in Keeping Up Appearances, dies aged 82". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  29. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Exorcism, The (1972)". Screenonline.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  30. ^ ""No diggin' 'ere!" – Revisiting the ghostly locations of A Warning to the Curious". British Film Institute. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  31. ^ TV.com. "Bless Me, Father: Father & Mother". TV.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  32. ^ "Henry IV. Part 1 (1979) · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  33. ^ "Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years". Britishdrama.org.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  34. ^ "The Barchester Chronicles". Trollope Society. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  35. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g "Clive Swift - TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  36. ^ "Pack of Lies (1987) - Anthony Page - Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  37. ^ "Journey's End (1988), TV Movie on IMDb film database". Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  38. ^ "Heartbeat - TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  39. ^ "Keeping Up Appearances star Clive Swift has died aged 82". HELLO!. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  40. ^ "Aristocrats (1999)". Rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  41. ^ "10 Things You May Not Know About 'Voyage of the Damned'".
  42. ^ "BBC One - Hustle, Series 7, The Delivery". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  43. ^ "Crime and Punishment – Guest Cast | TVmaze". Tvmaze.com. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  44. ^ "Oblomov - Episode 1". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  45. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Right Time, Series 1, Episode 1". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  46. ^ "Measure for Measure · British Universities Film & Video Council". bufvc.ac.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  47. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - Classic Serial, Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities, Episode 2". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  48. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - The Price of Fear, Remains to Be Seen". BBC. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  49. ^ "Cymbeline, Gaskill/Allio, Royal Shakespeare Company, July 1962". Ahds.rhul.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  50. ^ "Clive Swift Biography (1936-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
  51. ^ Lipman, Maureen; Phillips, Richard (1989). You Got an Ology?. Fontana Press.

External links[]

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