He also made two short-subject films- The Waiters (1969) and Eddie in August (1970)-the latter being a TV production. Hill appeared in five full-length feature films- Who Done It? (1956), Light Up the Sky! (1960), Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and The Italian Job (1969). He played a number of characters in the series, such as Harry Hill and Fred Scuttle.
It was a topical show for example, a March 1964 episode featured James Pond, 0017, in "From Moscow with Love" and his version of The Beatles.
He also had a radio programme lasting for three series called Benny Hill Time on BBC Radio's Light Programme, from 1964 to 1966. In 1964, he played Nick Bottom in an all-star TV film production of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In addition, he attempted a sitcom anthology, Benny Hill, which ran from 1962 to 1963, in which he played a different character in each episode. His first appearance on television was in 1950. Career Īfter the Second World War, Hill worked as a performer on radio, making his debut on Variety Bandbox on 5 October 1947. He took on the nickname of "Benny" in homage to his favourite comedian, Jack Benny. Inspired by the "star comedians" of British music hall shows, Hill set out to make his mark in show business.
He served as a mechanic, truck driver and searchlight operator in Normandy after September 1944 and later transferred to the Combined Services Entertainment division before the end of the war. He was called up in 1942 and trained as a mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, British Army. After leaving Taunton's School in Southampton, Hill worked at Woolworths and as a milkman, a bridge operator, a driver and a drummer before becoming assistant stage manager with a touring revue. His mother was Helen ( née Cave 1894–1976). His father, Alfred Hill (1893–1972), later manager of a surgical appliance shop, and grandfather, Henry Hill (born 1871), had both been circus clowns. His comedy song " Ernie (The Fastest Milkman in the West)" was 1971's Christmas number one on the UK Singles Chart and earned Hill an Ivor Novello Award from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors in 1972.Īlfred Hawthorne Hill was born on 21 January 1924 in Southampton, Hampshire. Outside television, Hill starred in films including the Ealing comedy Who Done It? (1956), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and The Italian Job (1969). In 2006, Hill was voted by the British public number 17 in ITV's poll of TV's 50 Greatest Stars. He received a BAFTA Television Award for Best Writer and a Rose d'Or, and was nominated for the BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety. The Benny Hill Show was also exported to half the countries around the world. His show was among the most-watched programmes in the UK, with the audience peaking at more than 21 million in 1971. Hill was a prominent figure in British television for several decades. He is remembered for his television programme The Benny Hill Show, an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque and double entendre in a format that included live comedy and filmed segments, with Hill at the focus of almost every segment. Alfred Hawthorne "Benny" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English actor, comedian, singer and writer.