David Lodge (actor)

For other people with the same name, see David Lodge.

David Lodge
Lodge in The Intimate Stranger (1956)
Born
David William Frederick Lodge

(1921-08-19)19 August 1921
Rochester, Kent, England
Died18 October 2003(2003-10-18) (aged 82)
Northwood, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1954–1997
Spouse
Marilyn Garcia
​
​
(m. 1963; died 1996)​

David William Frederick Lodge (19 August 1921 – 18 October 2003) was an English character actor.[1]

Career

During the Second World War, Lodge served in the RAF.[2] Before turning to acting he worked as a circus clown.[3] He also appeared in Gang Shows and variety before making his screen debut in The Cockleshell Heroes and going on to feature in many British films usually portraying military types, and often comedic roles.[4]

He was a close friend of Peter Sellers and appeared as part of Spike Milligan's team on his Q programmes (a running gag being that in each episode he or Spike would mention his role in The Cockleshell Heroes).[5][6]

Lodge was very prolific during the 1950s and in 1958 alone he appeared in ten films.[7]

In 1967 he was in The Avengers episode entitled ("Epic") in which he played the actor policeman killed by Peter Wyngarde. He appeared in a 1969 episode of Randall and Hopkirk Deceased ("Who Killed Cock Robin?"), and continuing with his military-type roles as Company Sergeant-Major Sharp in an episode of It Ain't Half Hot Mum in 1976.[7] Lodge appeared in Carry On England.[8] He played the role of drunk Captain Bull who is replaced as Captain of the Battery by Captain S. Melly (Kenneth Connor).

He appeared in five Carry On films and several of the TV series episodes.[7] He appeared as a policeman in the opening episode of the legal drama The Main Chance[9] and again in a later episode.[10] He also appeared in two of the On the Buses films playing smaller roles.

Lodge appeared as 'Pop Garret' in episode 1 series 2 Chalk and Cheese of The Sweeney, and as 'Soldier Atkins' in the Minder episode Rocky Eight and a Half (both characters being boxing trainers).[1] He was a member of the Grand Order of Water Rats, and served as its "King Rat".[11]

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ a b "David Lodge". Archived from the original on 20 July 2016.
  2. ^ Gough-Yates, Kevin (21 October 2003). "Obituary: David Lodge". The Guardian.
  3. ^ "David Lodge". 24 October 2003.
  4. ^ "David Lodge". 20 October 2003 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
  5. ^ "David Lodge".
  6. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Q5, Q6 etc. / There's a Lot of It About (1969-82)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  7. ^ a b c "David Lodge". www.aveleyman.com.
  8. ^ "Carry On England (1976)". Archived from the original on 11 January 2018.
  9. ^ "What about Justice? (1969)". Archived from the original on 5 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Private Armies (1970)". Archived from the original on 30 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Biography of a Water Rat".