Clive Walter Swift (9 February 1936 – 1 February 2019) was an English actor and songwriter. A classically trained actor, his stage work included performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, but he was best known to television viewers for his role as Richard Bucket in the BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. He played many other television and film roles.
Life and career
Swift was born in Liverpool on 9 February 1936, He was educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge reading English literature. He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His family was Jewish.
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. During the 1970s, he appeared as Doctor Black in two of the BBC's M. R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and in A Warning to the Curious, as well as the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles. He also played Sir Ector, the adoptive father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur. and Clive Swift Entertains, in which he performed his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009. He also played the part of the Reverend Eustacius Brewer in Born and Bred, which aired on BBC One from 2002 to 2005. His last performance was in an episode of Midsomer Murders in 2017, after which he retired.
Personal life and death
Swift was married to novelist Margaret Drabble from 1960 until their divorce in 1975. 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. Swift's elder brother, David, was also an actor.
Swift died at home on 1 February 2019, at the age of 82. <!-- following a short stay at St Mary's Hospital, London where he was treated for a short illness which included breathing difficulties. [cannot find any good source] --> Paying tribute to Swift, fellow actor James Dreyfus said he "loved this extremely talented, subtle actor". His Keeping Up Appearances co-star Patricia Routledge said: "Clive was a skillful 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.
Filmography
Film
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|1961
|Johnny Nobody
|Courtroom Official
|Uncredited role
|-
|1965
|Catch Us If You Can
|Duffie
|
|-
|1968
|A Midsummer Night's Dream
|Snug
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1972
|Frenzy
|Johnny Porter
|
|-
|Death Line
|Inspector Richardson
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1973
|The National Health
|Ash
|
|-
|Man at the Top
|Massey
|
|-
|1978
|The Sailor's Return
|Reverend Pottock
|
|-
|1981
|Excalibur
|Ector
|
|-
| rowspan="2" |1984
|Memed My Hawk
|Magistrate
|
|-
|A Passage to India
|Major Callendar
|
|-
|1988
|Young Toscanini
|Comparsa
|Uncredited role
|-
|1990
|Othello
|Brabantio
|DVD, re-released 2004
|-
|1997
|Gaston's War
|General James
|
|-
|2003
|Vacuums
|AJ Johnson
|AKA: Stealing Bess (video title)
|}
Television
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!class="unsortable"|Notes
|-
|1961
|Theatre Night
|The King
|Episode: "Ondine"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1963
|Love Story
|Mervyn
|Series 1; episode 11: "Dome Grist from Mervyn's Mill"
|-
|Compact
|Mr. Perrett
|Episode 172: "On the Run"
|-
|1965
|Knock on Any Door
|Arkwright
|Series 1; episode 2: "The Knife"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1966
|Armchair Theatre
|The Camp Doctor
|Series 6; episode 4: "The Sweet War Man"
|-
|Public Eye
|West
|Series 2; episode 11: "There Are More Things in Heaven and Earth"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1968
|All's Well That Ends Well
|Captain Parolles, a follower of Bertram
|Television film
|-
|The Expert
|Graham Richards
|Series 1; episode 10: "He's Good for It"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1969
|Dombey and Son
|Major Bagstock
|Mini-series; 7 episodes
|-
|Canterbury Tales
|The Pardoner's Tale First Rioter
|Episode 4: "The Friar's Tale / The Pardoner's Tale"
|-
| rowspan="2" |The Wednesday Play
|Neil
|Series 8; episode 18: "Birthday"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1970
|Adjutant
|Series 9; episode 16: "Mad Jack"
|-
|Ryan International
|Inspector Jenet
|Episode 6: "Evidence of Murder"
|-
|ITV Sunday Night Theatre
|Max Fielder
|Series 3; episode 5: "Roll on Four O'Clock"
|-
|1970–1971
|Thirty-Minute Theatre
|Inspector Waugh
|Series 6 (Waugh on Crime); episodes 8–13
|-
| rowspan="2" |1971
|The Misfit
|Gerald
|Series 2; episode 5: "On the New Establishment"
|-
|A Ghost Story for Christmas
|Dr. Black
|Series 1; episode 1: "The Stalls of Barchester"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1972
|The Liver Birds
|Jim Royle
|Series 3; episode 4: "Birds on Strike"
|-
|Villains
|Mr. Clough
|Episode 5: "Alice Sheree"
|-
|Dead of Night
|Dan
|Episode 1: "The Exorcism"
|-
|A Ghost Story for Christmas
|Dr. Black
|Series 2; episode 1: "A Warning to the Curious"
|-
| rowspan="3" |1973
|The Moon Shines Bright on Charlie Chaplin
|Captain
|Television film
|-
|The Pearcross Girls
|Frank Pledger
|Episode 1: "Sweet Julia"
|-
|The Frighteners
|James Machen
|Episode 11: "The Classroom"
|-
|1974
|South Riding
|Alfred E. Higgins
|Mini-series; 9 episodes
|-
| rowspan="4" |1975
|BBC2 Playhouse
|Robbie
|Series 2; episode 1: "The Breakthrough"
|-
|Whodunnit?
|Commander Blade
|Series 3; episode 7: "Too Many Cooks"
|-
|Willow Cabins
|Matthew
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" |Play for Today
|Savory
|Series 5; episode 14: "Goodbye"
|-
| rowspan="7" |1976
|Air Steward
|Series 7; episode 7: "Buffet"
|-
|The Brothers
|Griffith Trevelyan
|Series 6; episodes 6 & 7: "Tender" & "The Mole"
|-
|Goodbye America
|Lord North, the Prime Minister
|Television film
|-
|Clayhanger
|Albert Benbow
|Recurring role. 10 episodes
|-
|Romeo and Juliet
|Fred Dobie
|Series 1; episode 5: "Father and Mother"
|-
|A Horseman Riding By
|Watkins
|Episode 6: "1905: The Hollow Victory"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1979
|Hazell
|Neville Fitch
|Series 2; episode 1: "Hazell and the Baker Street Sleuth"
|-
|A Family Affair
|Sir Charles Byford
|Mini-series; episode 10: "Finding the Words..."
|-
|The First Part of King Henry the Forth
|Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" |BBC2 Playhouse
|Alec Thorne
|Series 6; episode 5: "Home Movies"
|-
| rowspan="4" |1980
|Director of Austrian State Radio
|Series 6; episode 25: "An Ordered Life"
|-
|The Nesbitts Are Coming
|Ernie Nesbitt
|Episodes 1–6
|-
|Cribb
|Dr. Probert
|Series 1; episode 8: "A Case of Spirits"
|-
|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
|Hastie Lanyon
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="2" |1981
|BBC2 Playhouse
|Aaron Green
|Series 7; episode 18: "The Potsdam Quartet"
|-
|Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years
|Sir Horace Wilson
|Mini-series; episodes 7 & 8
|-
| rowspan="5" |1982
|Tales of the Unexpected
|Dr. Proudie
|Mini-series; episodes 3–7
|-
| rowspan="2" |1983
|Martin Luther, Heretic
|Johann Tetzel
| rowspan="3" |Television films
|-
|Events in a Museum
|Mr. Sloane
|-
|1984
|Pericles, Prince of Tyre
|Lord Cerimon
|-
| rowspan="4" |1985
|The Pickwick Papers
|Ellis
|Television film
|-
|Inspector Morse
|Captain Hardy
|Television film
|-
| rowspan="5" |1989
|Laura and Disorder
|Barry Page
|Episode 6: "The Metal Detector"
|-
|Storyboard
|Hewes
|Series 4; episode 4: "Hunted Down"
|-
|Gentlemen and Players
|Sammy
|Series 2; episode 6: "Another Square Mile"
|-
|Hard Cases
|Judge
|Series 2; episode 5
|-
|British Telecom
|Cyril (Beatie's brother-in-law in Australia)
|Television advertisement
|-
| rowspan="3" |1990
|The Return of Shelley
|Robson
|Series 2; episode 12: "A Problem Aired"
|-
|Theatre Night
|Brabantio / Gratiano
|Series 5; episode 1: "Othello"
|-
|This Is David Harper
|Parapope Joshua
|Episode 6: "Born Again Testerday"
|-
|1990–1995
|Keeping Up Appearances
|Victor Kellerman
|Series 3; episode 4: "Going Home"
|-
|1994
|Woof!
|Alex Pardoe
|Series 7; episode 3: "Doggy Business"
|-
| rowspan="2" |1997
|The Famous Five
|Mr. Pottersham
|Series 2; episodes 7 & 8: "Five Have a Wonderful Time: Parts 1 & 2"
|-
|The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket
|Richard Bucket
|Television film (archive footage only)
|-
|1998
|Peak Practice
|Norman Shorthose
|Recurring role. Series 6; 10 episodes
|-
|1999
|Aristocrats
|King George II
|Mini-series; episodes 1–3
|-
|2002
|Young Arthur
|Illtud
|Television film. Pilot for cancelled series
|-
|2002–2005
|Born and Bred
|-
|2008
|Keeping Up Appearances: Life Lessons from Onslow
|Richard Bucket
|Television film (archive footage only)
|-
|2009–2010
|The Old Guys
|Yusef
|Series 7; episode 6: "The Delivery"
|-
|2014
|Cuckoo
|-
|SunTrap
|Colin
|Episode 2: "In the Line of Fire"
|-
|2017
|Midsomer Murders
|Felix Hope
|Series 19; episode 2: "Crime and Punishment" (final appearance)
|}
Radio
- "Vivat Rex" as Lord Talbot in "Henry VI" by William Shakespeare, in episodes 15–16, BBC (1977)
- Souvenirs of Chabrier - five-part series on the life and music of Emmanuel Chabrier, with Swift as the composer (1981)
- Measure for Measure as Escalus (2004)
- Oblomov as the Doctor (2005)
- The Right Time (2008)
<!-- * From Fact to Fiction – The Orchard as the Narrator -->
- Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities as Nash (2011)
- The Price of Fear – Remains to be Seen as Fred Treiber (2012)
Stage
- Cymbeline (1962) as Cloten
- The Physicists (1963) as Inspector Richard Voss (Aldwych Theatre)
References
<!--
- 2006 Heartbeat ITV television series. Victor Kellerman
- 1976 Clayhanger ATV television series. Albert Benbow
- 2012 Classic Serial – Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities
-->
External links
- Clive Swift at the British Film Institute
- Obituary at Bbc.co.uk