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Post by ace5150 on Nov 14, 2015 12:23:10 GMT
89, a fine innings Immortalised forever as Alf Garnett. RIP sir.
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Deleted
Deus est regit qui omnia.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2015 12:36:46 GMT
One of our greatest ever character actors. Never gave a bad performance, could turn his hand to anything. A true British legend IMO.
RIP Warren.
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Post by daz on Nov 14, 2015 12:46:01 GMT
Very sad to hear this, a very, very good actor. Didn't realise he was 89, but a decent innings and a life well lived.
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Post by ace5150 on Nov 14, 2015 12:52:55 GMT
Loved his cross dresser character in The Sweeney as well. An excellent actor, gifted stage actor as well I believe.
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Post by dscarter1975 on Nov 14, 2015 16:40:56 GMT
He also appeared in shows like Danger Man, Callan and the film Innocent Bystanders, but I'll always remember him as Alf Garnett.
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Post by ltd on Nov 14, 2015 17:03:48 GMT
One of our greatest ever character actors. Never gave a bad performance, could turn his hand to anything. A true British legend IMO. Definitely. His Sweeney appearance has already been mentioned but it's worth mentioning again - a real tragi-comic tour de force.
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Post by Terry on Nov 14, 2015 17:59:00 GMT
When I saw his commentary in the Sweeney extras I thought that in that Sweeney ep "Big Spender" he already looked older than in that extra from 2004 RIP
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Post by jno on Nov 14, 2015 18:54:35 GMT
Oh dear this is very sad news. RIP.
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Post by garytomo on Nov 14, 2015 19:48:42 GMT
Another legend gone!!
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Post by flashchris on Nov 15, 2015 0:20:27 GMT
Very sad news indeed. I have fond memories of watching Alf in the late 80s and early 90s and recently rediscovered many of his series on You Tube. They are still very funny and Warren Mitchell is a superb actor who dominates the screen in every performance. I always enjoyed his performances and was very amused by his appearance in The Sweeney.
It has been an awful year for losing icons with Patrick Macnee and George Cole, to be honest I still can't quite believe the great GC is no longer with us.
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Post by Portland Road on Nov 15, 2015 10:36:04 GMT
Yes, his Sweeney performance was excellent and cutting-edge at the time.
RIP Warren Mitchell, a true great.
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Post by gustav on Nov 15, 2015 20:14:15 GMT
He was a great actor and, as so many have said, brilliant in the Sweeney. He did a lot though but Alf Garnett was an extraordinary comic creation of his.
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Post by barrythebook on Nov 15, 2015 21:35:55 GMT
Alf Garnett was an extraordinary comic creation of his. Took the words out of my mouth gus. The venom and determination which WM put into some of Alfs rants made them wonderful viewing. His performance in 'Innocent Bystanders' as mentioned by mias was excellent too with a couple of lines that made me laugh out loud but only, I think, because WM delivered them. Very sad news, RIP.
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Deleted
Deus est regit qui omnia.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 17, 2015 7:52:20 GMT
Yes, in 'Innocent Bystanders', he actually managed to outclass the mighty Stanley Baker (our best actor of the 50s and 60s IMO) and that is some achievement.
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Post by gustav on Nov 17, 2015 11:19:58 GMT
I see from the obituaries that he wasn't the first choice to play Alf Garnett. In fact he was some way down the list, after Peter Sellers, Leo McKern and Lionel Jeffries. I can see why they would want to ask Peter Sellers at that time, but there is no way he could have created such an enduring character. You could imagine both Leo McKern and Lionel Jeffries in the role but I doubt they would have it made it their own in quite the way Warren Mitchell did.
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Post by daz on Nov 17, 2015 14:30:31 GMT
I could imagine Lionel Jeffries playing Alf, but not the other two.
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Post by ace5150 on Nov 17, 2015 18:17:33 GMT
Living in HK, we didn't get Alf Garnett, but the U.S. version, All In The Family featuring Archie Bunker as the racist bigot head of the family. I didn't 'get' the comedy at the time (mid 70's) but having the appalling canned laughter helped me laugh at the appropriate moments.
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Post by Portland Road on Nov 22, 2015 8:37:56 GMT
Very interesting choices of actors to play Alf Garnett. Sellers had become a movie star who wouldn't want to be typecast. Jeffries was perhaps too lovable and eccentric. McKern probably too theatrical.
In comparison, Warren Mitchell was the right choice. The others were all great actors and could portray forcefullness, but Mitchell had the mean looks to go with it.
Also, Warren was probably less well-known (certainly in the mid 60s). Thus Alf Garnett became a distinct character. Whereas it could have been just another thing that e.g. Sellers, Jeffries or McKern appeared in.
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Post by VAT on Nov 22, 2015 20:19:06 GMT
One of the best 'ranters' on TV ever and indeed, imo, a great actor. Look at some of the early Alf eps - 10-15 minutes continuous dialogue...shouting, arguing, screaming, pauses...all taken in a single shot...not like today - 2 mins of dialogue, then 'cut!'. Early Alf was a true master of dialogue.
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Post by jno on Nov 27, 2015 4:32:10 GMT
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Post by thewoodster on Oct 15, 2018 9:32:11 GMT
Comedy legend. RIP warren.
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