Paul Eddington, CBE was an English actor known for his appearances in the popular
television sitcoms The Good Life and Yes Minister.
Early life Eddington was born in St John's Wood in
London to Albert Clark Eddington and Frances Mary. A Quaker, he attended
Sibford School, Sibford Ferris, Oxfordshire.
Career Having registered as a conscientious
objector, he began his acting career with Entertainments National Service
Association during the Second World War. Eddington worked for a repertory theatre
company in Sheffield, and made his first TV appearance in 1956 as a regular cast
member of The Adventures of Robin Hood. Initially he played minor characters,
but in the fourth season during 1959–60 he played Will Scarlet. He also had
roles in episodes of The Avengers, The Prisoner and the final episode of The
Champions. He also had a supporting role in Hammer Films' The Devil Rides Out and
appeared as a "straight man" in a 1976 episode of The Benny Hill Show.
= Rise to fame= Although he was an actor all his life,
Eddington was in his late forties before he became a household name thanks to The
Good Life, first screened by the BBC in 1975. It tells the story of a suburban
couple who decide to give up work and become self-sufficient in their suburban
backyard. Eddington was cast as neighbour Jerry Leadbetter, with
Penelope Keith as his wife, Margo. Originally intended as bit parts, the
Leadbetters quickly became essential foils for the two "stars".
Eddington's fame grew further when he played the title role of Jim Hacker in
the comedy series Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister – said to have been
former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's favourite TV programme. He
was shortlisted for the BAFTA award for Best Light Entertainment Performance
four times for the series, though he lost out to his co-star Nigel Hawthorne
on each occasion. Diagnosed with a rare form of cancer
known as mycosis fungoides when he was 28, Eddington had for decades kept his
condition private until 1994, when he responded publicly to press speculation
about his darkening skin and hair loss. His last roles included Richard
Cuthbertson in the TV dramatisation of The Camomile Lawn, the voice of Badger
in The Adventures of Mole and Justice Shallow in Henry IV, a BBC adaptation of
Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2. He was reunited with his
Good Life co-star Richard Briers in a run of the play Home in 1994.
During 1987, Eddington appeared as Sir Joseph Porter in H.M.S. Pinafore in
Australia. = Awards and honours=
Eddington was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the New
Year Honours, 1987. Final years and death
Eddington's autobiography, So Far, So Good, was published by Hodder &
Stoughton in 1995. On 30 October 1995, five days before his death, Eddington
made an appearance on the television series Face to Face, discussing his
life, career and battle with lymphoma with Jeremy Isaacs. On that show,
Eddington said, "A journalist once asked me what I would like my epitaph to be
and I said I think I would like it to be 'He did very little harm'. And that's
not easy. Most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be
remembered as having done very little, that would suit me."
Paul Eddington died of skin cancer in Southwark, London, in 1995. He was
survived by his wife, Patricia Scott and their three sons and daughter. BBC1
aired a half-hour tribute to him on 15 July 2001, called Paul Eddington: A Life
Well Lived. Selected filmography
Jet Storm Ring of Spies
The Devil Rides Out The Amazing Mr Blunden
Baxter! References
Further reading Eddington, Paul. So Far, So Good: The
Autobiography. Trafalgar Square Publishing. ISBN 978-0-340-63837-8.
External links Paul Eddington at the Internet Movie
Database