'Carry On' star Leslie Phillips has died aged 98


The veteran star, known for her "Ding Dong" and "Hell-llo" slogans, died on Monday, according to The Sun.

Phillips is best remembered for his roles in the Carry On and Doctor in the House films, as well as for his most recent portrayal of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.

His death leaves 86-year-old Jim Dale as the last regular survivor of the Carry On films following the death of co-star Dame Barbara Windsor in December 2020.

Phillips began his brilliant stage and screen career at the age of 14 in an adaptation of Peter Pan's London Palladium, where he starred to earn extra money for his family after his father's death. Born in 1924 in Tottenham, his family moved to Essex in 1931, but after losing his father, his mother enrolled him in the Italia Conti acting school, where he trained with his London accent and taught him how to use pronunciation. . received. he became famous for.

The star continued her West End stage performances during the early years of World War II, often interrupted by anti-aircraft sirens, and later served as an officer in the Royal Artillery. Read More: I'm a Celebrity Owen Warner asks if Zara Phillips is Australian 

After he was diagnosed with a neurological condition, he was removed from active duty and then resumed his acting career, switching to television work with My Wife Jacqueline in 1952.

Phillips' big break in Hollywood came with Gene Kelly's 1957 musical Les Girls and in 1959 she began working on the Carry On films. Carry On fans will remember his starring roles in the films Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher, Carry On Constable, and Carry On Columbus, all of which highlighted him for playing an upper-class flirtation.

From 1959 to 1977 he starred with Ronnie Barker and Jon Pertwee in the radio comedy The Navy Lark and in the 1960s he replaced Dirk Bogarde in the title role of the films Doctor. Phillips' later career included the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films, an appearance in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and a nomination for a Bafta in Venus.

He has been married three times: with Penelope Bartley from 1948 to 1965, with Angela Scoular from 1982 until her death in 2011 and with Zara Carr from 2013. Phillips, who received an OBE in 1998 and a CBE in 2008, had four children from her marriage to Bartley.

His widow, Carr, 63, said: "I have lost a wonderful husband and the audience has lost a great showman. "It was just a national treasure. People loved it. He was attacked everywhere he went.

"When we got married, she shamelessly introduced me to the press as a member of the royal family, insisting that I was the new Zara Phillips and that I was related to the queen." 

In tribute, Piers Morgan tweeted: "RIP Leslie Phillips, 98. Wonderful character and superb comedian, best known for his roles as an "idiot jerk" in the films Carry On and Doctor In The House with his slogans "Ding Dong", "Well, Hello" and "I Say ..." Sad news. " 

 A truly warm, fun and kind man #RIPLesliePhillips" 

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