Biography

Maurice Denham

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Born in Beckenham, Kent, English character actor Maurice Denham first came to public notice in the 1940s on radio, appearing on many of the most popular comedy series of the day in a variety of characters. His debut in films came in 1947 with The Smugglers (1947). His talents came to the forefront in the animated feature Animal Farm (1954), in which he voiced all of the animal characters. A prolific actor, his familiar sharp features and bald head appeared in dozens of films over the following years, often as charming but slightly 'barmy' characters and well-bred cads, although he was more than capable of playing straight drama, as he did in the war picture Sink the Bismarck! (1960) as a naval officer helping to hunt down and sink the German battleship. He began appearing regularly in television in the 1970s and also worked steadily on the stage.

He died of natural causes at age 92 in London, England.
- IMDb mini biography by: frankfob2@yahoo.com

He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
Stage-struck as a boy, he nevertheless signed on for a four-year apprenticeship with Waygood-Otis in order to please his parents. He helped install the lifts at BBC Broadcasting House, and also maintained those of Jessie Matthews and of the future royal family. The latter led to an interesting talking-point at a royal broadcast of the radio show in which he made his name.
Famous for being the voice of the story teller in "The Oldest Member", a popular BBC Radio 4 comedy about a golf club reminiscing about his and his friends' golfing exploits.
Kept notebooks of every acting job he did.
A memorial service was held for him at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden on 16th May 2003.

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