Obituary: Ian Carmichael

Feb 9 2010 by Jane Haase, Liverpool Daily Post

AT ONE time, he was one of the biggest box office stars in British movies.

Ian Carmichael made his name playing loveable toffs particularly as Bertie Wooster in The World of Wooster for television.

He also starred in a series of films for the Boulting Brothers, including Private’s Progress (1956), Brothers in Law (1957) and I’m All Right Jack (1959).

During the 1960s and 1970s, he was successful in television playing Wooster and Lord Peter Wimsey in several drama series based on the mystery novels by Dorothy L Sayers.

The veteran actor appeared in the BBC serial Wives and Daughters in 1999 and was in The Royal on ITV as recently as last year.

He was appointed an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2003.

In 1979, Carmichael wrote an autobiography, Will The Real Ian Carmichael . . .

Novelist Kate, 55, was his second wife. He also leaves two daughters, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Former broadcaster Neil Durden-Smith knew Carmichael well through their work for the Lord's Taverners cricket-based charity.

“When I became a trustee in 1976, he had been chairman for two years,” said Mr Durden-Smith, 76.

“He was a marvellous chairman, very caring, hard working, very responsible. It’s quite unusual for a full-time working actor to be chairman of a pretty big charity.”

Asked what made Carmichael so popular on screen, Mr Durden-Smith said: “He had a twinkle in his eye, a wonderful sense of humour, he was marvellously foppish in a theatrical way. You used to wonder what he would say next!

“He had that love of life and love of people, he gathered people around him like other people gather butterflies or postage stamps.”

Actress Anne Reid, a star of TV programmes Dinnerladies and Ladies of Letters, said: “He was the most wonderful comedy actor. I was thrilled when I worked with him on a tour of Pride and Prejudice. He had great zest for life, and a lot of style. He belonged to an age of elegance.”

Last year, the actor had filmed a couple of episodes of The Royal which will be seen when the programme returns to the screen, possibly in the spring.

Ian Carmichael, actor; born, June 18, 1920, died, February 5, 2010