IT was a death that horrified and saddened the nation. A week before he died, Beckinsale complained to his wife Judy Loe of feeling unwell and said he was unable to take her to hospital. Richard Beckinsale was born on July 6, 1947 and died on March 19, 1979. [38], A biography of Beckinsale, titled The Richard Beckinsale Story was published in 2008 by author David Clayton. (Sipa USA) Kate Beckinsale has shared sweet images of her and her late dad on Instagram because she wanted to see them "smiling side by side" on her feed. I miss you so much . Kate Beckinsale posted a sweet tribute to her late dad on the 40th anniversary of his death. She studied drama at Clarendon College, Nottingham. At the time of his death, Beckinsale had almost completed the BBC sitcom Bloomers. The actor was also making a television film, Bloody Kids, which had to then re-cast. Forty years ago today, rising comedy star Richard Beckinsale, a favourite in the hugely popular sitcoms Rising Damp and Porridge, died in his sleep aged just 31, leaving behind a devastated. The last time I saw him he had given up smoking, not that he smoked very much, anyway. His best known characters were prison inmate Leonard Arthur "Lennie" Godber in "Porridge" (1974-1977) and its sequel series "Going Straight" (1978), and medical student Alan Moore in "Rising Damp" (1974-1978). [33] They separated in 1968 when Margaret took Samantha back to live in Nottingham and Beckinsale left London to work in repertory in Crewe. He took a day off to go for an audition for a drama course. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Many also believe it robbed the industry of a huge talent whose career could have gone all the way. [Nepotism] is a heavy thing for anyone whose parents are actors and in the very beginning I didnt want to tread on his patch, she said. Beckinsale left school at 15 with ambitions to become a professional actor but was too young to go to drama school. Stephen Frears, who had dinner with him a few days before he died, said: "He talked about having high cholesterol but also raged against the National Theatre for not taking him seriously as an actor.". Other Partners. Three days after Beckinsale's death, Going Straight won a BAFTA award. "It was such a shock," he recalls. During his training, Beckinsale accepted a comedy award. Two years later, he won a scholarship for RADA. As filming on the series progressed, Beckinsale appeared increasingly tired, and "greyer and greyer", according to co-star David Swift. 7 Who is the father of Kate Beckinsale in rising damp? Richard grew up in a fairly small house with a sister Judy and was keen on acting since his early days. The whole family will love this new mobile adventure game, Visit these luxury hotels for the ultimate family break, 9 lab grown diamond jewelry pieces we love. what did richard beckinsale die of. Performance & security by Cloudflare. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. He played Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge (along with its sequel series Going Straight) and Alan Moore in the ITV sitcom Rising Damp. Having said that, comedy is my number-one favorite thing. That night he went to a party for The Two Ronnies then returned to his house in Sunningdale, Berks. Dimos I, Other Works By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. [6] After failing his first audition for RADA, Beckinsale was accepted on his second attempt, becoming just one of 31 successful applicants from a total of more than 12,500. Like this story? The trajectory of his career was upwards. When he did not arrive at the rehearsal for the sixth and final episode of Bloomers the next morning, a member of the production team rang his house, and the phone was answered by family friend Rosana Bradley, who had been staying at the house to help take care of Kate, but who had not been there the previous night. Alan confesses he's not as experienced in such matters as Rigsby thinks. "[4]:126, "Venus if you will, send a girl for me to thrill", "Book review: The Richard Beckinsale Story", "Kate Beckinsale unveils plaque for father Richard", "Hollywood star Kate Beckinsale thanks Beeston for new mural of her dad calling it 'unbelievably wonderful', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Beckinsale&oldid=1131052611, Episode: "Tales of Piccadilly: A Room Full of Holes", Episode: "The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway", This page was last edited on 2 January 2023, at 09:08. Thank you for teaching me love , and funny , and that both last forever, Beckinsale wrote. Personal Life. Richard Arthur Beckinsale (6 July 1947 - 19 March 1979) was an English actor, who played Lennie Godber in the BBC sitcom Porridge (along with its sequel series Going Straight ) and Alan Moore in the British ITV sitcom Rising Damp . "I told him it's a very dicey profession. Date of birth. After that show, he continued with the school drama group and confronted his father about his career choice in the future. If you wish to change your mind and would like to stop receiving communications from hellomagazine.com, you can revoke your consent by clicking on "unsubscribe" in the footer of the newsletter. (Photo by. In 1965, he married his pregnant girlfriend, a local Nottingham woman named Margaret Bradley, whom he had met in 1964 while singing at a folk club. He was a very honest boy and he had that same quality in his acting."[50]. He fell asleep and died from a massive heart attack. Your email address will not be published. [4]:44-48 They soon began dating and lived together for years. You can unsubscribe at any time. Shortly after, it was confirmed that he had died during the night, of what appeared to be a massive heart attack. In October 1980, Frederick Muller Ltd. posthumously published a volume of Beckinsale's poetry entitled "With Love" (.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN0-584-10387-5). Richard Beckinsale and Paula Wilcox starred in this comedy success, created and written by Jack Rosenthal, as Mancunian boyfriend and girlfriend of two years (on and off), Geoffrey "Bubbles Bon Bon" and Beryl. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. Richard Beckinsale suddenly died when he was just 31 from a heart attack He first performed as a folk singer while studying in Nottingham but it was the moment he stepped into Coronation. He subsequently had further signs of ill health, but he attributed them to his nerves.By 18 March, 1979, Beckinsale was suffering from pain in his chest and arms, but decided against seeking further help. Rising Damp: For The Man Who Has Everything. You'll be out of work more than in and you must have a second string to your bow, even if it's hairdressing or something like that.". [4]:124-125, Beckinsale enjoyed playing the guitar and singing, and he performed in folk clubs in Nottingham as a teenager. You can unsubscribe at any time. Post mortems showed that he had a terminal heart condition. He died tragically due to a heart attack in his early 30s. As filming on the show progressed, Beckinsale appeared increasingly tired, and "greyer and greyer", according to co-star David Swift, and towards the end of filming he was complaining of pains in his arms. TV on DVD One scene showed Beckinsale questioning a character in the film with a tough stance, and looking quite different than his usual appearance with much shorter cropped hair. Start a FameChain Add to my FameChain. Their daughter, actress Kate Beckinsale, was born on 26 July 1973. [4]:17 As a teenager at Alderman White Secondary Modern School, he played the lead in Tobias and the Angel and also appeared as Hsieh Ping-Kuei in Lady Precious Stream, which earned him a positive review in the Nottingham Evening Post. Its so weird as a five-year-old to look out in the street and see people reading the paper and crying while youre crying and your mum is crying and your grannys crying. In a final phone call to friends he said he had pains in his arms and chest but made light of it. He went to bed instead of seeking help for chest pains and died during the night. [29] He also appeared in an advertisement for Asda which aired in 1978 and early 1979. He was an effortless charmer." These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Samantha Jane Beckinsale (born 23 July 1966) is a British actress. Why did Richard Beckinsale quit Rising Damp? She is 7 years older than Kate, I don't think they have had much contact over the years. The actress also shared a sweet tribute to him on Fathers Day in 2017, where she opened up about missing him next to a photo of her laying on the floor next to her dad. In his will, he left about 65,000 pounds for his wife and daughters. [13], After being recommended by several other actors for the part, Beckinsale landed his first starring role as Geoffrey in the sitcom The Lovers (197071), opposite fellow newcomer Paula Wilcox. May you find comfort knowing that life continues forever in heaven even as the memories shared live forever in our hearts. Here you'll find all collections you've created before. Lots of love xx, Beckinsale captioned the post. Richard Beckinsale would have been 31 years old at the time of death or 68 years old today. 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