Norman Wisdom
Sir Norman Wisdom (born February 4, 1915, other dates reported) is an English comedian, singer and actor.
He created an accident prone "gump" or fool character called Norman Pitkin, who appeared in several films, most notably, The Early Bird, His famous cry as Pitkin was, "Mr Grimsdale! Mr Grimsdale!"
UK chart singles - Don't Laugh At Me (Cause I'm A Fool) (1954): The Wisdom Of A Fool (1957).
He is a supporter and a former board member of Brighton and Hove Albion F.C..
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. During the ceremony he couldn't resist pretending to trip on his way out, the Queen was apparently greatly amused by his antics!
Norman Wisdom is a well known and loved cult film icon in Albania, being the only Western actor whose films were allowed in the country during the Communist dictatorship of Enver Hoxha (the archetypal Wisdom plot -- the common working man getting the better of his bosses -- was considered ideologically sound by Hoxha). In 1995, he visited the country where he was, to his surprise, greeted by many appreciative fans and the then president of Albania, Sali Berisha.
He announced his retirement from the entertainment industry on February 4th, 2005 - his 90th birthday. He intends to spend his retirement spending more time with his family, playing golf and driving around the Isle of Man, where he resides.
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Works
Films and Television
- 1948 A Date with a Dream
- 1948-1950 Wit and Wisdom
- 1953 Trouble in Store
- 1954 One Good Turn
- 1955 As Long as They're Happy
- 1955 Man of the Moment
- 1956 Up in the World
- 1957 Just My Luck
- 1958 The Square Peg
- 1959 Follow A Star
- 1960 There Was a Crooked Man
- 1960 The Bulldog Breed
- 1962 On The Beat
- 1962 The Girl on the Boat
- 1963 A Stitch in Time
- 1965 The Early Bird
- 1966 The Sandwich Man
- 1966 Press for Time
- 1967 Androcles and the Lion
- 1968 The Night They Raided Minsky's (The Night They Invented Striptease)
- 1969 What's Good for the Goose (Girl Trouble)
- 1970 Norman
- 1970 Music Hall
- 1973 Nobody Is Norman Wisdom
- 1974 A Little Bit of Wisdom
- 1981 BBC PlayHouse : Going Gently
- 1988 The 1950's: Music, Memories & Milestones
- 1992 Double X: The Name of the Game (Double X, Run Rabbit Run)
- 1994 Last of the Summer Wine - The Man Who Nearly Knew Pavarotti
- 1998 Where On Earth Is ... Katy Manning
- 2000 Last of the Summer Wine - The Coming of the Beast
- 2002 Last of the Summer Wine - A Musical Passing for a Miserable Muscroft
- 2002 Dalziel and Pascoe - Mens Sana
- 2003 Between the Sheets
- 2004 Coronation Street guest appearace
CDs and Vinyl
- The Very Best of Norman Wisdom
- Wisdom of a Fool
- Nobody's Fool
- Follow A Star
- 1957 Original Chart Hits
- Follow A Star/Give Me A Night In June
- Happy Ending/The Wisdom Of A Fool