Born: 28^th February 1925, Rangoon, Burma.  Died: 21^st March 1982, Hastings, Sussex.

Harry H. Corbett appeared in 4 episodes in different roles. He added the ‘H’ to his name in the early 1950s to avoid confusion with the creator of the glove-puppet Sooty. Born in Burma where his father was stationed, he was sent back to England at the age of 3 after the death of his mother. Serving in the Royal Marines during World War II, he trained as a radiographer before becoming an actor. He began his acting career with the Chorlton Repertory Company, later joining Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Worksop in Stratford East. Harry acted extensively in the theatre in the 1950s, before film and TV roles came his way. On TV he made numerous appearances in the drama series ‘Armchair Theatre’. In 1962 came a TV comedy play called ‘The Offer’, part of the BBC’s ‘Comedy Playhouse’ series of one-off plays, about two rag & bone men. Such was the success of the play a TV series was commissioned called ‘Steptoe and Son’, with Harry playing the part of Harold Steptoe. Although the show brought him stardom, he became so associated with the role that serious roles would become hard to come by for the rest of his career. In 1979 he suffered his first heart attack and appeared in pantomime just 2 days after his discharge from hospital. Shortly before suffering a fatal heart attack in 1982, he recorded an episode of TV’s ‘Tales of the Unexpected’. Harry married and divorced actress Sheila Steafel and later married Maureen Blott, with whom he had 2 children. He died at the age of 57, and is buried at Penhurst, East Sussex. His daughter from his 2^nd marriage, Susannah Corbett, is an actress with TV and film credits to her name. Harry H. Corbett was awarded an OBE in 1976.

Episodes Featuring Harry H. Corbett: -

Series 3

The Charter - Sir Bascom 

The Angry Village - Jason 

The Genius - Nicodemus 

Series 4

A Bushel of Apples - Sir Watkyn

Passing Stranger (1954)

The  Girl (1955) (TV) ... Tony

Nowhere to Go (1958) ... Jerry Sullivan

The Shakedown (1959) ... Gollar

Floods of Fear (1959) ... Sharkey

Cover Girl Killer (1959) ... The Man

The Torrents of Spring (1959) (TV) ... Sonny

In the Wake of a Stranger (1959) ... McCabe

Shake Hands with the Devil (1959) ... Clancy

The Big Day (1960) ... Jackson

The Unstoppable Man (1960) ... Feist

Wings of Death (1961) ... Supt. Hammond

Some People (1962) ... Johnnie’s Father

Steptoe and Son (1962-65, 1970-74) (TV Series) ... Harold Steptoe

Sparrows Can’t Sing (1963) ... Greengrocer

Sammy Going South (aka A Boy Ten Feet Tall) (1963) ... Lem

What a Crazy World (1963) ... Sam Hitchens

Ladies Who Do (1963) ... James Ryder

The Bargee (1964) ... Hemel Pike

Rattle of a Simple Man (1964) ... Percy Winthram

Joey Boy (1965) ... Joey Boy Thompson

The Vanishing Busker (1965)

The Sandwich Man (aka That Swinging City) (1966) ... Stage Door-Keeper

Carry on Screaming! (1966) ... Det. Sgt. Sidney Bung

Mr. Aitch (1966-67) (TV Series) ... Harry Aitch

Crooks and Coronets (aka Sophie’s Place) (1969) ... Frank Finley

The Best Things in Life (1969-70) (TV Series) ... Alfred Wilcox

The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971) ... Ambrose Twombley

Steptoe and Son (1972) ... Harold Steptoe

Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973) ... Harold Steptoe

Percy’s Progress (aka It’s Not the Size That Counts) (1974) ... Prime Minister Henry Snope

Adventures of a Private Eye (1977) ... Sydney

Jabberwocky (1977) ... Squire (Ethel)

Hardcore (aka Fiona) (1977) ... Art

What’s Up Superdoc! (1978) ... Goodwin

The Plank (1979) (TV) ... Amourous Van Driver

Potter (1980) (TV Series) ... Harry Tooms

Silver Dream Racer (1980) ... Wiggins

Grundy (1980) (TV Series) ... Grundy

TV Guest Appearances: -

Armchair Theatre - ‘The Last Mile’ (1957)

Armchair Theatre - ‘Panther 140’ (1957)

Armchair Theatre - ‘A Gust of Wind’ (1958)Armchair Theatre - ‘Emperor Jones’ (1958) ... Smithers

Play of the Week - ‘Mary Broome’ (1958) ... John Broome

Armchair Theatre - ‘The Sentry’ (1959)

Television Playhouse - ‘The Jukebox’ (1959) ... Charlie Panetti

Armchair Theatre - ‘The Bird, the Bear and the Actress’ (1959)

Armchair Theatre - ‘Shadow of the Ruthless’ (1959)

Tales of Edgar Wallace - ‘Marriage of Convenience’ (1960) ... Insp. Jock Bruce

Police Surgeon - ‘Lag on the Run’ (1960) ... George Drake

Armchair Theatre - ‘Pig’s Ear with Flowers’ (1960)

Armchair Theatre - ‘Thunder on the Snowy’ (1960) ... Jan Redeck

Armchair Theatre - ‘The Money Makers’ (1961)

Armchair Theatre - ‘Roll on Blooming Death’ (1961) ... Private Mogridge

Comedy Playhouse - ‘The Offer’ (1962) ... Harold Steptoe

Studio Four - ‘A Voice from the Top’ (1962) ... The Landlord

Tales of Edgar Wallace - ‘Time to Remember’ (1962) ... Jack Burgess

Zero One - ‘Discord’ (1963) ... Vladimir Petrovsky

Royal Variety Performance (1963) ... Himself/Harold Steptoe

Armchair Theatre - ‘The Hothouse’ (1964) ... Harry Fender

The Eamonn Andrews Show (1966) ... Himself - Guest

Jackanory (1966) ... Himself - Storyteller

Comedy Playhouse - ‘Seven Year Hitch’ (1966) ... Ernest 'Ern' Conway

Armchair Theatre - ‘A Second Look’ (1968) ... Frank Dolan

The System - ‘The House That Jigger Built’ (1968) ... Jigger Barrett

The Galton & Simpson Comedy - ‘Never Talk to Strangers’ (1969) ... Basil

The Des O’Connor Show (1971) ... Himself - Guest

Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game (1972) ... Guest

The Bruce Forsyth Show (1973) ... Himself - Guest

Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game (1973) ... Guest

The Goodies - ‘Hospital for Hire’ (1973) ... Minister for Health

Whodunnit? - ‘It’s Quicker by Train’ (1974) ... On-screen Participant

Comedy Playhouse - ‘For Richer...for Poorer’ (1975) ... The Working Class Hero

Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game (1975) ... Guest

Today - ‘Lyndall’s London Girls’ (1976) ... Himself - Guest

The Chiffy Kids - ‘Pot Luck’ (1976) ... Hungry Herbert

Premiere - ‘A Hymn from Jim’ (1977) ... Alan Glut

Shoestring - ‘Nine Tenths of the Law’ (1979) ... Tom

Comedy Tonight (1980)

Night of One Hundred Stars (1980) ... Himself

The Dick Emery Christmas Show: For Whom the Jingle Bells Toll (1980) ... Nico

Nice to See You (1981) ... Himself - Guest