MAURICE DENHAMMaurice Denham, who died on 24 July, 2002, at the age of 92, was a much-loved star of radio, screen and stage.He was perhaps best known for the hit 1940s radio show ‘It’s That Man Again’, but, with over 100 film and television appearances to his name, he also thrilled audiences on screen in ‘Day of the Jackal’, ‘The Purple Plain’ and ‘84 Charing Cross Road’.Television saw him star in cult classic ‘Doctor Who’, as well as popular BBC prison comedy ‘Porridge’ and the award-winning drama ‘Talking to a Stranger’.He was awarded an OBE in 1992.Maurice Denham was born on 23 December, 1909, at Beckenham, Kent. The son of a dental surgeon, he attended Tonbridge School where, despite his initial stage fright, he developed a love for acting which eventually blossomed when he later joined the Beckenham Amateur Dramatic Society.He became a lift engineer for a brief time after leaving school but, in 1934, resolved instead to try for a career on the stage. Two seasons in repertory at Hull and further seasons at Brighton followed, before he finally made his first appearance on the London stage in 1936’s ‘Rain Before Seven’.His first wireless broadcast was quick to follow with a dramatisation of the history of flight in 1938, and this in turn led to a role in the Tommy Handley’s hit radio show ‘It’s That Man Again’.‘ITMA’, as it later became known, marked Mr Denham’s big break but the dawn of World War Two in 1939 put his blossoming career on hold as he left to serve in the Royal Artillery. Stung in the mouth on D-Day by a Normandy wasp, he was later mentioned in the dispatches for bravery.With the hostilities over, he returned to the airwaves to star in the immensely popular ‘Much Binding in the Marsh’. However, he also began to take parts on screen in films such as ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘It’s Not Cricket’ and, one of his own personal favourites, ‘The Purple Plain’.Elsewhere, the 1950s saw him perform all of the many voices in the feature-length animation of ‘Animal Farm’, while he remained a stalwart of the stage too, appearing in hit productions such as ‘The Dock Brief’ and ‘Uncle Vanya’.Later years heralded a triumphant period for Mr Denham on television, notably as a jailed judge in hit comedy ‘Porridge’ and for a series of guest appearances in ‘The Professionals’, ‘Inspector Morse’ and ‘Peak Practice’.His last major role came in 1997 as an aristocrat in ‘The Beggar Bride’. He later died at the age of 92, in London on 24 July 2002.Outside of acting, he listed his hobbies as golf and conducting gramophone records.He reportedly kept notebooks of every acting job he did.At its peak, more than 20 million people listened to the hit 1940s radio show to ‘It’s That Man Again’.The show particularly highlighted Mr Denham’s skill for putting on voices. “People are seeing me on the films as a spiv, a clergyman, a country yokel or an RAF officer,” he once famously remarked. “They hear me on the radio as half-a-dozen characters. There’s a danger that they might forget about me!”
Keep me informed of updates
