Carry on star great escape actor

By Chris Brooke. He was a household name playing bumbling buffoons in the Carry On films.

An actor famous for playing bumbling comic characters in the legendary Carry-On films hid an extraordinary past that saw him take part in the iconic Great Escape prison camp breaks during World War 2. Peter Butterworth was best known by TV and cinema audiences for his quirky portrayal of different roles in 16 films from the long-running comedy film franchise. But as a young man hailing from Cheshire, Peter had joined the RAF to fight the Nazis and rose to the rank of lieutenant in the RAF before being captured after his aircraft was shot down in On March 24, , Peter was part of an incredible feat that saw 76 of those brave RAF men escape from the camp using a network of tunnels they had dug themselves. But despite his acting credentials, Peter himself was rejected for a part in another film covering the prison escape called the Wooden Horse. However, Peter, who died in , went on to become a household name in Carry On films sharing the screen with the likes of Barbara Windsor and Sid James.

Carry on star great escape actor

Peter William Shorrocks Butterworth 4 February [1] — 17 January was an British actor and comedian best known for his appearances in the Carry On film series. He was also a regular on children's television and radio. Butterworth was married to actress and impressionist Janet Brown. Butterworth was born on 4 February , in Bramhall, Cheshire. Four were killed; Butterworth and his air gunner became POWs. It was there he met Talbot Rothwell , who later went on to write many of the Carry On films in which Butterworth was to star. The performance was followed by some comic repartee which, according to Butterworth's account, provoked enough boos and hisses to have the desired effect of drowning out the sounds of an escape tunnel being dug by other prisoners' escape party. After the war, Butterworth kept a photo of the concert party line-up, something which offered inspiration to him when starting a career in acting. Butterworth was one of the vaulters covering for the escapers during the escape portrayed by the book and film The Wooden Horse. Following the release of various archived documents from Germany in February , the BBC News website reported a fuller picture of Butterworth's wartime escapades having interviewed his son, Tyler, for the article.

There he became one of the vaulters in the Wooden Horse tunnel escape, in which a gymnastic vaulting horse was used to conceal a tunnel entrance.

Carry On star Peter Butterworth has been revealed as a World War Two hero after helping to free 76 airmen from a Polish prison by secretly passing messages to British Intelligence. According to the National Archives, Peter, who was best known for his cheeky one-liners, was a POW [a prisoner of war] who helped 76 airmen flee Poland on March 24 , one year before the war ended. The actor, who was then known as Lt Butterworth realised he could pass coded messages to the British Intelligence, as the prisoners were allowed to write letters home to their loved ones. More than four decades on from his death in , Dr Will Butler, of the National Archives, said: "He was a talented artist and is noted in the camp records as a highly skilled forger of documents. Peter was an airman with the Fleet Air Arm but was targeted and shot down at the beginning of the second World War and spent the remainder of his time as a prisoner of war. Peter staged an escape through tunnels and managed to release himself from prison for six weeks but was unfortunately caught by a member of the Hitler Youth.

Carry On star Peter Butterworth has been revealed as a World War Two hero after helping to free 76 airmen from a Polish prison by secretly passing messages to British Intelligence. According to the National Archives, Peter, who was best known for his cheeky one-liners, was a POW [a prisoner of war] who helped 76 airmen flee Poland on March 24 , one year before the war ended. The actor, who was then known as Lt Butterworth realised he could pass coded messages to the British Intelligence, as the prisoners were allowed to write letters home to their loved ones. More than four decades on from his death in , Dr Will Butler, of the National Archives, said: "He was a talented artist and is noted in the camp records as a highly skilled forger of documents. Peter was an airman with the Fleet Air Arm but was targeted and shot down at the beginning of the second World War and spent the remainder of his time as a prisoner of war. Peter staged an escape through tunnels and managed to release himself from prison for six weeks but was unfortunately caught by a member of the Hitler Youth. He tragically passed away while performing a pantomime playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Coventry Theatre. He was found dead in his hotel room from a suspected heart attack.

Carry on star great escape actor

Peter Butterworth and his son, Tyler, who knew nothing about his father's war history when he was younger. The Great Escape and The Wooden Horse are two classic British World War II escape films, but what is perhaps less well known is that one of the team involved in both of the escapes that inspired them would go on to become a star of the Carry On movies. Now, 80 years on, Peter Butterworth's recently discovered German prison identity card is going on display as part of an exhibition telling the story of his life as a prisoner of war.

Ligma def

He tragically passed away while performing a pantomime playing Widow Twankey in Aladdin at the Coventry Theatre. Channel 5. POLL: Have your say. Butterworth's wife and their two children, Tyler and Emma were also at the recording. He starred in the children's TV show Saturday Special with the puppet Porterhouse the Parrot , broadcast on Saturdays at pm, alternating with Whirligig. Here's where the tradition comes from A Good Pull-Up 5. The Mirror reports how at a 40th anniversary dinner, he joked: "Most important of all, of course, are the artists. Liverpool fans demand they get rid of star in the summer after Luton goal. Ex-Premier League star 'sentenced to life in prison' over match fixing and bribing officials. As a prisoner of war, not only was Lieutenant Butterworth closely involved in organising the famous Great Escape from Stalag Luft III, but he also played a vital role in passing coded messages back to British intelligence in apparently innocent letters to home. Mystery as police find fifth body in Thames in three weeks as corpse is found on the riverbank in Putney Female British tourist, 83, is run over and killed by a bus in Lanzarote Homeowner came back to his property to find a foot broadband pole planted in his front garden- and it's Janet had set herself on the performance road from an early age and by the time war came she was part of a troupe of entertainers equivalent to the Entertainments National Service Association. He was also a regular on children's television and radio.

By Chris Brooke.

Researchers who uncovered new details of his Second World War exploits in the National Archives believe he may have remained in the camp to carry on his vital coding work. Saturday Special TV Series. However, Peter, who died in , went on to become a household name in Carry On films sharing the screen with the likes of Barbara Windsor and Sid James. Peter staged an escape through tunnels and managed to release himself from prison for six weeks but was unfortunately caught by a member of the Hitler Youth. Photos 6. But despite his acting credentials, Peter himself was rejected for a part in another film covering the prison escape called the Wooden Horse. Kashika's 5 Picks for February. English actor and comedian — Download as PDF Printable version. Click to play Tap to play. He was supposed to have been the last man in the tunnel, but ended up staying behind when 76 airmen famously escaped the Nazi POW camp on March 24, Learn more. Her career soared as a result and she even received a letter from the new Prime Minister herself upon reaching Number 10, which Tyler produces in the show. France BnF data Germany. Tools Tools.