John Bluthal British-Australian character actor Date of Birth: 12.08.1929 Country: Australia

1. Early Life and Career
2. Moving to the UK and Collaborating with Spike Milligan
3. British Theatre and Television Career
4. Film Roles and Late Career
5. Death and Legacy

Early Life and Career

John Bluthal was born on August 12, 1929, in Galicia, Poland (now Ukraine), to Jewish parents. In 1938, at the age of nine, he emigrated with his family to Melbourne, Australia. His acting career began with the Melbourne Yiddish Theatre, and he honed his skills at the University of Melbourne's drama school.

In 1949, he traveled to Europe and the UK, where he gained experience in pantomime. Bluthal worked in repertory theatre in Melbourne, performed in radio plays, and appeared in television productions, including "Shell Presents" and "Three's A Crowd." He conceived and produced the series "Gaslight Music Hall," in which he played a featured role.

Moving to the UK and Collaborating with Spike Milligan

In 1960, Bluthal decided to permanently relocate to the UK. That year, he played Charlie in "Citizen James" and landed a role in the long-running series "Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width," portraying Manny Cohen, a Jewish London tailor in business with Irish Catholic Patrick Kelly, played by Joe Lynch.

Before leaving Australia, Bluthal worked with Spike Milligan, appearing with him in the 1958 television play "The Gladys Half-Hour." After moving to Britain, he played multiple roles in Milligan and John Antrobus's play "The Bedsitting Room," which premiered on January 31, 1963. Continuing his collaboration with Milligan, Bluthal starred in the series "Q" and performed in the comedy radio show "The Milligan Show."

British Theatre and Television Career

Bluthal was heavily involved in British theatre. In 1960, he played Fagin in the West End production of "Oliver!" as a replacement for Ron Moody. At the National Theatre, his credits included "Tales from Hollywood," "Entertaining Strangers," "Antony and Cleopatra" alongside Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins, "The Winter's Tale," and "Cymbeline."

On television, he made guest appearances in "Sykes and a..." (1961), "Hancock," "The Avengers," "The Saint," "'Allo 'Allo!," "Minder," "Bergerac," and "Rumpole of the Bailey." He also appeared in "Jonathan Creek," "Inspector Morse," "Lovejoy," and "Last of the Summer Wine."

Film Roles and Late Career

Bluthal's film credits include "The Knack ...and How to Get It," "A Hard Day's Night," "Help!," "Casino Royale," "The Return of the Pink Panther," and "Revenge of the Pink Panther." He played multiple characters in the film comedy "The Great McGonagall," written by Milligan and Joseph McGrath.

In "The Fifth Element," he portrayed Professor Pacoli, an Egyptologist. In "Dark City," he played Karl Harris. He also played Stephanos in the comedy "Beware of Greeks Bearing Guns."

In his later years, Bluthal portrayed the bumbling council clerk Frank Pickle in "The Vicar of Dibley" and Roko in "Spirited." He appeared in the drama "Love's Brother" (2004) and the Coen brothers' comedy "Hail, Caesar!" (2016).

In 2017, he featured in the thriller "Jungle" with Daniel Radcliffe. Bluthal's final role was alongside his daughter Lisa Bluthal in the 2018 short film "By Any Other Name," a 12-minute story about a daughter and her father with Alzheimer's disease.

Death and Legacy

John Bluthal passed away on November 15, 2018, at the age of 89. Shortly after, his "Vicar of Dibley" co-star Dawn French said, "Everyone today is remembering what a glorious amount of laughter John gave us. Impish, twinkling, naughty. Farewell dear Bluthy."