Harold Bennett was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 actor

Actor

An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...

 best remembered for having played 'Young Mr. Grace' in the 1970s British sitcom

British sitcom

A British sitcom tends, as it does in most other countries, to be based on a family, workplace or other institution, where the same group of contrasting characters is brought together in each episode. Unlike American sitcoms, where twenty or more episodes in a season is the norm, British sitcoms...

 Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served?

Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...

.

Biography

Bennett was born in Hastings

Hastings

Hastings is a town and borough in the county of East Sussex on the south coast of England. The town is located east of the county town of Lewes and south east of London, and has an estimated population of 86,900....

, East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

. In his early life he toured America as a clown with a circus. During World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 he was a courier, initially on horseback, then on motorcycle. After the war he took up acting and eventually worked as stage producer in the now defunct Tower Theatre

Tower Theatre Company

The Tower Theatre Company is a performing non-professional acting group based in the St Bride Institute , in the City of London...

, London. He subsequently pursued a career as an architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

, only taking up his acting career again following retirement. He played the recurring character Mr. Blewitt in Dad's Army

Dad's Army

Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...

from 1969 to 1977.

Bennett portrayed 'Young Mr. Grace' in Are You Being Served? as the very old, frugal and slightly absent minded owner of Grace Brothers department store.

Interestingly, the part of 'Old Mr. Grace' was played by Kenneth Waller

Kenneth Waller

Kenneth Waller was an English actor.-Career:His first role was in the 1959 production Room at the Top, but it was not until 1981 when he played the part of "Old" Mr. Grace in Are You Being Served? that he found real fame. He played the elder of the Grace brothers, after the departure of "Young"...

, who was actually some 28 years younger than Bennett. Bennett's last appearance on Are You Being Served was in the Christmas 1981 episode in which he was a guest at his brother's 90th birthday party. He appeared very weak and was clearly unable to walk. The episode aired some three months after his death, having been filmed earlier in the year.

Harold Bennett died of a heart attack on 15 September 1981, two days before his 82nd birthday.

Television Roles

Year	Title	Role
1976 to 1977	Clayhanger	Mr Shushions
1969 to 1977	Dad's Army Dad's Army Dad's Army is a British sitcom about the Home Guard during the Second World War. It was written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft and broadcast on BBC television between 1968 and 1977. The series ran for 9 series and 80 episodes in total, plus a radio series, a feature film and a stage show...	Mr Blewitt
1972 to 1981	Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...	Young Mr Grace

Selected filmography

• Games That Lovers Play
  Games That Lovers Play
  Games That Lovers Play is a 1970 British comedy film written and directed by Malcolm Leigh and starring Joanna Lumley, Penny Brahms and Richard Wattis.-Cast:* Joanna Lumley - Fanny Hill* Penny Brahms - Constance Chatterley* Richard Wattis - Lothran...
  
  (1970)
• Au Pair Girls
  Au Pair Girls
  Au Pair Girls is a 1972 British comedy film directed by Val Guest.The film is part of the British 1970s soft core sex comedy film. It also had cameo appearances by mainstream actors such as John Le Mesurier and Richard O'Sullivan.-Plot:...
  
  (1972)
• The Ups and Downs of a Handyman
  The Ups and Downs of a Handyman
  The Ups and Downs of a Handyman is a 1975 British comedy film directed by John Sealey and starring Barry Stokes, Sue Lloyd and Bob Todd. After his wife inherits a cottage in the countryside, her husband takes up a job as the local handyman but soon becomes entangled with the women of the...
  
  (1975)
• Are You Being Served?
  Are You Being Served? (film)
  Are You Being Served?: The Movie, is a 1977 motion picture based on the British sitcom Are You Being Served?, which follows the staff of Grace Brothers' Men's and Women's Department as they take a holiday in the fictional Costa Plonka while their department is renovated.The story is an adaptation...
  
  (1977)

External links