James Beck
Encyclopedia
Stanley James Carroll Beck (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was a British
actor
best remembered for his role as Private Joe Walker
, the cockney
spiv
in the popular BBC
sitcom Dad's Army
. The cast was mainly composed of older actors, but Beck was one of the younger members.
, North London
and attended Popham Road Primary School. His childhood was tough, with his father frequently unemployed and his mother making artificial flowers to provide a small income.
in the army, Beck took up acting. Early acting roles included Shylock
in The Merchant of Venice
in 1963, for which he earned positive reviews. Moving to London
, he decided to concentrate on television, and one role was as a policeman in an episode of Coronation Street
involving a train crash. He also appeared in an uncredited role as a policeman in Gideon's Way
in 1965, and became a regularly seen face in TV drama, with one-off roles in series like The Troubleshooters.
By 1968 he was offered the role of Private Walker in Dad's Army
, a role originally written by Jimmy Perry
for himself. His performance as the thorn in Captain Mainwaring's side was perfect for Dad's Army. While proving popular in this, his best-loved role, Beck still yearned for the challenge of other roles.
Always in demand, he continued to work on TV programmes such as A Family at War
and Romany Jones
, in which he played the lead character Bert Jones. He also recorded an unbroadcast remake of a Hancock's Half Hour
programme in which he played opposite Arthur Lowe
.
, he suddenly felt ill. He returned home and within an hour was rushed to Queen Mary's Hospital
, Roehampton
suffering from pancreatitis
and he died there three weeks later aged 44. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery
.
His death was a great shock to his fellow cast members, as well as to Jimmy Perry
and David Croft, who had looked forward to his return to the show. In series six, during the episode "Things That Go Bump In the Night", Sergeant Wilson is shown writing Walker's name on the window of Jones's van with his finger, being ordered to "take that man's name". Walker does not appear in any of the studio scenes in the first half of the episode, and much of his dialogue was taken over by Private Sponge (a seldom-heard extra in the series). The dialogue leads viewers to believe that he is with the group, though. Walker is then seen in the location scenes in the second half of the episode, as these were filmed several weeks prior to the studio scenes.
In the following episode, "The Recruit" (which also happened to be the series finale), there is a note left in Walker's place when the unit goes on parade. Mainwaring reads the note (written by Walker), in which he apologises for his absence and indicates that he is busy conducting one of his many shady deals. This is the last time Walker is ever mentioned in the show; his character was written out off-screen, with no explanation given for his departure.
In the radio adaptations of Dad's Army, Graham Stark
stood in until Larry Martyn
gave his portrayal of Walker for subsequent shows. In 1976 John Bardon
played Walker in the stage production.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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 his role as Private Joe Walker
Private Joe Walker
Private Joe Walker is a fictional black market spiv and Home Guard platoon member portrayed by actor James Beck on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. James Beck died suddenly in 1973, and is featured in just under three-quarters of the episodes...
, the cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
spiv
Spiv
In the United Kingdom, a spiv is a particular type of petty criminal, who deals in stolen or black market goods of questionable authenticity, especially a slickly-dressed man offering goods at bargain prices...
in the popular BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
sitcom 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...
. The cast was mainly composed of older actors, but Beck was one of the younger members.
Early life
Beck was born in IslingtonIslington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and attended Popham Road Primary School. His childhood was tough, with his father frequently unemployed and his mother making artificial flowers to provide a small income.
Career
After a stint at art college and a period of national serviceNational service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the army, Beck took up acting. Early acting roles included Shylock
Shylock
Shylock is a fictional character in Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice.-In the play:In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock is a Jewish moneylender who lends money to his Christian rival, Antonio, setting the security at a pound of Antonio's flesh...
in The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
in 1963, for which he earned positive reviews. Moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, he decided to concentrate on television, and one role was as a policeman in an episode of Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
involving a train crash. He also appeared in an uncredited role as a policeman in Gideon's Way
Gideon's Way
Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on the novels by John Creasey . The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint TV series...
in 1965, and became a regularly seen face in TV drama, with one-off roles in series like The Troubleshooters.
By 1968 he was offered the role of Private Walker 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...
, a role originally written by Jimmy Perry
Jimmy Perry
Jimmy Perry OBE is an English writer, scriptwriter, producer, author and actor, most famous for devising and co-writing the BBC sitcoms Dad's Army with David Croft.-Education:...
for himself. His performance as the thorn in Captain Mainwaring's side was perfect for Dad's Army. While proving popular in this, his best-loved role, Beck still yearned for the challenge of other roles.
Always in demand, he continued to work on TV programmes such as A Family at War
A Family At War
A Family At War is a British drama series that aired on ITV from 1970 to 1972. It was created by John Finch and made by Granada Television for ITV. The director was David Giles....
and Romany Jones
Romany Jones
Romany Jones is a British sitcom made by LWT, It starred Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts as Wally and Lily Briggs and was broadcast between 1973 and 1975, The show was originally designed as a vehicle for James Beck , involving the comic misadventures of two layabout families living on a caravan...
, in which he played the lead character Bert Jones. He also recorded an unbroadcast remake of a Hancock's Half Hour
Hancock's Half Hour
Hancock's Half Hour was a BBC radio comedy, and later television comedy, series of the 1950s and 60s written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson. The series starred Tony Hancock, with Sid James; the radio version also co-starred, at various times, Moira Lister, Andrée Melly, Hattie Jacques, Bill Kerr...
programme in which he played opposite Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe
Arthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
.
Death
By 1973, Beck had already recorded five series of Dad's Army and was working on the sixth, as well as working on the radio series of the show. Location filming for series six was completed when, whilst opening a fete in aid of Guide Dogs for the BlindThe Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is a British charitable organisation founded in 1934.Guide Dogs provides independence and freedom to thousands of blind and partially-sighted people across the UK through the provision of guide dogs, mobility and other rehabilitation services...
, he suddenly felt ill. He returned home and within an hour was rushed to Queen Mary's Hospital
Queen Mary's Hospital
Queen Mary's Hospital Roehampton is a hospital in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1915 to provide care for wounded soldiers, it became a world renowned limb fitting and amputee rehabilitation centre. Recently rebuilt and modernized it has become a unit of the Wandsworth Primary Care Trust...
, Roehampton
Roehampton
Roehampton is a district in south-west London, forming the western end of the London Borough of Wandsworth. It lies between the town of Barnes to the north, Putney to the east and Wimbledon Common to the south. The Richmond Park golf courses are west of the neighbourhood, and just south of these is...
suffering from pancreatitis
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas. It occurs when pancreatic enzymes that digest food are activated in the pancreas instead of the small intestine. It may be acute – beginning suddenly and lasting a few days, or chronic – occurring over many years...
and he died there three weeks later aged 44. He was buried at Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery
Putney Vale Cemetery and Crematorium in London is surrounded by Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park, and is located within forty-seven acres of parkland. The cemetery was opened in 1891 and the crematorium in 1938...
.
His death was a great shock to his fellow cast members, as well as to Jimmy Perry
Jimmy Perry
Jimmy Perry OBE is an English writer, scriptwriter, producer, author and actor, most famous for devising and co-writing the BBC sitcoms Dad's Army with David Croft.-Education:...
and David Croft, who had looked forward to his return to the show. In series six, during the episode "Things That Go Bump In the Night", Sergeant Wilson is shown writing Walker's name on the window of Jones's van with his finger, being ordered to "take that man's name". Walker does not appear in any of the studio scenes in the first half of the episode, and much of his dialogue was taken over by Private Sponge (a seldom-heard extra in the series). The dialogue leads viewers to believe that he is with the group, though. Walker is then seen in the location scenes in the second half of the episode, as these were filmed several weeks prior to the studio scenes.
In the following episode, "The Recruit" (which also happened to be the series finale), there is a note left in Walker's place when the unit goes on parade. Mainwaring reads the note (written by Walker), in which he apologises for his absence and indicates that he is busy conducting one of his many shady deals. This is the last time Walker is ever mentioned in the show; his character was written out off-screen, with no explanation given for his departure.
In the radio adaptations of Dad's Army, Graham Stark
Graham Stark
Graham Stark is an English comedian, actor, writer and director.Stark was born in Wallasey on the Wirral in Cheshire, England. He first came to prominence on BBC Radio, making his debut in Happy Go Lucky and going on to Ray's A Laugh, Educating Archie and substitute on The Goon Show...
stood in until Larry Martyn
Larry Martyn
Lawrence "Larry" Martyn was an English actor known for his comedy performances.Martyn was born in London and was a former member of the Parachute Regiment. He was famous as Mr. Mash in the BBC comedy series Are You Being Served?, appearing in the first three series before being replaced by Arthur...
gave his portrayal of Walker for subsequent shows. In 1976 John Bardon
John Bardon
John Bardon, is an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk.-Acting career:Bardon is best known for playing Jim Branning in the popular British soap opera EastEnders...
played Walker in the stage production.
Television roles
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1968–1973 | 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... |
Private Joe Walker |
| 1972–1973 | Romany Jones Romany Jones Romany Jones is a British sitcom made by LWT, It starred Arthur Mullard and Queenie Watts as Wally and Lily Briggs and was broadcast between 1973 and 1975, The show was originally designed as a vehicle for James Beck , involving the comic misadventures of two layabout families living on a caravan... |
Bert Jones |
Filmography
- Carry on LovingCarry On LovingCarry On Loving is the twentieth Carry On film, and was released in 1970. It features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Hattie Jacques, Terry Scott and Bernard Bresslaw alongside newcomers Richard O'Callaghan and Jacki Piper . Carry On Loving featured...
(1970) - Groupie GirlGroupie GirlGroupie Girl is a 1970 British drama film based around the music scene, directed by Derek Ford and starring Esme Johns, Donald Sumpter and the band Opal Butterfly. The film was written by Ford and former groupie Suzanne Mercer....
(1970) - Dad's ArmyDad's Army (film)Dad's Army is a 1971 feature film based on the BBC television sitcom Dad's Army. Directed by Norman Cohen, it was filmed between series three and four and was based upon material from the early episodes of the television series...
(1971) - A Couple of Beauties (1971)
- Love Thy NeighbourLove Thy Neighbour (1973 film)Love Thy Neighbour is a 1973 British comedy film starring Jack Smethurst, Rudolph Walker, Kate Williams and Nina Baden-Semper, spun off from the television series Love Thy Neighbour.-Cast:* Jack Smethurst as Eddie Booth...
(1973)