Richard Gibson
Encyclopedia
Richard Gibson is an English
actor
, probably best known for his role as the archetypal Gestapo
Officer Herr Otto Flick
in the BBC
hit sitcom series, 'Allo 'Allo!
.
, Uganda
, before the country gained independence from the UK. He was educated at St Paul's Cathedral Choir School, Radley College
and the Central School of Speech and Drama
.
He took part in 'Allo 'Allo!
during the vast majority of the series. Dressed in an ankle-length leather
coat and with the obligatory stiff-legged limp and walking stick, Herr Flick spent his life suppressing peasants, seducing Helga
, the German town Commandant's assistant, and vainly trying to get his hands on the original of the painting
'The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies
' by Van Klomp.
Gibson then toured with the group when Allo 'Allo! transferred to the stage and had successful tours both in the United Kingdom
and abroad. The stage version of the show gave rein to his other skills, and he was able to demonstrate his mastery over the violin
.
His first film role of note was in the 1971 film, The Go Between, where he played Marcus Maudsley, school friend of Leo Colston (Dominic Guard
) who passed messages between Julie Christie
and Alan Bates
. He has also played a wide variety of roles on stage and the TV screen, and in 2006 was a regular guest on The Daily Telegraph
s World Cup Pubcast, where he usually took the role of Herr Flick, providing a more biased view of the proceedings. In 2003, he guest starred in the Doctor Who
audio drama Flip-Flop.
Gibson also works as a radio and voiceover artist, and is currently touring the UK (2011) in Death By Fatal Murder, with Leslie Grantham, Katy Manning and Michelle Hardwick.
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...
, probably best known for his role as the archetypal Gestapo
Gestapo
The Gestapo was the official secret police of Nazi Germany. Beginning on 20 April 1934, it was under the administration of the SS leader Heinrich Himmler in his position as Chief of German Police...
Officer Herr Otto Flick
Herr Otto Flick
Herr Otto Flick is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. He was played by the actors Richard Gibson and David Janson...
in the 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...
hit sitcom series, 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
.
Career
Gibson was born in KampalaKampala
Kampala is the largest city and capital of Uganda. The city is divided into five boroughs that oversee local planning: Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division and Lubaga Division. The city is coterminous with Kampala District.-History: of Buganda, had chosen...
, Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, before the country gained independence from the UK. He was educated at St Paul's Cathedral Choir School, Radley College
Radley College
Radley College , founded in 1847, is a British independent school for boys on the edge of the English village of Radley, near to the market town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire, and has become a well-established boarding school...
and the Central School of Speech and Drama
Central School of Speech and Drama
The Central School of Speech and Drama was founded in London in 1906 by Elsie Fogerty to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students...
.
He took part in 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
during the vast majority of the series. Dressed in an ankle-length leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
coat and with the obligatory stiff-legged limp and walking stick, Herr Flick spent his life suppressing peasants, seducing Helga
Private Helga Geerhart
Private Helga Geerhart is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!, which ran from 1982 to 1992. She was played by the actress Kim Hartman....
, the German town Commandant's assistant, and vainly trying to get his hands on the original of the painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
'The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies
The Fallen Madonna
The Fallen Madonna, usually referred to as The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies by the fictional painter Van Klomp was a portrait of a bare breasted woman which provided a recurring theme of the long-running BBC One television comedy series Allo 'Allo! , written by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd...
' by Van Klomp.
Gibson then toured with the group when Allo 'Allo! transferred to the stage and had successful tours both in the United Kingdom
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...
and abroad. The stage version of the show gave rein to his other skills, and he was able to demonstrate his mastery over the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
His first film role of note was in the 1971 film, The Go Between, where he played Marcus Maudsley, school friend of Leo Colston (Dominic Guard
Dominic Guard
Dominic Guard is a former English film actor.His most famous role was as a 14-year-old when he played Leo in The Go-Between. He won a BAFTA award in 1972 for his performance...
) who passed messages between Julie Christie
Julie Christie
Julie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
and Alan Bates
Alan Bates
Sir Alan Arthur Bates CBE was an English actor, who came to prominence in the 1960s, a time of high creativity in British cinema, when he demonstrated his versatility in films ranging from the popular children’s story Whistle Down the Wind to the "kitchen sink" drama A Kind of Loving...
. He has also played a wide variety of roles on stage and the TV screen, and in 2006 was a regular guest on The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
s World Cup Pubcast, where he usually took the role of Herr Flick, providing a more biased view of the proceedings. In 2003, he guest starred in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
audio drama Flip-Flop.
Gibson also works as a radio and voiceover artist, and is currently touring the UK (2011) in Death By Fatal Murder, with Leslie Grantham, Katy Manning and Michelle Hardwick.
External links
- at the Internet Movie Database
- Interview at Den of Geek
- Ask Herr Flick anything