Clive Swift

Swift was born in Liverpool on 9 February 1936,^[2] the son of Abram Sampson Swift, who owned a furniture shop in Bootle, and Lily Rebecca, née Greenman.^[3][4] He was educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge reading English literature. He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. His family was Jewish.^[5]

He appeared as Snug in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1968 film production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of a cast that included Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren and Ian Richardson.^[6] During the 1970s, he appeared as Doctor Black in two of the BBC's M. R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and in A Warning to the Curious, as well as the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles.^[6] He is best known for his role on Keeping Up Appearances as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth.^[6] Swift made two appearances in Doctor Who, in the 1985 story Revelation of the Daleks and the 2007 Christmas special. Around the time of his second appearance, he gave a "grumpy" interview to Doctor Who Magazine in which he bemoaned "not getting paid" to promote his episode, and belittled the show.^[7] He also played Sir Ector, the adoptive father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur.^[6]

In addition to acting, he was a songwriter. Many of his songs were included in his shows Richard Bucket Overflows: An Audience with Clive Swift, which toured the UK in 2007,^[8] and Clive Swift Entertains, in which he performed his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009.^[9] He also played the part of the Reverend Eustacius Brewer in Born and Bred, which aired on BBC One from 2002 to 2005.^[2] His last performance was in an episode of Midsomer Murders in 2017, after which he retired.^[10]

Swift was married to novelist Margaret Drabble from 1960 until their divorce in 1975.^[11] He was the father of one daughter, Rebecca (who died in April 2017), known for running The Literary Consultancy in London, and two sons, Adam Swift, an academic, and Joe Swift, a garden designer, journalist and television presenter.^[12] Swift's elder brother, David, was also an actor.

Swift died at home on 1 February 2019, at the age of 82.^[13] Paying tribute to Swift, fellow actor James Dreyfus said he "loved this extremely talented, subtle actor".^[14] His Keeping Up Appearances co-star Patricia Routledge said: "Clive was a skillful and inventive actor with wide experience, as his successful career proved", and that she was very sad to hear of her former co-star's death.^[15]

Film

More information Year, Title ...

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Johnny Nobody	Courtroom Official	Uncredited role
1965	Catch Us If You Can[16]	Duffie
1968	A Midsummer Night's Dream[17]	Snug
1972	Frenzy[18]	Johnny Porter
	Death Line[19]	Inspector Richardson
1973	The National Health[20]	Ash
	Man at the Top[21]	Massey
1978	The Sailor's Return[22]	Reverend Pottock
1981	Excalibur[23]	Ector
1984	Memed My Hawk[24]	Magistrate
	A Passage to India[25]	Major Callendar
1988	Young Toscanini[26]	Comparsa	Uncredited role
1990	Othello[27]	Brabantio	DVD, re-released 2004[28]
1997	Gaston's War[29]	General James
2003	Vacuums[30]	AJ Johnson	AKA: Stealing Bess (video title)

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Television

More information Year, Title ...

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1961	Theatre Night	The King	Episode: "Ondine"
1963	Love Story	Mervyn	Series 1; episode 11: "Dome Grist from Mervyn's Mill"
	Compact	Mr. Perrett	Episode 172: "On the Run"
1965	Knock on Any Door	Arkwright	Series 1; episode 2: "The Knife"
1966	Armchair Theatre	The Camp Doctor	Series 6; episode 4: "The Sweet War Man"
	Public Eye	West	Series 2; episode 11: "There Are More Things in Heaven and Earth"
1968	All's Well That Ends Well	Captain Parolles, a follower of Bertram	Television film
	The Expert	Graham Richards	Series 1; episode 10: "He's Good for It"
1969	Dombey and Son	Major Bagstock	Mini-series; 7 episodes
	Canterbury Tales	The Pardoner's Tale First Rioter	Episode 4: "The Friar's Tale / The Pardoner's Tale"
	The Wednesday Play	Neil	Series 8; episode 18: "Birthday"
1970		Adjutant	Series 9; episode 16: "Mad Jack"
	Ryan International	Inspector Jenet	Episode 6: "Evidence of Murder"
	ITV Sunday Night Theatre	Max Fielder	Series 3; episode 5: "Roll on Four O'Clock"
1970–1971	Thirty-Minute Theatre	Inspector Waugh	Series 6 (Waugh on Crime); episodes 8–13
1971	The Misfit	Gerald	Series 2; episode 5: "On the New Establishment"
	A Ghost Story for Christmas	Dr. Black	Series 1; episode 1: "The Stalls of Barchester"[31]
1972	The Liver Birds[32]	Jim Royle	Series 3; episode 4: "Birds on Strike"
	Villains	Mr. Clough	Episode 5: "Alice Sheree"
	Dead of Night[33]	Dan	Episode 1: "The Exorcism"
	A Ghost Story for Christmas	Dr. Black	Series 2; episode 1: "A Warning to the Curious"[34]
1973	The Moon Shines Bright on Charlie Chaplin	Captain	Television film
	The Pearcross Girls	Frank Pledger	Episode 1: "Sweet Julia"
	The Frighteners	James Machen	Episode 11: "The Classroom"
1974	South Riding	Alfred E. Higgins	Mini-series; 9 episodes
1975	BBC2 Playhouse	Robbie	Series 2; episode 1: "The Breakthrough"
	Whodunnit?	Commander Blade	Series 3; episode 7: "Too Many Cooks"
	Willow Cabins	Matthew	Television film
	Play for Today	Savory	Series 5; episode 14: "Goodbye"
1976		Air Steward	Series 7; episode 7: "Buffet"
	The Brothers	Griffith Trevelyan	Series 6; episodes 6 & 7: "Tender" & "The Mole"
	Goodbye America	Lord North, the Prime Minister	Television film
	Clayhanger	Albert Benbow	Recurring role. 10 episodes
	Romeo and Juliet[2]	Friar Lawrence	Television film. Also shown across 8 episodes of The English Programme in 1978
	Victorian Scandals	William Hepworth-Dixon	Episode 7: "Beloved"
	Beasts	'Bunny' Nettleton	Mini-series; episode 6: "The Dummy"
1977	The Game	Edmund Whitworth	Television film
	BBC2 Play of the Week	Frank	Series 1; episode 7: "The Kitchen"
1978		Adamson	Series 1; episode 12: "Foreign Affairs"
	1990	Tony Doran	Series 2; episodes 1, 2 & 4
	Jackanory Playhouse	Professor Marvel	Series 6; episode 4: "Big Pete, Little Pete"
	Send in the Girls	Mr. Fenton	Episode 7: "Goosepimples"
	Shadows	Devine	Series 3; episode 3: "And Now for My Next Trick..."
	Bless Me, Father[35]	Fred Dobie	Series 1; episode 5: "Father and Mother"
	A Horseman Riding By	Watkins	Episode 6: "1905: The Hollow Victory"
1979	Hazell	Neville Fitch	Series 2; episode 1: "Hazell and the Baker Street Sleuth"
	A Family Affair	Sir Charles Byford	Mini-series; episode 10: "Finding the Words..."
	The First Part of King Henry the Forth[36]	Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester	Television film
	BBC2 Playhouse	Alec Thorne	Series 6; episode 5: "Home Movies"
1980		Director of Austrian State Radio	Series 6; episode 25: "An Ordered Life"
	The Nesbitts Are Coming	Ernie Nesbitt	Episodes 1–6
	Cribb	Dr. Probert	Series 1; episode 8: "A Case of Spirits"
	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde	Hastie Lanyon	Television film
1981	BBC2 Playhouse	Aaron Green	Series 7; episode 18: "The Potsdam Quartet"
	Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years[37]	Sir Horace Wilson	Mini-series; episodes 7 & 8
1982	Tales of the Unexpected[2]	Latham	Series 5; episode 5 "Stranger in Town"
	The Gentle Touch	Dalziel	Series 4; episode 1: "Right of Entry"
	Praying Mantis	Dr. Faure	Television film
	The Further Adventures of Lucky Jim	Lord Davenport	Episode 5: "Eckersley Revisited"
	The Barchester Chronicles[38]	Dr. Proudie	Mini-series; episodes 3–7
1983	Martin Luther, Heretic	Johann Tetzel	Television films
	Events in a Museum	Mr. Sloane
1984	Pericles, Prince of Tyre	Lord Cerimon
1985	The Pickwick Papers[39]	Tracy Tupman	Episodes 1–12
	Doctor Who	Professor Jobel	Series 22; episodes 12 & 13: "Revelation of the Daleks: Parts 1 & 2"[39]
	Black Silk	Oliver Hollingsworth	Episode 3: "Barrister on Trial"
	What Mad Pursuit?	Bonwit Steinhauser	Television film
1986	ScreenPlay	James	Series 1; episode 1: "All Together Now"
	First Among Equals[2]	Alec Pimkin	Mini-series; episodes 1–10
1987	Pack of Lies[40]	Ellis	Television film
	Inspector Morse[39]	Dr. Bartlett	Series 1; episode 2: "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn"
	Cause célèbre	R.P. Croom Johnson K.C.	Television film
1988	A Very Peculiar Practice	Prof. Piers Platt	Series 2; episode 2: "Art and Illusion"
	The Ray Bradbury Theater	St. John Court	Season 2; episode 9: "The Coffin"
	Les Girls	Mr. Tobler	Episode 2: "Spanners"
	Double First	Mr. Swift	Episodes 3 & 4
	Minder	Chisholm's Director	Series 7; episode: "An Officer and a Car Salesman"
	Journey's End[41]	Captain Hardy	Television film
1989	Laura and Disorder	Barry Page	Episode 6: "The Metal Detector"
	Storyboard	Hewes	Series 4; episode 4: "Hunted Down"
	Gentlemen and Players	Sammy	Series 2; episode 6: "Another Square Mile"
	Hard Cases	Judge	Series 2; episode 5
	British Telecom	Cyril (Beatie's brother-in-law in Australia)	Television advertisement[42]
1990	The Return of Shelley	Robson	Series 2; episode 12: "A Problem Aired"
	Theatre Night	Brabantio / Gratiano	Series 5; episode 1: "Othello"
	This Is David Harper	Parapope Joshua	Episode 6: "Born Again Testerday"
1990–1995	Keeping Up Appearances[39]	Richard Bucket	Main role. Series 1–5; 44 episodes
1991	The War That Never Ends	Athenagoras	Television film
1992	Boon	Charles Hastings	Series 7; episode 2: "Queen's Gambit"
1993	Noel's House Party	Richard Bucket	Series 3; episode 2
	Heartbeat[43]	Victor Kellerman	Series 3; episode 4: "Going Home"
1994	Woof!	Alex Pardoe	Series 7; episode 3: "Doggy Business"
1997	The Famous Five[39]	Mr. Pottersham	Series 2; episodes 7 & 8: "Five Have a Wonderful Time: Parts 1 & 2"
	The Memoirs of Hyacinth Bucket	Richard Bucket	Television film (archive footage only)
1998	Peak Practice[44]	Norman Shorthose	Recurring role. Series 6; 10 episodes
1999	Aristocrats[45]	King George II	Mini-series; episodes 1–3
2002	Young Arthur	Illtud	Television film. Pilot for cancelled series
2002–2005	Born and Bred[39]	Reverend Eustacius Brewer	Series 1–4; 36 episodes
2007	Doctor Who	Mr. Copper	Series 4; Christmas Special episode: "Voyage of the Damned"[46]
2008	Keeping Up Appearances: Life Lessons from Onslow	Richard Bucket	Television film (archive footage only)
2009–2010	The Old Guys[39][2]	Roy	Series 1 & 2; 12 episodes
2010	Little Crackers	Real Father Christmas	Series 1; episode 2: "Chris O'Dowd's Little Cracker: Capturing Santa"
2011	Hustle[47]	Yusef	Series 7; episode 6: "The Delivery"
2014	Cuckoo[2]	Dr. Rafferty	Series 2; episode 4: "Funeral"
2015	Rosamunde Pilcher	Edward Whiteley	Episode: "Valentine's Kiss"[48]
	SunTrap	Colin	Episode 2: "In the Line of Fire"
2017	Midsomer Murders[49]	Felix Hope	Series 19; episode 2: "Crime and Punishment" (final appearance)

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• "Vivat Rex" as Lord Talbot in "Henry VI" by William Shakespeare, in episodes 15–16, BBC (1977)
• Souvenirs of Chabrier - five-part series on the life and music of Emmanuel Chabrier, with Swift as the composer (1981)^[50]
• Measure for Measure as Escalus (2004)^[51]
• Oblomov as the Doctor (2005)^[52]
• The Right Time (2008)^[53]
• Jorrocks's Jaunts and Jollities as Nash (2011)^[54]
• The Price of Fear – Remains to be Seen as Fred Treiber (2012)^[55]

• Cymbeline (1962) as Cloten^[56]
• The Physicists (1963) as Inspector Richard Voss (Aldwych Theatre)^[2]
• The Tempest (1966) as Caliban (Prospect Theatre Company)^[57]