Leslie Phillips, famed for starring in the Carry On films, has died at the age of 98.
The veteran actor, who died on Monday, was born in Tottenham and later spent some years living in Maida Vale.
He spent eight decades in the spotlight and became well known for his suggestive catchphrases which included “Ding dong”, “Well, hello” and “I say!”.
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Phillips died “peacefully in his sleep” on Monday, his agent Jonathan Lloyd confirmed.
Having grown up with a London accent, he became known for his plummy voice - gained at drama school - and exaggerated portrayals of the English upper-class.
The youngest of three siblings, his father died when he was just seven years old.
His mother sent him to the respected Italia Conti Stage School a year later, where he studied drama, dance and elocution.
This led to him losing his accent, which was viewed as an impediment in the acting industry at the time.
He later served as a lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry between 1942 and 1945, when he was invalided out.
The 1930s marked his first film appearances but his big break came in 1957 when he appeared in the Gene Kelly musical Les Girls as Sir Gerald Wren.
Despite considering a move to Hollywood, the father-of-four stayed in the UK as he considered himself a theatre actor.
In 1959 and 1960 he starred in three Carry On films – Carry On Nurse, Carry On Teacher and Carry On Constable – cementing his reputation for playing incompetent, albeit smooth, toffs.
It was during this time that he developed his well-known catchphrases, which he delivered with a suggestive intonation.
He later hinted these were partly based on the work of fellow actor and comic Terry-Thomas.
Phillips later moved into more dramatic roles, including a Bafta-nominated turn opposite Peter O’Toole in 2006’s Venus and also voiced the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.
He suffered a stroke in 2014 while on a shopping trip in London’s Oxford Street but made a strong recovery and returned home following a hospital stay.
He was made an OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours and a CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
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