Biography for
Paul Eddington More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 June 1927, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Date of Death

4 November 1995, London, England, UK (skin cancer, diabetes)

Birth Name

Paul Clark Eddington

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Paul Eddington was a tall, debonair actor who achieved international success in the 1970s with "Good Neighbors" (1975), a popular television series about a young couple farming their backyard in a London suburb. He played the supporting role of neighbor Jerry Leadbetter. It was the hit comedy series "Yes Minister" (1980), later called "Yes, Prime Minister" (1986), in the 1980s that brought him television stardom as the inept politician Jim Hacker. The actor's performances as an incompetent minister and prime minister were so admired by Margaret Thatcher that she awarded him the honor of Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Despite suffering from skin cancer, he continued to perform on stage and television, concealing his illness, until tabloid press began suggesting he had AIDS.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Mini Biography

Paul Eddington always shunned personal publicity. He began acting in 1941 as part of ENSA (the British Forces USO). However the Quaker principles to which he always adhered led to him being asked to leave when they realised he was a pacifist and a conscientious objector. He started in the repertory stage in Sheffield and broke into television in the 1950s. For 18 months even TV seemed like rep, he was credited in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1955) every week, playing a different character, before spending another year and a half as Will Scarlett. A variety of film, stage and TV roles through the 1960s and 70s led to him playing "Jerry Leadbetter" in the BBC's hit sitcom "Good Neighbors" (1975). Even at this point he was beginning to suffer from the cancer which eventually claimed his life. The 1980s saw Eddington's most famous persona, Jim Hacker; as Minister for Administrative Affairs in "Yes Minister" (1980) and as Prime Minister in "Yes, Prime Minister" (1986). When filming this series he sometimes left the set for ten minutes at a time. Fellow cast members knew he was in distress, but this intensely private man made no complaints. His last rôles reminded us of the breadth of his talent, including "The Camomile Lawn" (1992) and voicing Badger in The Adventures of Mole (1995) (TV).

Shortly before his death Paul recorded a "Face to Face" interview. His face ravaged by the effects of cancer he displayed a quiet dignity which endeared to fans old and new. During the interview he provided his epitaph: "He did very little harm."

IMDb Mini Biography By: garryq

Spouse

Patricia Scott

(28 April 1952 - 4 November 1995) (his death) 4 children

Trivia

Just before he died, Paul Eddington gave a very moving interview in the Face to Face series. With typical modesty, he said that his epitaph should simply be "He did very little harm".

He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1987 Queen's Honours List for his services to drama.

Four children with Patricia Scott: actor Toby Eddington (born 1954), Hugo, Dominic and Gemma.

He was awarded the 1992 London Critics Circle Theatre Award (Drama Theatre Award) for Best Actor for his performance in "No Man's Land.".

First TV lead was to be in a play called 'On Easy Terms' for Rediffusion TV, written by Ken Taylor and directed by Tania Lieven. He was to play an amorous door-to-door salesman. However the production was cancelled during rehearsals, near the end of Rediffusion's tenure. The play was taken by Belgian TV and made as Facilités de payement (1970) (TV).

Personal Quotes

People abroad tended to play safe and treat me as a minister, just in case.

A journalist once asked me what I would like my epitaph to be and I said I think I would like it to be 'He did very little harm'. And that's not easy -- most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me.