Clive Dunn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clive Dunn OBE
Dunn in Surprise Attack (1951)
Born	Clive Robert Benjamin Dunn (1920-01-09)9 January 1920 Brixton, London, England
Died	6 November 2012(2012-11-06) (aged 92) Faro, Portugal
Alma mater	Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1935–1984
Known for	Lance Corporal Jones
Spouse(s)	Patricia Kenyon ​ ​ (m. 1951; div. 1958)​ Priscilla Morgan ​ (m. 1959)​
Children	2
Relatives	Gretchen Franklin (cousin)
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Service/branch	Royal Armoured Corps, British Army
Rank	Trooper
Unit	4th Queen's Own Hussars
Battles/wars	Battle of Greece

Clive Dunn was an English actor, born on January 9, 1920. He passed away on November 6, 2012. Even though he was only 48, he became famous for playing a much older character. This was Lance Corporal Jones in the BBC comedy show Dad's Army. The show was very popular and ran for nine seasons from 1968 to 1977.

Clive Dunn began acting in 1935. However, his career was put on hold by World War II. He served as a soldier in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars. In 1941, his group had to surrender during a battle in Greece. Dunn was then held as a prisoner of war in Austria for four years.

After the war, Dunn returned to acting. He performed in many plays and made his first TV appearance in 1951. He was in a short film called Surprise Attack. Before Dad's Army, he appeared in The Tony Hancock Show and worked with other famous comedians.

After Dad's Army finished, Clive Dunn continued to play older characters. He starred as Charlie Quick in the children's TV show Grandad. This show was on from 1979 to 1984.

Clive Dunn's Early Life and Education

Clive Dunn was born in Brixton, south London. Both of his parents were actors. He was also the cousin of actress Gretchen Franklin. Clive went to Sevenoaks School, which was a school for boys.

After school, he studied acting at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. In the 1930s, he had a few small parts in movies. While still at school, he appeared in films like Boys Will Be Boys (1935) and Good Morning, Boys (1937).

Military Service During World War II

When World War II started, Clive Dunn joined the British Army in 1940. He was a soldier in the 4th Queen's Own Hussars. His group was sent to the Middle East in December 1940. They fought in the Greek Campaign in April 1941.

During a battle at the Corinth Canal, his group was surrounded. They were forced to surrender. Clive Dunn was one of about 400 soldiers taken as prisoners of war. He was held in Austria for four years. After the war ended, he stayed in the army until 1947.

Clive Dunn's Acting Career Highlights

After the war, Clive Dunn went back to acting in plays. Soon, he started appearing on television. In 1951, he was in Surprise Attack, a short film.

In the 1950s and 1960s, he appeared in many TV shows. He worked with comedians like Tony Hancock and Dick Emery. In 1968, he got the role of Jones in Dad's Army.

Clive Dunn was known for playing older, sometimes confused, characters. He first became known for this in the show Bootsie and Snudge. He played Mr. Johnson, an old worker at a club. In the early 1960s, he was also on It's a Square World. He even did the first TV parody of Doctor Who in 1963.

In 1967, he was a guest star in an episode of The Avengers. He played a toy shop owner.

When he joined Dad's Army, Clive Dunn was 48 years old. He was one of the younger actors in the cast. But he played the oldest character, Lance Corporal Jones. Jones was a butcher who had served in earlier wars. Because Clive was younger, he did a lot of the funny physical comedy in the show.

After Dad's Army ended, Dunn continued to play older characters. He starred as Charlie Quick in the children's TV show Grandad from 1979 to 1984. He played a caretaker at a village hall. He also sang the theme song for the show.

In 1971, on his 51st birthday, his song "Grandad" became a number one hit. A children's choir sang with him. He performed the song four times on Top of the Pops. After the success of "Grandad", he released other songs, but they did not become hits.

Clive Dunn was featured on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1971.

Clive Dunn's Personal Life

Clive Dunn married fashion model Patricia Kenyon in 1951. They divorced in 1958. In 1959, he married actress Priscilla Pughe-Morgan. They had two daughters together.

For the last 30 years of his life, Clive Dunn lived in Algarve, Portugal. He enjoyed painting portraits, landscapes, and seascapes. He continued to paint until his eyesight failed.

Clive Dunn supported the Labour Party. He was a socialist. He sometimes disagreed with his Dad's Army co-star, Arthur Lowe, who was a conservative. In 1975, Dunn was given an OBE award.

Clive Dunn's Passing

Clive Dunn passed away in Algarve, Portugal, on November 6, 2012. He had complications from an operation. His agent said he would be "sorely missed."

Frank Williams, who played the Vicar in Dad's Army, said Clive was "great fun" to be around. He added that Clive had a "great sense of humour." Ian Lavender, who played Private Pike, said Clive always made time for his fans.

Clive Dunn's Film and TV Roles

Films

Television roles

Singles

• "Such a Beauty" / "Too Old", Parlophone, 1962
• "Grandad" / "I Play the Spoons", Columbia, 1970 (reached No. 1 in the UK in January 1971)
• "My Lady (Nana)" / "Tissue Paper & Comb", Columbia, 1971
• "Wonderful Lilly" / "Pretty Little Song", Columbia, 1972
• "Let's Take A Walk" / "Tell Us", Columbia, 1972
• "Our Song" / "She's Gone", EMI, 1973
• "Grandad" / "My Lady (Nana)" (reissue), EMI, 1973
• "My Old Man" / "My Own Special Girl", EMI, 1974
• "Holding On" / "My Beautiful England", Reprise, 1976
• "Goodnight Ruby" / "Thank You and Goodnight", Decca, 1977
• "Thinking of You This Christmas" / "'Arry 'Arry 'Arry", Sky Records, 1978
• "There Ain't Much Change from a Pound These Days" / "After All These Years" (with John Le Mesurier), KA Records, 1982
• "Grandad" (reissue) / "There's No-One Quite Like Grandma", EMI, 1988

Non-fiction

• Permission to Speak: An Autobiography (1986)
• Permission to Laugh: My Favourite Funny Stories (1996)

Images for kids

• 

  Dunn in Surprise Attack (1951)

See also

In Spanish: Clive Dunn para niños