John Bluthal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Bluthal
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Bluthal in Arthur Miller's 'The Price' at York Theatre Royal, 1993
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| Born |
Isaac Bluthal
12 August 1929 Jezierzany, Galicia, Poland
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| Died | 15 November 2018 (aged 89) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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| Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1953–2018 |
| Spouse(s) |
Judyth Barron
(m. 1956, separated) |
| Children | 2 |
John Bluthal (born Isaac Bluthal; 12 August 1929 – 15 November 2018) was a talented actor and comedian. He was born in Poland and grew up in Australia. He had a long career that lasted over 60 years! He worked in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
He became well-known during the early days of British television. He was famous for his comedy work with Spike Milligan. He also played Manny Cohen in the TV show Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width. Later, many people knew him as the funny Frank Pickle in The Vicar of Dibley. When he was 85, he acted in the Coen brothers' movie Hail, Caesar! (2016).
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John Bluthal's Early Life
John Bluthal was born in a town called Jezierzany in Poland in 1929. His family was Jewish. In 1938, when he was nine, his family moved to Melbourne, Australia. They moved because of unfair treatment against Jewish people in Poland.
He went to school in Melbourne. He started acting in plays at the Yiddish Theatre in Melbourne. He also studied drama at the University of Melbourne. In 1949, he traveled to Europe and the United Kingdom. During this time, he acted in pantomime shows. He also performed in radio dramas and TV shows in Australia.
John Bluthal's Acting Career
John Bluthal moved to the United Kingdom for good in 1960. He appeared in many TV shows and movies.
TV Shows and Comedy
In 1960, he was in Citizen James for BBC television. He also played Manny Cohen in the popular ITV comedy series Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967–1971). Manny Cohen was a Jewish tailor in London. He worked with an Irish Catholic tailor named Patrick Kelly.
In the 1960s, John Bluthal also gave his voice to Commander Zero. This was for the TV show Fireball XL5 (1962–1963).
He worked a lot with the famous comedian Spike Milligan. They had worked together in Australia before John moved to Britain. He appeared in Milligan's stage play The Bedsitting Room. He also worked with Milligan on the TV series Q. John Bluthal was very good at doing different funny voices. This was similar to Milligan's friend Peter Sellers.
Later in his career, he became very well-known for playing Frank Pickle. Frank was a careful note-taker in the popular sitcom The Vicar of Dibley. He also played Rocco, the caretaker, in the show Spirited.
Movies and Theatre
John Bluthal acted in many British theatre productions. In 1960, he played Fagin in the first show of the musical Oliver! in London's West End. He also performed at the Royal National Theatre. He was in plays like Antony and Cleopatra with famous actors Judi Dench and Anthony Hopkins.
He appeared in many films too. He was in The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965). He also acted in three Carry On movies. He was in The Beatles' films A Hard Day's Night (1964) and Help! (1965). He played three different characters in Casino Royale (1967). He was also in two of Pink Panther movies.
In 1997, he played a professor in the movie The Fifth Element. He was also Uncle Karl in Dark City (1998). His last movie role was in the 2016 Coen brothers film Hail, Caesar!.
His very last acting role was with his daughter Lisa Bluthal. They were in her short film By Any Other Name (2018). It was a comedy about a daughter helping her father who had Alzheimer's.
John Bluthal's Family and Passing
John Bluthal married actress Judyth Barron in 1956. They had two daughters, Nava and Lisa. They later separated. Judyth passed away in 2016.
John Bluthal died on 15 November 2018, at the age of 89. He passed away in Australia. After he died, his co-star from The Vicar of Dibley, Dawn French, shared a loving message. She remembered him as "Cheeky, naughty, hilarious." The BBC also showed a special tribute to him and other cast members who had passed away.
