Lance Percival facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lance Percival
Born	John Lancelot Blades Percival (1933-07-26)26 July 1933 Sevenoaks, Kent, England
Died	6 January 2015(2015-01-06) (aged 81) London, England
Years active	1961–1990

John Lancelot Blades Percival (born 26 July 1933 – died 6 January 2015), known as Lance Percival, was a talented English actor, comedian, and singer. He was famous for his funny appearances on TV shows in the early 1960s. He was especially good at making up funny songs called calypsos on the spot, often about the news of the day. Later in his life, he became a popular speaker at events.

About Lance Percival

Lance Percival was born in Sevenoaks, a town in Kent, England. He went to Sherborne School where he learned to play the guitar. After school, he joined the army for a short time, serving in Egypt. In 1955, he moved to Canada. There, he worked writing catchy jingles for radio ads. He also started a calypso music group called "Lord Lance" and toured around the US and Canada.

Becoming a Star

Lance Percival became well-known in the early 1960s. He performed funny, up-to-date calypso songs on TV shows like That Was The Week That Was. A TV producer named Ned Sherrin discovered him performing at a club in London. Lance was tall and thin, with a unique crooked nose and big ears.

He also appeared in several British comedy movies. These included the famous Carry On movie Carry On Cruising (1962). He also had small roles in The V.I.P.s (1963) and The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964). He played a big role in the musical comedy It's All Over Town (1964).

Lance even had his own comedy show on BBC TV called Lance at Large in 1964.

Music and Voice Acting

Like many British comedians of his time, Lance worked with music producer George Martin. George Martin was famous for working with the Beatles. Lance had one song, "Shame and Scandal in the Family", that became a hit in the UK in 1965. He also recorded other funny songs like "The Beetroot Song".

Later, Lance Percival used his voice talents for the cartoon series The Beatles (1965). He voiced both Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr! This led to his most famous voice role as "Old Fred" in the Beatles' animated movie Yellow Submarine. He also appeared in the Herman's Hermits film Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter (1968).

Later Career

During the 1960s and 1970s, Lance was a regular guest on radio shows like Many a Slip. He acted alongside big stars like Julie Andrews and Rock Hudson in the musical film Darling Lili (1970). He also took on a serious role in the war film Too Late the Hero (1970).

Lance appeared in several films with comedian Frankie Howerd, including Up Pompeii (1971). He continued acting in films until 1978. He also helped write the TV game show Whodunnit! between 1972 and 1978.

In the 1980s, Lance was a regular on the radio show Just a Minute. He also wrote two books of poems about cats and dogs. He became known as a writer and a popular after-dinner speaker.

Lance Percival passed away on 6 January 2015, at the age of 81, after being ill for a long time. His son, Jamie, said that Lance always remembered his time on That Was the Week That Was with great fondness.

Film Roles

Here are some of the films Lance Percival appeared in:

Television Appearances

Lance Percival also appeared in these TV shows:

• That Was the Week That Was (1962–1963)
• Citizen James (1962)
• The Beatles (1965–1967) – (voice of Paul McCartney / Ringo Starr)
• Jason King (1972)
• Who Do You Do? (1972–1973)
• Chico the Rainmaker aka The Boy with Two Heads (1974)
• Oscar the Rabbit in Rubbidge (1977) – (narrator)
• Shoestring (1980)
• Bullseye (1983)