Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edward Chapman (13 October 1901 - 9 August 1977) was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s. Chapman was born in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. On leaving school he became a bank clerk but later began his stage career with Ben Greet's Company in ...
Known For
Complete Filmography
The Man Who Haunted Himself
1970
as Barton
Executive Harold Pelham suffers a serious accident after which he faces the shadow of death. When, against all odds, he miraculously recovers, he disc...
The Early Bird
1965
as Mr. Thomas Grimsdale
Norman Pitkin is the assistant helping to run a small, old fashioned dairy which is threatened by a larger, modern organisation. Pitkin does his best ...
Joey Boy
1965
as Tom Hobson
While posters urge austerity and vigilance in wartime Britain, 'Joey Boy' Thompson has never had it better. In a cellar beneath his East London fish s...
Hide and Seek
1964
as McPherson
A professor of astronomy helping on a missile development program. An old friend of his is a Russian chess champion. The Russian is working with shady...
A Stitch in Time
1963
as Mr Grimsdale
An accident in the butchers shop leads Norman Pitkin and Mr Grimsdale to the hospital where, after causing the normal ammount of chaos, Pitkin finds L...
Venus fra Vestø
1962
Vestø island's isolated community's prize cow is in danger of being abducted by German WWII occupation forces.
The Big Deal
1961
as Sir Pierson Cale
Unscrupulous business Sir Pierson Cale is determined to win the contract to build a power station. He sees John Hamilton as someone who can get the jo...
The Bulldog Breed
1960
as Mr. Philpots
Norman Puckle, a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, can't seem to do anything right. After being rejected by Marlene, the love of his life, h...
Oscar Wilde
1960
as Marquis of Queensberry
England, 1891. Ascending writer Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) meets Lord Alfred Douglas, a young nobleman. Over the years, they will maintain an intimate re...
School for Scoundrels
1960
as Gloatbridge
Hapless Henry Palfrey is patronised by his self-important chief clerk at work, ignored by restaurant waiters, conned by shady second-hand car salesmen...
The Square Peg
1958
as Mr Grimsdale
Norman Pitkin and Mr Grimsdale are council workmen mending the road outside an Army base when they come into conflict with the military. Shortly after...
Innocent Sinners
1958
as Manley
A neglected girl in post-World War II London befriends street urchins who help her build a tiny garden in a bombed-out church.
The Young and the Guilty
1958
as George Connor
Parents veto the romance of two high-school students, forcing them to meet in secret.
Just My Luck
1957
as Mr. Stoneway
Norman works in a jewellers workshop and fantasises (in the nicest way) about meeting the window dresser across the road from his workshop. He wants t...
Doctor at Large
1957
as Wilkins
Losing out to Dr. Bingham (Michael Medwin) in a competition for house surgeon when he offends a member of the board, young Dr. Simon Sparrow (Dirk Bog...
X: The Unknown
1956
as John Elliott
Army radiation experiments awaken a subterranean monster from a fissure that feeds on energy and proceeds to terrorise a remote Scottish village. An A...
Lisbon
1956
as Edgar Selwyn
For Capt. Robert John Evans, smuggling black-market goods is nothing out of the ordinary. But one day he's hired by Aristides Mavros for a more involv...
Bhowani Junction
1956
as Thomas Jones
Anglo-Indian Victoria Jones seeks her true identity amid the chaos of the British withdrawal from India.
The Love Match
1955
as Mr Longworth
After being arrested for assaulting a football referee, desperate train driver Bill (Arthur Askey) raids the railwaymen's holiday fund to cover his £5...
A Yank in Ermine
1955
as Duke of Fontenham
An American airman inherits an Earldom in England along with the small matter of $3 million on the proviso that he gives up his US citizenship. Unsur...
The Crowded Day
1954
as Mr. Bunting
One day in the lives and loves of the staff in a large department store.
The End of the Road
1954
as Works Manager
Having been given enforced retirement due to his age, Mick-Mack creates strain upon his extended family.
A Day to Remember
1953
as Mr. Robinson
A group of men from a London pub are going on a darts team outing to Boulogne. Various members of the party have different reasons for going and get i...
The Intruder
1953
as Lowden
When Ex Colonel Merton discovers a burglar ransacking his home, he is shocked to find out that the thief is a former soldier from his tank regiment. W...
Folly to Be Wise
1952
as Joseph Byres M.P.
A newly-arrived army chaplain is put in charge of camp entertainment and has the idea of putting on a Brains Trust with local notables. Unfortunately ...
The Ringer
1952
as Stranger
An underhand solicitor receives threatening notes, and the police are called in to protect him.
Mandy
1952
as Ackland
London, the early 1950s. Born deaf, Mandy is mute for most of her childhood. As she reaches school age her family itself is in danger of breaking up. ...
The Card
1952
as Mr. Duncalf
A charming and ambitious young man finds many ways to raise himself through the ranks in business and social standing - some honest, some not quite so...
His Excellency
1952
as The Admiral
A trade union official becomes governor of a British island colony.
The Magic Box
1952
as Father in Family Group
Now old, ill, poor, and largely forgotten, William Freise-Greene was once very different. As young and handsome William Green he changed his name to i...
The Cocktail Party
1952
Troubled married couple who, through the intervention of a mysterious stranger, settle their problems and move on with their lives.
Gone to Earth
1950
as Mr. James
Hazel Woods, a beautiful and young Welsh girl, lives a wild, rustic life and loves animals — in particular, her pet fox. She is hotly desired by Jack ...
Night and the City
1950
as Hoskins (uncredited)
Londoner Harry Fabian is a second-rate con man looking for an angle. After years of putting up with Harry's schemes, his girlfriend, Mary, becomes fed...
The Spider and the Fly
1949
as Minister for War
"The Spider and the Fly is set in Paris during the cloud-cuckoo days before WW I. The storyline intertwines the destinies of three people. Guy Rolfe p...
Man on the Run
1949
as Chief Inspector Mitchell
An Army deserter, still a fugitive in Post-War Britain, wanders into a pawn-shop robbery and finds himself wanted for murder. He meets a war widow who...
The History of Mr. Polly
1949
as Mr. Johnson
Quiet and somewhat direction-less, Alfred Polly uses the money he inherits from his father to marry and to set up shop in a small town. His heart is i...
Mr. Perrin and Mr. Traill
1948
as Birkland
A handsome young master at a boys school incurs the jealousy of an embittered colleague. From the novel by Hugh Walpole.
It Always Rains on Sunday
1947
as George Sandigate
During a rainy Sunday afternoon, an escaped prisoner tries to hide out at the home of his ex-fiance.
The October Man
1947
as Mr. Peachy
Jim Ackland, who suffers from a head injury sustained in a bus crash, is the chief suspect in a murder hunt, when a girl that he has just met is found...
They Flew Alone
1942
as Mr. Johnson
The story of flyer Amy Johnson the girl from Yorkshire who won the hearts of the British public in the 1930s with her record-breaking solo flights aro...
Ships with Wings
1941
as Papadopoulos
Before the war, a Fleet Air Arm pilot is dismissed for causing the death of a colleague. Working for a small Greek airline when the Germans invade Gre...
Jeannie
1941
as Mr. Jansen
Based on Aimee Stuart's play. Little Scots girl decides to use her inheritance for a "grand tour" of the Continent.
Turned Out Nice Again
1941
as Uncle Arnold
George Pearson, an employee at an underwear factory, is caught between his modern wife and his meddling mother. After buying a special yarn and gettin...
Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It
1941
as Mr. Blenkinsop
Third and final film in the 'Inspector Hornleigh’ series of comedy-thrillers. Inspector Hornleigh (Gordon Harker), disappointed at not being handed an...
Eating Out with Tommy Trinder
1941
as Mr. Jones
Tommy Trinder promotes the virtues of the wartime communal British Restaurants.
Convoy
1940
as Captain Eckersley
A tale of life on board a Royal Navy cruiser assigned to protect the vital convoys between America and England during WWII.
The Briggs Family
1940
as Charley Briggs
During the Second World War, a special constable and former solicitor is called upon to defend his son who is accused of the theft of a car
Law and Disorder
1940
as Detective Inspector Bray
On the eve of WWII a young defence lawyer, assisted by his wife, invaigles his way into a gang of foreign saboteurs. Comedy thriller, ably executed by...
The Proud Valley
1940
as Dick Parry
In a Welsh coal mining valley, a young man with a beautiful singing voice is called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice when a pit disaster threatens.
Now You're Talking
1940
as Alf Small
Commissioned by the Ministry of Information and specifically target working class audiences; ‘Now you’re talking’ follows a plant worker, who lets sli...
Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday
1939
as Captain Edwin Fraser
During a holiday by the British seaside, Hornleigh and Bingham grow bored and turn their hand to investigating a local crime.
Poison Pen
1939
as Len Griffin
The inhabitants of a peaceful village begin receiving mysterious hate mail penned by someone with malicious thoughts.
There Ain't No Justice
1939
as Sammy Sanders
A young boxer falls in with a crooked fight promoter.
The Four Just Men
1939
as B.J. Burrell
The Four Men of the title are British WWI veterans who decide to work secretly against enemies of the country. They aren't above a bit of murder or sa...
The Nursemaid Who Disappeared
1939
An overheard conversation leads to clues that a kidnapping plot is afoot.
Marigold
1938
as Mordan
Marigold is a 1938 British drama film set in Scotland in the Victorian era. It was filmed in Edinburgh. It was based on a 1914 play of the same title ...
The Citadel
1938
as Joe Morgan
Andrew Manson, a young, idealistic, newly qualified Scottish doctor arrives in Wales takes his first job in a mining town, and begins to wonder at the...
Who Killed John Savage?
1938
as Inspector Chortley
Who Killed John Savage?
Premiere
1938
as Lohrmann
In Paris a leading theatre impresario is murdered on opening night, shortly after replacing his leading lady. A police Inspector in the audience takes...
Rembrandt
1936
as Fabrizius
A character study depicting the life of Rembrandt Van Rijn at the height of his fame in the mid 1600s. Beginning with the death of his wife, Rembrandt...
Someone at the Door
1936
as Price
When Sally inherits a country house, her young brother Ronald, an aspiring journalist, hits on a sensational way to make his first big scoop: Sally wi...
The Man Who Could Work Miracles
1936
as Major Grigsby
An ordinary man, while vigorously asserting the impossibility of miracles, suddenly discovers that he can perform them.
Things to Come
1936
as Pippa Passworthy / Raymond Passworthy
The story of a century: a decades-long second World War leaves plague and anarchy, then a rational state rebuilds civilization and attempts space trav...
The Divine Spark
1935
as Saverio Mercadante
British musical film directed by Carmine Gallone.
Mister Cinders
1935
as Mr. Gaunt
The Cinderella story is reversed in this light-hearted adaptation, with Cinders a young man who eventually wins the 'princess' – in this case, an oil ...
The Church Mouse
1934
as Wormwood
When a meek secretary goes to work for her new boss, she becomes a sophisticated lady.
Girls Will Be Boys
1934
as Grey
The Duke of Bridgewater sends for the heir he's never seen. His heir is Patricia, and the Duke is a woman-hater, so Patricia disguises herself as a bo...
Blossom Time
1934
as Meyerhoffer
World-renowned tenor Richard Tauber features in a dramatisation of the life of Schubert, focusing on the composer's unrequited love for a dance master...
The Queen's Affair
1934
as Guard
Poor New York shop girl Nadina receives the unexpected news that she is next in line to be queen of an Eastern European country. On her arrival in Rur...
Happy Ever After
1932
as Colonel
Two window cleaners help a girl who is trying to get to Hollywood.
The Flying Squad
1932
as Sedeman
The officers of the Flying Squad attempt to track down a drug-smuggling gang.
Tilly of Bloomsbury
1931
as Percy Welwyn
A young woman falls in love with an aristocrat and tries to convince his parents that she is herself wealthy.
The Skin Game
1931
as Dawker
An old traditional family and a modern family battle over land in a small English village.
Caste
1930
as Sam Gerridge
The daughter of a Cockney drunkard marries a young aristocrat who is presumed killed in action in WWI. When she gets the news she goes to stay with he...
Murder!
1930
as Ted Markham
When a woman is convicted of murder, one of the jurors selected to serve on the murder-trial jury believes the accused, an aspiring actress, is innoce...
Juno and the Paycock
1930
as Captain Boyle
During the Irish revolution, a family earns a big inheritance. They start leading a rich life, forgetting what the most important values of life reall...