Clive Swift

Clive Swift was an English actor and songwriter born in Liverpool. Born to Lily and Abraham Swift, a furniture retailer, Clive also had a brother, David. David Swift would also become an actor, best known for appearing on the sitcom "Drop the Dead Donkey" (Channel 4, 1990-98); he passed away in 2016. Clive studied at Clifton College and English literature at Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge University. He made his professional stage debut in a 1959 production of "Take the Fool Away," and the next year, married novelist Margaret Drabble, although they divorced in 1975. Their first child, Adam became an academic and political philosopher. Their daughter Rebecca Swift, founded The Literary Consultancy in London; she passed away in 2017. The couple's third and final child, Joe, became a garden designer who wrote and presented on the subject of landscaping for print/digital outlets and television. During this period of growing family life, Swift joined the cast of the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1960, where he performed in numerous productions until 1968. He made his television debut in a 1961 "Ondine" episode of "Theatre Night" (BBC, 1957-1961), a program that broadcast excerpts of London stage plays. Swift made his film debut in John Boorman's own directorial debut, "Catch Us If You Can" (1965), and utilizing his Shakespeare experience on film, played Snug in Peter Hall's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (1968). Swift's highest profile project was iconic director Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate picture, "Frenzy" (1972). Consistently working in television, Swift returned to large-scale film when he worked with Boorman once again for the director's fantasy epic "Excalibur" (1981) and with David Lean for that pioneering filmmaker's last project, "A Passage to India" (1984). He played Professor Jobel in the "Revelation of the Daleks" serial of "Doctor Who" (BBC, 1963-1989; 2005) in 1985, and Brabantio in a filmed stage production of "Othello" (1990) alongside Ian McKellen as Iago. That same year, however, Swift landed the role that would define his legacy: Richard Bucket-long-suffering husband of social climber Hyacinth Bucket-on the well-liked sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances" (BBC One, 1990-95). He played Reverend Eustacius Brewer on the comedy-drama series " Bred" (BBC One) and made his final film appearance in a movie entitled "Vacuums" (2003). Swift returned to "Doctor Who" in a 2007 episode of the revived series and co-starred in short-lived sitcom "The Old Guys" (BBC One, 2009-2010). He made his last television and acting appearance on a 2017 episode of "Midsomer Murders" (ITV, 1997-) before passing away on February 1, 2019, eight days shy of his 83rd birthday. Besides his acting career, Swift also contributed his songwriting talents to some of his acting projects and taught the craft at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.