Patrick Cargill born 3 June 1918 (d. 1996)Patrick Cargill was a British actor.
Patrick Cargill was one of the West End's most distinguished actors and a brilliant farceur. His sense of timing was excellent, an essential part of comedy acting. Although it was television that brought him fame.
He made his first West End appearance in 1953 in Ian Carmichael's revue, High Spirits at the London Hippodrome. He also co-wrote the stage play Ring For Catty, with Jack Beale. The second of the Carry On films, Carry On Nurse (1959) was based on this play. He appeared in Hancock's The Blood Donor as the long-suffering doctor in charge of the blood transfusion.
After a number of other West End roles he landed that of Bernard in Boeing Boeing at the Apollo Theatre in 1962. The farce, which was almost tailor made for him, attracted major producers to him and he went on to star in Say Who You Are at Her Majesty's Theatre in 1965 and to direct Not Now Darling by Ray Cooney and John Chapman at The Strand Theatre in 1968. In that year, Cargill had his big break when he was offered the chance of his own sitcom on ITV.
Father, Dear Father was written specifically for him and his unique off-beat farcical talent, and he was cast as Patrick Glover, a thriller writer, but an inept father of two teenage daughters. The show ran until 1973 and showcased many other stars, such as Leslie Phillips, Ian Carmichael, Tony Britton, Jeremy Child, Joyce Carey, Donald Sinden, Rodney Bewes, June Whitfield, Richard O'Sullivan, Bill Fraser, Dandy Nichols, Bill Pertwee, Peter Jones, Joan Sims, Richard Wattis, Jack Hulbert, Hugh Paddick, Roy Kinnear and Beryl Reid. The series was produced and directed by William G. Stewart, later to be the presenter of Channel 4 quiz show Fifteen to One.In 1976 Cargill returned to the TV screens with The Many Wives of Patrick, playing a middle-aged playboy who is trying to divorce his sixth wife in order to remarry his first. This series again showcased many famous stars.
A resurgence in the popularity of farce in the 1980s saw him return to the theatre for the remainder of his career.
Patrick Cargill made a number of films, notably two Carry Ons and The Beatles' Help!
Patrick Cargill was born of middle-class parents living in Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex. He was a commissioned officer in the army during the war and spent most of his active service in India. From the mid 1960s he lived near Richmond, Surrey. He spent his time 'resting' at Spring Cottage, his country retreat situated in Sussex. For many years his 'companion' was Vernon Page, an eccentric landscape gardener, poet and lampoon songwriter, until he married in 1984 with Cargill's blessing.
Cargill was not a private man who quietly disliked his TV fame. He would shun the awards ceremonies and star galas in favour of a quiet evening at home playing Mah Jong. He never made any public acknowledgment of his private life as he felt that to admit to being gay would damage his professional image. Notwithstanding his reluctance to come out in this respect, Cargill was happy being gay in his private life and his wit when not in the spotlight reflected that. Once, whilst lunching with Ray Cooney, the theatrical impresario, Cargill wittily observed, when a particularly handsome waiter mistakenly removed his soup spoon, 'Ah look Ray, the dish has run away with the spoon.'
In the later years of his life, Cargill lived in Henley with his last companion, James Camille Markowski.
He died in Richmond, London, aged 77. He had been suffering from a brain tumour.