Tony Hancock
Tony Hancock | |
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Hancock c. 1963 | |
| Born | Anthony John Hancock 12 May 1924 Hall Green, Birmingham, England |
| Died | 25 June 1968 (aged 44) Bellevue Hill, Sydney, Australia |
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| Years active | 1942–1968 |
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Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor.
High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series Hancock's Half Hour, first broadcast on radio from 1954, then on television from 1956, in which he soon formed a strong professional and personal bond with comic actor Sid James. Although Hancock's decision to cease working with James, when it became known in early 1960, disappointed many at the time, his last BBC series in 1961 contains some of his best-remembered work (including The Blood Donor and The Radio Ham). After breaking with his scriptwriters Ray Galton and Alan Simpson later that year, his career declined.
Across his career, Hancock twice won the BAFTA Award for Light Entertainment Artist in 1958 and 1960. He was later nominated for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his performance in The Rebel (1961).