Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens better known as Terry-Thomas was the cinema's quintessential upper class cad.
Terry-Thomas was born in 1911 Finchley to Ernest Stevens and Ellen Hoar. His father was a managing director of a Smithfield butcher's business and an amateur actor. At a young age his parents became alcoholics after their marriage failed and Terry-Thomas attempted to bring them together by performing slapstick routines and reciting jokes. Unfortunately it didn't work.
By 1921 Terry-Thomas had started to develop his well spoken and distinctive voice as he beleived that it gave the impression of someone well educated and consequently made people look up to you.
After finishing school(Some of it spent at Ardingly College a public school in Sussex), he accepted a position as a junior transport clerk for a company in Smithfield market. Whilst he was there, his 'farting around' as he put it was noticed by the management and they encouraged him to join their amateur dramatic group
In 1933 Terry-Thomas had moved away from Finchley and into a friend's flat. The friend encouraged Terry-Thomas to join him and become a film extra. He made is film debut as an uncredited extra in The Private Life of Henry VIII a 1933 production with Charles Laughton in the starring role.
Terry-Thomas met the dancer Pat Patlanski(real name Ida Patlansky)in 1937 and they became a cabaret act. They also became romantically involved and married in 1938. From early o in their marriage, Patlanksi was having affairs which Terry-Thomas reciprocated.
In 1939 both he and Pat joined ENSA and began entertaining the troops however in 1942 Terry-Thomas received his call up papers. Although he had joined the Royal Corp of Signals, Terry-Thomas spent most of the war entertaining the troops and had been promoted to sergeant by the end.
After the war, Terry-Thomas was part of the very successful ENSA production 'Stars in Battledress' which ran for nearly 800 perfomances in London's West End and also appeared on televison and radio. By 1956 Terry-Thomas' film career took off and this was the beginning of what he will always be remembered for, the upper-class cad character.
During the late 1950s and 60s, Terry-Thomas appaeared in a number classic film comedies such as School for Scoundrels, I'm All Right Jack, It's a Mad Mad Mad World, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines and so many more.By the end of his career, he had appaeared in over 200 films.
By the 1970s Terry-Thomas had the beginnings of Parkinson's disease and his film appearances started to slow down. As the disease took hold, he was forced to use the fortune he made from acting for medical purposes. This caused him to become poverty stricken. When his cousin Richard Briers saw what had happened to him, many stars got together for a benefit concert that raised over £75000 which enabled Terry-Thomas to live the remainder of his life in a Godalming nursing home. It was there that Terry-Thomas passed away on 8th January 1990. He was 78 years old.
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