Harry H Corbett and the two "Steptoe and Son" movies in the early 1970s. He suffered a series of heart attacks between 1979 and 1982, before his premature death aged 57.
Father of actress Susannah Corbett
The middle initial H was just to avoid confusion with the other Harry Corbett (who operated the glove puppet "Sooty"). He said it stood for "Hanyfink" (anything).
He could do a very accurate impression of British prime minister Harold Wilson and used it for the film Percys Progress .
Served in the Royal Marines during the Second World War.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1976 Queens New Year Honours List for his services to drama. Prime Minister Harold Wilson intended the award to go to him partly because he was a Labour Party supporter but the "H" got missed out of the name and the offer initially went to Sooty and Sweep entertainer Harry Corbett instead. Both were eventually included in the same honours list.
Corbett was a Labour Party campaigner, a personal friend of Prime Minister Harold Wilson , and recorded a party political broadcast.
He suffered a heart attack in September 1979 and was involved in a serious car crash shortly afterwards. Corbett had smoked 60 cigarettes a day for years, but cut down to 20 a day after the heart attack.
He wore a hairpiece from the second season of "Steptoe and Son" . By the end of the series he wore a full wig.
To some extent, money has bought me that sort of freedom.
One thing that frightens me - when people ask me to explain my success.
Harold is not me, Harold only exists on paper.
I would take job after job as the mood struck me. I built prefabs,stacked timber, made electric switches. I changed with the weather.
