James Beck

Stanley James Carroll Beck (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was an English television actor. He appeared in a number of programmes, but is best known for the role of Private Walker, a cockney spiv, in the BBC sitcom Dad's Army from the show's beginning in 1968 until his sudden death in 1973.

James Beck
James Beck as Private Walker in the Dad's Army episode "The Honourable Man" in 1973, just over a week before his collapse
Born
Stanley James Carroll Beck

(1929-02-21)21 February 1929
Islington, London, England[1]
Died6 August 1973(1973-08-06) (aged 44)
Roehampton, London, England [2]
Resting placePutney Vale Cemetery, London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1961–1973
Spouse
Kathleen Bullus
​
(m. 1959)​

Early life

Beck was born on 21 February 1929 in Islington, North London,[3] and attended Popham Road Primary School.

After attending Saint Martin's School of Art and doing his national service as a physical training instructor in the British Army, Beck became an actor.[4]

Career

Theatre

In 1949, Beck made his career acting debut in Little Lambs Eat Ivy at the Granville Theatre, Ramsgate.[5] and followed in Peace Comes to Peckham and Miranda,[5] at the same venue later that year.[5] In 1954, he starred in A Murder Has Been Arranged at Bridgwater Town Hall,[5] He joined 'Unicorn Players', and performed in seven different plays at the Palace Theatre, Paignton between 1955-1957.[5] From 1958 to 1967, he was a regular performer in many different plays at York Theatre Royal.[5]

Film and television

He concentrated on television and his early broadcast roles included Charlie Bell in an episode of Dr Finlay's Casebook (Series 1 episode 4, "Conduct Unbecoming", 1962), and was cast as a policeman in a 1965 episode of Coronation Street,[6] in a storyline concerning the collapse of a house and in a 1967 episode in a storyline concerning a train crash. He also appeared, uncredited, as a policeman in Gideon's Way (1965), and was often seen in TV drama, with one-off roles in series such as The Troubleshooters (1965, 1967, 1970) and in 1968, with Peter Cushing in the episode "The Blue Carbuncle", the BBC's Sherlock Holmes.[7]

In 1968, he was offered the role of Private Walker in Dad's Army, originally written by Jimmy Perry for himself. Perry approved of the casting of Beck: "He had the right mix of cheekiness and charm. He gave the role a bit of oomph."[8]

Always in demand, he continued to work on TV programmes including A Family at War (1970) and Romany Jones (1972–73),[6] in which he played the lead character of Bert Jones.[8] He also recorded a pilot for an uncommissioned series called Bunclarke With an E (1973),[8] which was to be based on scripts originally written for Hancock's Half Hour and in which Arthur Lowe was also to appear.[8]

Death

By 1973, Beck had recorded five series of Dad's Army and had nearly finished working on the sixth, besides working on the radio series of the show.[8] All of the location filming and studio recording for five of the planned seven episodes of Series Six had been completed when Beck suddenly fell ill while opening a school fête in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind.[8] He returned home and within an hour was taken to Queen Mary's Hospital, Roehampton[9] suffering from pancreatitis. He died three weeks later, due to a combination of heart failure, renal failure and pancreatitis, aged 44.[8]

The last time Beck's Dad's Army co-stars saw him alive was on Friday 13 July 1973 at the Playhouse Theatre in London where he recorded two radio episodes of Dad's Army (which ran alongside the TV series).[8] The following afternoon Beck suddenly became ill.[8]

His death was a great shock to his fellow cast members, as well as to Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Perry has said that heavy drinking was common in show business at the time, and that he paid little attention to Beck's habit until "I saw Jimmy’s legs and they were purple.[8] It was the last episode he appeared in before he died".[8]

In the episode, "The Recruit" (the series 6 finale), Mainwaring reads a note written by Walker apologising for his absence, as he has gone "up the Smoke" (to London) to conduct one of his deals.[10]

Filmography

Film
YearTitleRoleNotes
1968Star!Drunken SoldierUncredited
1970 Groupie GirlBrianReleased as I Am a Groupie in the United States [6]
Carry On LovingMr RoxbyScenes deleted from final film
1971 Dad's ArmyPrivate Walker[6]
A Couple of BeautiesSidneyShort [6]
1973Love Thy NeighbourCyril[6]

Television
YearTitleRoleEpisode
1961Dixon of Dock GreenVarious6 episodes
Deadline MidnightAmbulance man1 episode
1962 Dr. Finlay's CasebookCharlie BellConduct Unbecoming
Z CarsConstableThe Five Whistles
1964Taxi!Len Gladwin5 episodes
1964-67Coronation StreetPolice Sergeant Bowden6 episodes [6]
1965Gideon's WayPolice Inspector A Perfect Crime
1966All Gas and GaitersPolicemanThe Bishop Rides Again (pilot)
1967The TroubleshootersDave CandySome Days You Just Can't Win
1968The Blue CarbuncleJames Ryder[6]
Not in Front of the ChildrenEstate AgentHome Chat
1968–73Dad's ArmyPrivate Walker59 episodes [6]
1969Two in CloverDr. Molineux[6]
1970Doctor in the HouseMr Wale[6]What Seems to Be the Trouble [6]
1972 The Fenn Street GangAuctioneerHorse of the Year
ScoopCorker3 episodes [6]
My Wife Next DoorMr FieldingUndesirable Residence [6]
1972–73Romany JonesBert Jones14 episodes [6]

Radio
YearTitleRoleEpisodeNotes
1968The Events at Black TorSergeant5 episodes
1970, 1971Brothers in LawFred Tanner, Newman2 episodesBeck played Fred Tanner in the first series (1970), and Newman in the second series (1971).
1971Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bolshie ManTBA1 episodeA pilot episode recorded for Comedy Parade 1971.
1971, 1972The Motorway MenSteve8 episodes + pilotThis program's pilot episode featured alongside Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bolshie Man on Comedy Parade 1971.
1973Dad's ArmyPrivate Walker20 episodes

References
  1. GRO Register of Births: MAR 1929 1b 407 ISLINGTON - Stanley J. C. Beck, mmn = Beck
  2. GRO Register of Deaths: SEP 1973 5E 1087 WANDSWORTH - Stanley James C. Beck, DoB = 21 Feb 1929
  3. "James Beck". rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  4. The Stage, 1957
  5. "James Beck - past performances". theatricalia.com. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  6. "James Beck". bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 11 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  7. Francesca Shillcock (6 February 2024). "Remembering Dad's Army cast members who have sadly passed away". hellomagazine.com. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  8. Clark, Neil (6 August 2013). "James Beck: the Dad's Army star cut off in his prime". The Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2021.
  9. The Times, death notice and obituary, 7 August 1973
  10. Gabriella Clare (24 December 2021). "BBC Dad's Army: James Beck's tragic death aged just 44 after falling ill while opening a school fete". mylondon.news. Retrieved 24 December 2021.

Further reading
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