ARNOLD RIDLEY

'Arnold Ridley' OBE (January 7, 1896 — March 12, 1984) was an English playwright and actor.

Contents

Early Life

Career

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Early Life

Ridley was born in Bath, England, and attended the Beechen Cliff School. Afterwards, he attended and graduated from the University of Bristol.

Career

He saw active service in the First World War, sustaining several serious injuries: his left arm was left virtually useless by injuries sustained on the Somme, his legs were riddled with shrapnel and the legacy of a blow to the head by a German soldier's rifle butt left him prone to blackouts. After the war Ridley went into acting. He is best known as the author of the play, ''The Ghost Train'' (1923) (later a film with Arthur Askey), for portraying the elderly Private Charles Godfrey in the popular British sitcom ''Dad's Army'' (1968-77), and Doughy Hood in the radio soap "The Archers" in the 1960s.
Having unsuccessfully attempted to establish a film company between the wars, Ridley again saw active service during the Second World War, with the rank of major, but was discharged on health grounds. He worked regularly as an actor, including an appearance in the 1964 British comedy ''Crooks in Cloisters'', but only became a household name during the 1970s when he was offered the role of Private Charles Godfrey in one of the UK's most successful sitcoms of all time: ''Dad's Army''. He continued to appear into his eighties. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours List of 1982, for services to the theatre.
Arnold Ridley was married to actress Althea Parker in 1946. They have one child. Ridley died on March 12, 1984 (aged 88).

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