JAMES BECK

:''This article is about the actor. For other people of the same name, see James Beck (disambiguation).''
'James Beck' (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was an English actor best remembered for his role as Private Joe Walker, the cockney spiv in the popular BBC sitcom ''Dad's Army'' which ran from 1968 to 1977. In a cast comprising mainly older actors, Beck was one of two younger members. He was the first of the cast to die, aged 44, as a result of pancreatitis.
Beck was born in Islington, North London and attended Popham Road Primary School. His childhood was tough, with his father frequently unemployed and his mother making artificial flowers to provide a small income.
After a stint at art college and a period of National Service in the army, Beck took up acting. Early acting roles included Shylock in ''The Merchant of Venice'' in 1963, for which he earned positive reviews. Moving to London, he decided to concentrate on television, and one role was as a policeman in an episode of ''Coronation Street'' involving a train crash. He also appeared in an uncredited role as a policeman in ''Gideon's Way'' in 1965, and became a regularly-seen face in TV drama, with one-off roles in series like ''The Troubleshooters''.
By 1968 he was offered the role of Private Walker in ''Dad's Army'', a role originally written by Jimmy Perry for himself. His performance as the thorn in Captain Mainwaring's side was perfect for ''Dad's Army''. While proving popular in this, his best-loved role, Beck still yearned for the challenge of other roles.
Always in demand, he continued to work on TV programmes such as ''A Family at War'' and ''Romany Jones'', in which he played the lead character Bert Jones. He also recorded an unbroadcast remake of an early ''Hancock's Half Hour'' programme in which he played opposite Arthur Lowe.
By 1973, Jimmy had already recorded six series of ''Dad's Army'' and had already begun work on the radio series of the show. While opening a fete in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind, he suddenly felt ill. He returned home and within an hour was being rushed to hospital. He died three weeks later. His death was a great shock to his fellow cast members, as well as Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had looked forward to his return to the show. The Walker character never returned to the television version of ''Dad's Army'', his character was written out off-screen and he was never referred to in subsequent episodes.
In the radio adaptations of ''Dad's Army'', Graham Stark stood in until Larry Martyn gave his portrayal of Walker for subsequent shows. In 1976 John Bardon played Walker in the stage production.

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External links

External links

★ James Beck at the Internet Movie Database

★ Dad's Army website

★ James Beck at the Whispers from Walmington website