Person    | Male  Born 8/9/1921  Died 11/4/2001

Harry Secombe

Actor, comedian and singer. Born Harry Donald Secombe in St Thomas, Swansea where he grew up. In WW2 he served in the Royal Artillery, and whilst in North Africa he first met Spike Milligan. After the war, he joined the cast of the Windmill Theatre, where he met Michael Bentine and Peter Sellers. The Goon Show was the result of these meetings and Secombe played Neddie Seagoon until the show ended in 1972. He appeared in several films, including 'Oliver!' in which he played Mr Bumble the Beadle, and on stage, he created the title role in the musical 'Pickwick'.
He had his own television show for several years, and was a presenter of the religious programmes, 'Songs of Praise' and 'Stars on Sunday'. When Milligan heard of Secombe's death, he jokingly said that he was glad he had died first because he didn't want him singing at his funeral. Secombe however had the last laugh, as one of his recordings was played at Spike's memorial service. 

Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Harry Secombe

Commemorated ati

Last Goon Show

The Camden Palace was home to the Goon Show through the 1950s.

Read More

Spike's statue - Goons

This little group shows Secombe, Milligan and Sellers, holding "Goons" script...

Read More

The Goon Show

{Caricatures of the four comedians, followed by:} The Goon Show, 1951-1960, f...

Read More

Other Subjects

My Beautiful Laundrette

My Beautiful Laundrette

1985 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Gordon Warnecke, written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Stephen Frears. The story concerns Omar, a young Pakistani man living in London, and his reunion a...

Media, Cinema

1 memorial
Count Dracula

Count Dracula

Famous vampire created by Stoker as the eponymous hero (?) of his 1897 novel.

Fiction, Cinema, Fictional, Seriously Famous, Transylvania

2 memorials
Robert Donat

Robert Donat

Actor. Born in Manchester.

Person, Cinema

1 memorial
Patrick Macnee

Patrick Macnee

Actor. Born Daniel Patrick Macnee in Paddington. He served in the Royal Navy in WW2 and started his acting career in Canada. He performed in many supporting roles before being cast as John Steed in...

Person, Armed Forces, Cinema, TV & Radio, Canada, USA

1 memorial
Gregory Augustus Daymond

Gregory Augustus Daymond

Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Augustus Daymond was born on 25 November 1920 in Great Falls, Cascade County, Montana, USA. From the American Air Museum in Britain website we learn that he grew up in Ne...

Person, Armed Forces, Cinema, USA

War served, WW2
1 memorial