Frederick John Inman, (28 June 1935 — 8 March 2007), was a British actor best known for playing Mr. Humphries in every episode of Are You Being Served?.
During The '60s, he had a much-loved Ugly Sister act with Barry Howard in pantomime and would established himself as a pantomime dame in years to come.
His television debut came in 1965 in an episode of A Slight Case Of.... In 1972, he was cast as Mr. Humphries in the Are You Being Served? pilot. Mr. Humphries was less focused on the first series, but Inman's popularity and Mr. Humphries' outrageously camp personality resulted in a rise in prominence for the character. Inman would play the role in all 10 series, and reprise the role for the stage show, the film, the Australian Spin-Off and Grace & Favour.
AYBS? wasn't Inman's only leading role in a sitcom, he also starred in Odd Man Out as Neville Sutcliffe and Take a Letter, Mr. Jones as Graham Jones. Neither series matched the popularity of AYBS?.
He died of a Hepatitis A infection at the age of 71.
Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:
Film
- Are You Being Served? (1977) — Mr. Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries
- The Tall Guy (1989) — As Himself
- Shakespeare in Love (1998) — Lady Capulet in Play (Uncredited Role)
- Are You Being Served?, 69 episodes:
- 69 episodes (1972-85) — Mr. Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries
- "Heir Apparent" (1981) — Annie Humphries
- Grace & Favour, 12 episodes (1992-93) — Mr. Wilberforce Claybourne Humphries
- French and Saunders, episode "The Phantom Millennium" (1999) — Darth Sid
- Doctors, episode "Intolerance" (2004) — Teddy
