Leslie Gilbert Dwyer, (28 August 1906 — 26 December 1986), was a British actor best known for playing Mr. Partridge in Hi-de-Hi!.
He was the son of Johnny Dwyer, a popular music hall comedian of his day, so show business was in his blood. He began to act when he was 10 and made his film debut at the age of 15. Some of the films he appeared in include In Which We Serve, The Way Ahead, Hindle Wakes, Act of Love, Room in the House, The 39 Steps (1959), and Die, Monster, Die!. Following his film career, Dwyer also appeared on TV, with a starring role in the short-lived series You're Only Young Twice (1971) and a guest role in Doctor Who.
In The '80s, he was cast in Hi-de-Hi! as Mr. Partridge, a bitter, drunken old Punch and Judy man by writer/producer David Croft, who he had previously worked with in a production of The Belle of New York in the early '40s. During the filming of the sixth series, his health deteriorated, so he could not do studio filming. The scripts were rewritten on the quick to remove him from the action. His character was written out at the beginning of the seventh series, where after hurting a child and insulting the entire entertainments staff, Mr. Partridge was discovered in the swimming pool with a knife sticking out of his back, only for it to be revealed that he had faked his death and moved to Cornwall to live with a pub landlady.
He died of respiratory failure at the age of 80.
Works on TV Tropes he appeared in:
Film- In Which We Serve (1942) — Parkinson
- The Young Mr Pitt (1942) — Servant at Lord Auckland's (Uncredited Role)
- Vacation from Marriage (1945) — Stripey
- I See a Dark Stranger (1946) — Soldier in Café (Uncredited Role)
- Double Confession (1950) — Leonard
- Laughter in Paradise (1951) — Police Sergeant
- The 39 Steps (1959) — Milkman
- Die, Monster, Die! (1965) — Potter
- The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968) — Bookshop Assistant
- Ivanhoe, episode "The Weavers" (1958) — Will-A-Loom
- Dixon of Dock Green, 5 episodes:
- "The High Price of Freedom" (1962) — Joe Lane
- "Fish on the Hook" (1964) — Jemmy Sloane
- "The Night Man" (1964) — Joe Cook
- "Georgina" (1965) — Goddard
- "Sgt. George Dixon" (1972) — Mr. Grange
- Z Cars, 6 episodes:
- "Business Trip" (1962) — Sadler
- "A La Carte" (1963) — Malcolm Wright
- "Happy Birthday" (1964) — Tom Wilkinson
- "With a Pin" (1965) — Ginger
- "The Sledgehammer and the Nut: Part 2" (1967) — Lagan
- "The Frighteners" (1976) — Joe
- Steptoe and Son, episode "Wallah, Wallah Catsmeat" (1963) — Lionel Sturgis
- Coronation Street, 4 episodes:
- 2 episodes (1968) — Ernie Sutton
- 2 episodes (1978) — Jacko Dugdale
- You're Only Young Twice, 6 episodesshow list (1971) — Reg
- The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes, episode "The Case of Laker, Absconded" (1971) — Lost Property Man
- Doctor Who, 4-episode story "Carnival of Monsters" (1973) — Vorg
- The Sweeney, episode "Trojan Bus" (1975) — Ted Greenhead
- Play for Today, episode "The Peddler" (1976) — Alec's Father
- Terry and June, episode "Flying Carpets" (1979) — Uncle Vernon
- Hi-de-Hi!, 36 episodes (1980-84) — Mr. William Partridge
