David JasonDavid Jason in A Touch of FrostDavid White (born February 2, 1940 in Edmonton, London), better known as David Jason, is a highly regarded British actor, admired equally for his dramatic work as for his comedy roles. He trained as an electrician after leaving school while negotiating his way into reperatory theatre. He started his career at the same time as Michael Palin in At Last the 1948 Show and appeared in variety shows in support of stars such as Dick Emery. He appeared, most notably, as a spoof super-hero Captain Fantastic, in Do Not Adjust Your Set, and co-starred with Denise Coffey in End of Part One. He was somewhat ahead of the Austin Powers and Johnny English film genre in an inventive TV series about an inept spy called The Secret Life of Edgar Briggs. Humphrey Barclay, who recruited David to Do Not Adjust Your Set partly to offset the rather intellectual style of Idle, Jones and Palin, admired David's masterful sense of timing. This was of course in an era when British performers such as Peter Cook, Marty Feldman, Tony Hancock, Benny Hill and Kenneth Horne were all regularly demonstrating superb timing skills to humorous effect. His eye-catching performances would also attract the attention of Ronnie Barker, who would become a mentor to Jason in the next era of his career. David Jason (front row) with Denise Coffey, and (back row) future Pythons Terry Jones, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle in Do Not Adjust Your Set (ITV, 1967-1969).
This was followed by his most enduring and popular role, that of Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses, a wide-boy who makes a dubious living in Peckham, south London, trading in shoddy and counterfeit goods with the assistance of his brother Rodney (played by Nicholas Lyndhurst) and Grandad (played by Lennard Pearce) or, latterly, Uncle Albert, played by Buster Merryfield. In this role David popularised some slang words; examples being the mild insults "dipstick" and "plonker" and the celebratory "lovely jubbly". He soon earned acclaim for a string of serious roles, for example as Detective Jack Frost in the TV series A Touch Of Frost and acted with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the rural Kentish tale The Darling Buds of May (based on the H. E. Bates novel). In the 1970's he did some work for radio, appearing in Week Ending (regularly satirising such figures as then UK Foreign Secretary Dr David Owen), and was the original "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. He has also worked as a voice artist for Cosgrove Hall on a number of children's television productions, providing voices for Dangermouse, Count Duckula and Toad from The Wind in the Willows, as well as several other cartoon voice-overs and advertising work. Jason has never married. He nursed long-time partner Myfanwy prior to her death in 1995 after a long battle with cancer and then found happiness again with current partner Gill, with whom he has a daughter who was born in 2001. Radio
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He nursed long-time partner Myfanwy prior to her death in 1995 after a long battle with cancer and then found happiness again with current partner Gill, with whom he has a daughter who was born in 2001. He died in 1976 and was interred in the Forest Lawn-Hollywood Hills Cemetery in Los Angeles. Jason has never married. He continued collecting research material and drafting screenplays, but never made another film. He has also worked as a voice artist for Cosgrove Hall on a number of children's television productions, providing voices for Dangermouse, Count Duckula and Toad from The Wind in the Willows, as well as several other cartoon voice-overs and advertising work. Mabuse (1960), he returned to the United States. In the 1970's he did some work for radio, appearing in Week Ending (regularly satirising such figures as then UK Foreign Secretary Dr David Owen), and was the original "B Ark Captain" in the sixth episode of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Lang's eyesight steadily deteriorated throughout the 1950s and, after a final Dr. Mabuse film, Die 1000 Augen des Dr. Bates novel). These works received mixed reviews, some condemning them as stylised and detached, while others praised them for the same qualities. E. During the 1950s, Lang found it harder to find congenial production conditions in Hollywood and, following a major disagreement with the producer of Beyond A Reasonable Doubt, he returned to Germany to make his last films. He soon earned acclaim for a string of serious roles, for example as Detective Jack Frost in the TV series A Touch Of Frost and acted with Catherine Zeta-Jones in the rural Kentish tale The Darling Buds of May (based on the H. He wore a monocle that added to the stereotype (though film historians say this particular cliché began with Erich von Stroheim), and his image has been parodied in a number of media, including GWAR's long form video Phallus in Wonderland. In this role David popularised some slang words; examples being the mild insults "dipstick" and "plonker" and the celebratory "lovely jubbly". Lang epitomized the stereotype of the tyrannical German director; he was known for being hard to work with. This was followed by his most enduring and popular role, that of Del Boy in
Only Fools and Horses, a wide-boy who makes a
dubious living in Peckham, south London, trading in shoddy and counterfeit goods with
the assistance of his brother Rodney (played by Nicholas
Lyndhurst) and Grandad
(played by Lennard Pearce) or,
latterly, Uncle Albert, played by Buster Merryfield. During this period, his visual style simplified and his
worldview became increasingly pessimistic, culminating in the cold, geometric style of his last American films, While the City
Sleeps (1956) and Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1957). He also took the lead role in ITV sitcom A Sharp Intake Of
Breath. These films, often compared unfavourably by contemporary critics to Lang's earlier works, have since been
reevaluated as the equal of, if not superior to, his German films. This was of course in an era when British performers such as Peter Cook, Marty Feldman, Tony Hancock, Benny Hill and Kenneth Horne were all regularly demonstrating superb timing skills to humorous effect. M remains a powerful work; it was remade in 1951 by Joseph Losey, but this version had little impact on audiences, and has become harder to see than the original film. Humphrey Barclay, who recruited David to Do Not Adjust Your Set partly to offset the rather intellectual style of Idle, Jones and Palin, admired David's masterful sense of timing. Mabuse, Lang directed what many film scholars consider to be his masterpiece: M, a disturbing story of a child murderer (Peter Lorre in his first starring role) who is hunted down and brought to trial by Berlin's criminal underworld. He was somewhat ahead of the Austin Powers and Johnny English film genre in an inventive TV series about an inept spy called The Secret Life of Edgar Briggs. In 1931, between Metropolis and Das Testament des Dr. He appeared, most notably, as a spoof super-hero Captain Fantastic, in Do Not Adjust Your Set, and co-starred with Denise Coffey in End of Part One. Thea von Harbou, his wife and long-time collaborator, had joined the Nazi party and remained behind. He started his career at the same time as Michael Palin in At Last the 1948 Show and appeared in variety shows in support of stars such as Dick Emery. Rather than accept the position, Lang fled Germany. He trained as an electrician after leaving school while negotiating his way into reperatory theatre. Mabuse was banned when the Nazis seized power, but Joseph Goebbels still respected Lang enough to offer him the head position of the German film industry. David White (born February 2, 1940 in Edmonton, London), better known as David Jason, is a highly regarded British actor, admired equally for his dramatic work as for his comedy roles. Mabuse). The Odd Job. Mabuse (The Testament of Dr. Royal Flash. Legend has it that Metropolis greatly impressed the leaders of the growing Nazi movement, though Lang detested their philosophy and wrote anti-Nazi statements into his 1933 film Das Testament des Dr. The Bullion Boys. Mabuse, der Spieler (1922), a crime epic (running four hours in two parts in its original version, recently restored by the Munich Filmmuseum) focusing on the psychological conflict between the master criminal Mabuse and detective Von Wenk; Die Nibelungen (1924), and his most famous film, Metropolis (1927). Porridge. In this first phase of his career, Lang alternated between art films such as Der Müde Tod and populist thrillers such as Die Spinnen (a two-part film), combining popular genres with Expressionist techniques to create an unprecedented synthesis of popular entertainment with art cinema, culminating in his most famous silent works: Dr. Open All Hours. While recovering from both injuries and shell shock, he joined Germany's Ufa studio just as the Expressionist movement was waxing. Only Fools and Horses. Lang was an artist and a painter who enlisted in the army and fought in World War I. March in the Windy City. His most famous films are probably Metropolis and M, made before he moved to the United States. Lucky Feller. His work influenced filmmakers as disparate as Jacques Rivette and William Friedkin. David Jason...In His Element. Although some consider Lang's work to be simple melodrama, he produced a coherent oeuvre that helped to establish the characteristics of film noir, with its recurring themes of psychological conflict, paranoia, fate and moral ambiguity. The Darling Buds of May. Friedrich Anton Christian Lang (December 5, 1890 - August 2, 1976) was an Austrian film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer, one of the most famous emigrés from Germany's school of expressionism to work in Hollywood. Amongst Barbarians. Mabuse) (1960). All the King's Men. Mabuse (The Thousand Eyes of Dr. A Touch of Frost. Die 1000 Augen des Dr. A Sharp Intake of Breath. Das indische Grabmal (The Indian Tomb, or: Journey to the Lost City) (1959). A Bit of a Do. Der Tiger von Eschnapur (The Tiger of Eschnapur, or: The Tiger of Bengal) (1959). The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1957). Week Ending. While the City Sleeps (1956). Moonfleet (1955). Human Desire (1954). The Big Heat(1953). The Blue Gardenia (1953). Clash by Night (1952). Rancho Notorious (1952). American Guerrilla in the Philippines (1950). House by the River (1950). Secret Beyond the Door (1948). Cloak and Dagger (1946). Scarlet Street (1945). The Woman in the Window (1944). Ministry of Fear (1944). Hangmen Also Die (1943). Moontide (1942) (uncredited). Confirm or Deny (1941) (uncredited). Man Hunt (1941). Western Union (1941). The Return of Frank James (1940). You and Me (1938). You Only Live Once (1937). Fury (1936). Liliom (1934). Mabuse) (1933). Mabuse (The Testament of Dr. Das Testament des Dr. M (1931). Frau im Mond (Woman in the Moon) (1929). Spione (Spies) (1928). Metropolis (1927). Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (Die Nibelungen: Kriemheld's Revenge) (1924). Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (Die Nibelungen: Siegfried) (1924). Mabuse, The Gambler) (1922). Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Dr. Vier um die Frau (Four Around a Woman) (1921). Der Müde Tod (Beyond the Wall) (1921). Das Wandernde Bild (The Wandering Image) (1920). Teil: Das Brillantenschiff (Spiders, Part 2: The Diamond Ship) (1920). Die Spinnen, 2. Der Herr der Liebe (Master of Love) (1919). Die Pest in Florenz (The Plague in Florence) (1919). Harakiri (Madame Butterfly) (1919). Teil: Der Goldene See (Spiders, Part 1: The Golden Lake)(1919). Die Spinnen, 1. Halbblut (The Half-Caste) (1919). |