Sir Norman Wisdom's Biography

Norman and his brother Fred were cast out by their father and spent a lot of time between foster homes and work houses.

At 14 Norman Wisdom became a cabin boy in the merchant navy, where he discovered his flair for boxing (he later became the Raj's flyweight boxing champion), and subsequently his ability and strength to take a beating and perform stunts.

Norman Wisdom spent over fifteen years in the armed forces before, just after World War II, he went into the entertainment industry.

Aged 31 he got his big break and began his career in theatre, which sky-rocketed him to popularity, and led to his famous slapstick comedy acting on film and TV.

Films in which Norman Wisdom was the lead actor included The Square Peg, On the Beat and A Stitch in Time.

Norman Wisdom was the subject of British TV's This Is Your Life on two occasions, in 1957 and in 1987.

In 2000, he was knighted.

He retired from the entertainment industry aged 90 in 2005.

Norman Wisdom died in the Isle of Wight in 2010 aged 95.