Ronnie Corbett - Early Life and Career, Rise to Fame, The Two Ronnies, Recent Life

Comedian, born in Edinburgh, EC Scotland, UK. After national service in the Royal Air Force, and 18 months as a civil servant, he entered showbusiness. Spotted in Danny La Rue's nightclub by David Frost, he appeared on television in The Frost Report (1966–7) and Frost on Sunday (1968–9). His diminutive stature, impish sense of fun, and comic monologues soon gained him national popularity. His television series include Sorry! (1981–8), Small Talk (1994–6), and a fruitful partnership with Ronnie Barker led to the long-running The Two Ronnies (1971–87). Film appearances comprised Casino Royale (1967) and No Sex Please, We're British (1972). A keen amateur golfer, he wrote Armchair Golf (1986).

Ronald Balfour Corbett, OBE (born December 4, 1930 in Edinburgh, commonly credited as Ronnie Corbett) is a British comedian and actor, best known as one of The Two Ronnies.

Early Life and Career

Corbett decided he wanted to be an actor while performing in amateur theatricals at a church youth club. At 5'1" tall (1.53m) Corbett was ideally suited to playing younger than his years.

He has worked in film and television since the 1950s, appearing in Crackerjack as a regular in its early days during the 1950s.

In the 1960s he was appearing in cabaret at Winston's, Danny La Rue's Mayfair nightclub. It was here that Corbett was first seen by David Frost who asked him to appear in The Frost Report. Ironically, Corbett's appearance was made possible by a career low point. As it turned out it was a dismal failure but its closure meant that Corbett was free to do The Frost Report.

Corbett married the actress and dancer Anne Hart in 1965 with whom he has two children, the actresses Emma Corbett and Sophie Corbett.

Rise to Fame

It was in The Frost Report (1966-1967) that Corbett first worked with Ronnie Barker. Corbett has said that he and Barker were naturally drawn together as two Grammar School boys who had not gone to university in among a crowd of privately-educated graduates. It seems that even at this time - considerably before the idea of their own show was mooted - Corbett and Barker were beginning to be thought of as a pair. Corbett and Barker appeared with John Cleese in one of the most famous comedy sketches in British television history, it is certainly often repeated. Cleese, Barker and Corbett are standing in line abreast facing the camera with Cleese (tall, leftmost) representing the Upper Class, Barker (average height, in the middle) representing the Middle Class and Corbett (short, rightmost) representing the working class. Corbett gets the pay-off line: "I get a pain in the back of my neck."

Continuing under the auspices of Frost, Corbett next starred in No - that's me over here, a sitcom written by fellow Frost Report refugees Barry Cryer, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle (ITV 1967-1970). Corbett also appeared in Frost on Sunday (ITV 1968) and hosted The Corbett Follies (ITV 1969).

The Two Ronnies

His BBC television comedy sketch show with Barker, The Two Ronnies, lasted from 1971 to 1987. This show saw both Barker and Corbett performing various comedy sketches and musical numbers. Additionally, in the middle of the show, Corbett would present a lengthy monologue.

Corbett is perhaps best known as the comedian's straight-man and achieved a unique cult status in this way – a relatively small individual who loves to play golf, he often became the butt of other comedians' jokes, even when he was not present and even if there was no obvious connection between him and the comedian in question.

Recent Life

His best known role away from The Two Ronnies is as Timothy Lumsden in the sitcom Sorry.

In 2005 Corbett teamed up again with Ronnie Barker for a series of shows called The Two Ronnies Sketchbook, comprising selections of classic comedy sketches from their original series with original linking material. Also in 2005 Corbett appeared with comedian Peter Kay, another huge fan, in the spoof music video for the number 1 single Is This the Way to Amarillo?, mimed to the song by Tony Christie. Corbett is well remembered for falling over in the video.

In 2006, he played a hyper-realised version of himself in Extras, caught taking drugs at the BAFTA Awards.