English actor and comedian Charles Hawtrey was BOTD in 1914. Born in London, he was a child actor in films, and studied at the Italia Conti Academy before pursuing a show business career. He appeared on stage in pantomimes and farces, and starred in a number of comedy films throughout the 1930s. During World War Two, he became a pianist in the British Army, while appearing in comedies in the West End. He appeared in TV comedies during the 1950s, coming to public attention in The Army Game, a sitcom about army conscripts posted to rural Staffordshire. He is best known for his appearances in the Carry On films, innuendo-laden comedies featuring a uniquely English blend of voyeurism and squeamishness about sex. Co-starring with fellow Sad Gay Kenneth Williams, Hawtrey typically played wimps, effeminate queens and clueless beta-males, notably Private Widdle in 1968’s Carry On Up the Khyber. He was dropped from the Carry On franchise in the 1970s due to his alcoholism, and eked out a living in Christmas pantomimes, playing on his effete persona. Terminally single, he lived with his mother until her death in 1965, then moved to the seaside town of Deal, reputedly to be closer to the local naval base. In 1984, he made tabloid headlines when his house caught on fire after spending the night with a rent boy. He died in 1988 in a nursing home aged 73, reputedly after throwing a vase at his nurse when she asked for his autograph. His life and legacy has been the subject of two biographies and a BBC radio documentary.