Edward Harry Kelsey[2] (4 June 1930 – 23 April 2019)[3][4][5] was an English actor. He was best known for voicing the role of Joe Grundy for 34 years in The Archers on BBC Radio 4 and for voicing various other characters on television.[6]

Edward Kelsey
Born
Edward Harry Kelsey

(1930-06-04)4 June 1930
Died23 April 2019(2019-04-23) (aged 88)
Occupations
  • Actor
  • voice artist
Years active1958–2019
Spouse
Birgit Johansson
(m. 1955; died 2018)
[1]
Children3

Early life and career

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Kelsey was born on 4 June 1930 in Petersfield, Hampshire, and educated at Churcher's College.[7] In 1954, he joined the Radio Drama Company by winning the Carleton Hobbs Bursary[8] He was known for voicing the characters of Colonel K and Baron Silas Greenback in the animated series Danger Mouse produced by Cosgrove Hall. He also appeared on such British television programmes as The Avengers, Softly, Softly, The Saint, Public Eye, Dempsey and Makepeace, Z-Cars, Juliet Bravo, Doctor Who, Minder, Angels, Casualty, The Vicar of Dibley, Reilly, Ace of Spies, Shoestring, Wives and Daughters, Anna of the Five Towns, Campion, The Tripods and EastEnders.[9][10]

He acted in three Doctor Who stories, as a slave buyer in The Romans, Resno in The Power of the Daleks and Edu in The Creature from the Pit. He voiced Mr. Growbag in Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005), several characters in Cosgrove Hall's Victor and Hugo, The Reluctant Dragon, and The Wind in the Willows (television and film), H.H. Junketbury in The Talking Parcel, Farmer Listener and Forester in The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship and also for the voice of "The Thing" in another Cosgrove Hall production, Truckers, based on a book by Terry Pratchett.[9][10]

Death

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He died of a heart attack on 23 April 2019 in Birmingham, West Midlands. He was 88 years old.

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1967 The Gentle Libertine Papa / Brague
1987 Crystalstone Hook
1988 The Most Dangerous Man in the World Fendoglu
1996 Victory Second Billiard Player
2005 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit Mr. Growbag Voice (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ Hadoke, Toby (25 April 2019). "Edward Kelsey obituary". The Guardian.
  2. ^ "Edward Kelsey (Joe Grundy)". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  3. ^ Hadoke, Toby (25 April 2019). "Edward Kelsey obituary". The Guardian.
  4. ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (25 April 2019). "Edward Kelsey, actor who portrayed the roguish Joe Grundy in 'The Archers' for more than 30 years – obituary". The Telegraph.
  5. ^ "Archers actor Edward Kelsey dies aged 88". BBC News. 24 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2019.
  6. ^ "EDWARD KELSEY". Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  7. ^ Petersfield Post, 'Tributes for Archers actor' p. 9 Wednesday 1 May 2019
  8. ^ Carleton Hobbs Bursary winners at BBC.co.uk, accessed 23 January 2018
  9. ^ a b "ABOUT EDWARD KELSEY". www.in.com. Archived from the original on 9 May 2015. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Edward Kelsey Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
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