Andy Secombe

{{Short description|Welsh actor}} {{BLP sources|date=November 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}} {{Infobox person | name =  | image = Andy Secombe (7283016042).jpg | alt =  | caption = Secombe in 2012 | birth_name = Andrew James Secombe | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1953|04|26|df=yes}} | birth_place = Mumbles, Wales | death_date =  | death_place = | other_names = | alma_mater = Central School of Speech and Drama | occupation = {{hlist|Actor|author}} | years_active = 1975–present | known_for = | notable_works = | spouse = {{marriage|Caroline Bliss|1995}} | father = Harry Secombe | relatives = Fred Secombe (uncle) }}

'''Andrew James Secombe''' (born 26 April 1953)<ref>{{IMDb name|0781181}}</ref> is a Welsh actor and author.

==Early life and education== Born in Mumbles, in south Wales, Secombe is son of comedian/singer Harry Secombe (whom he later impersonated in a ''Goon Show'' special). He attended the City of London Freemen's School in Ashtead, Surrey.

==Career==

===Acting=== Andy Secombe is an award-nominated stage, screen and radio actor. He trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama after which he spent several years criss-crossing the country both touring and in rep. His early career included seasons at both the Old Vic (''King Lear, The Rivals'') and the Young Vic (''Hamlet, Stags and Hens, Coriolanus and What a Way to Run a Revolution''). Other theatrical performances includes ''Godspell'', ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Around the World in Eighty Days'', ''Long Days' Journey into Night'', Benjamin Britten's ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Live!'' tour and ''The Invisible Man'' in the West End. He was recently Offie-nominated for playing Mr Gillie in the play of the same name at the Finborough Theatre.

On television he was a regular on both ''Playschool'' and ''Playaway'' and also appeared in the BBC TV children's sketch show ''Fast Forward'' and played Rover the Dog in ''Chips' Comic''. He was one of the five in ''Five Alive'' and a regular on ''The Brian Conley Show''. Other television appearances include ''Star Cops'', ''Amnesty Beausire'', ''Executive Stress'', ''The Legend of Robin Hood'', ''The Bill'', ''Casualty'', ''The Detectives'', ''Unreported Incident'', ''Britannia'' and ''Killing Eve''.

In film, he is best known for providing the voice of Watto in the ''Star Wars prequels'' and in tie-in media relating to the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He also voiced Quello, another Toydarian, in ''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords''.

He has contributed vocals to a number of video games, including ''Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet'' and two entries in the ''Broken Sword'' series of games. For Penguin Audiobooks, he has recorded four novels by Mexican author Oscar de Muriel: ''The Strings of Murder'', ''A Fever of the Blood'', ''A Mask of Shadows'' and ''Loch of the Dead''. He also regularly reads books for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and has also performed in radio productions, recently playing Reverend Wavering in the internet radio series ''Wooden Overcoats''.

In March 2017, he starred in four episodes of the third series of ''The Missing Hancocks'' for BBC Radio 4; episodes that were originally aired in 1955 in the second series of ''Hancock's Half Hour'' starring his father Harry, after Tony Hancock had disappeared.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2016/12/02/26363/secombe_replaces_tony_hancock |title= Secombe replaces 'Tony Hancock'| work= Chortle| date= 2 December 2016| access-date= 29 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2017-03-14/how-radio-4-is-bringing-tony-hancock-back-to-life |title= How Radio 4 is bringing Tony Hancock back to life| work= Radio Times| date= 14 March 2017| access-date= 29 November 2017}}</ref>

===Writing=== In the 2000s, Secombe focused on writing. He has penned five fantasy novels, including ''Limbo'', ''Limbo Two: The Final Chapter'' and ''The Last House in the Galaxy''. ''Looking for Mr Piggy-Wig'' (2008), about a post-nuclear Britain after the 'New Battle of Britain' is described by ''The Guardian'' as "best taken as a spoof on the genre".<ref>{{cite news| url= https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/aug/09/sciencefictionfantasyandhorror.roundupreviews3| title= Looking for Mr Piggy-Wig| work= The Guardian | date= 9 August 2008| access-date= 29 November 2017}}</ref> ''Endgame'' (2009) was criticised by ''Publishers Weekly'' for its "two-dimensional, clichéd characters and the tiresomely predictable story line".<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-330-43998-5 |title= Endgame| work= Publishers Weekly| date= 17 November 2008| access-date= 25 February 2016}}</ref>

In 2010 he published the book ''Growing Up with the Goons'' which is a memoir about growing up in the shadow of his father.

==Personal life== Secombe is married to actress Caroline Bliss, and as of 2013, the couple were living in Goonbell, Cornwall,<ref>{{cite news|last=Turner|first=Robin|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/harry-secombes-son-recalls-childhood-1889112|title=Harry Secombe's son recalls childhood of stars and laughter|date=3 October 2010|website=Wales Online|publisher=Media Wales|quote=Andy Secombe, perhaps best known for providing the voice of insectoid creature Watto in the Star Wars prequels, has fittingly just moved into the Cornish village of Goonbell, with his actress wife Caroline Bliss.|accessdate=13 April 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.westbriton.co.uk/Truro-Tatooine-Star-Wars-actor-James-gets-ready-publish-fifth-novel/story-11488705-detail/story.html|title=Now in Truro via Tatooine, Star Wars actor James gets ready to publish his fifth novel|date=15 July 2008|newspaper=The West Briton|accessdate=13 April 2016}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> with their two children.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/ll-grateful-Dad-Goon/story-11731571-detail/story.html|title=Why I'll always be grateful that my Dad was a Goon|date=27 November 2010|newspaper=Western Morning News|accessdate=13 April 2016}}{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==Filmography==

===Film=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1975|| ''I Don't Want to Be Born'' || Delivery Boy || |- |1976|| ''Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' || Third Kidnapper || |- |1999|| ''Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'' || rowspan="2" | Watto <br />(voice)|| |- |2002|| ''Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'' || |- |2016|| ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show Live'' || Max Quordlepleen / Benjy Mouse (voice)|| |- |}

===Television=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1975 |''The Legend of Robin Hood'' |Brett |Part 3 |- |1980 |''Fox'' |Don |Episode: "The Perfect Scapegoat Syndrome" |- |1981 |''Prisoners of Conscience'' |DINA man |Episode: "William Beausire" |- |1983 |''Chips' Comic'' | | |- |1984 |''Aladdin and the Forty Thieves'' |Thief |TV film |- |1984–1986 |''Fast Forward'' |Himself / Various characters | |- | rowspan="2" |1986 |''What a Way to Run a Revolution'' | |TV film |- |''Five Alive'' |Various characters |13 episodes |- |1987 |''Star Cops'' |Brian Lincoln |Episode: "An Instinct for Murder" |- | rowspan="3" |1988 |''The Play on One'' |Simon |Episode: "Unreported Incident" |- |''The Bill'' |D.S. Dougan |Episode: "Light Duties" |- |''Executive Stress'' |Pierre de Savarin |Series 3 Episode 3 |- |1989-1990 |''This Way Up'' | |13 episodes |- |1994–1995|| ''Insektors'' || Godfrey / Bentley / Fugg / Queen Katheter<br />(voices) || |- |1996 |''Casualty'' |Ray Hyams |Episode: "Relative Valueso" |- |1997 |''Peak Practice'' |Alan Stark | |- |2010 |''The Unforgettable Harry Secombe'' | rowspan="2" |Himself |TV movie documentary |- |2014 |''Spike Milligan: Love, Light and Peace'' |TV movie documentary |- |2015 |''Supreme Tweeter'' |Gerald |Episode: "#TheRedScare" |- | rowspan="2" |2019 || ''Killing Eve'' || Eric || Episode: "Smell Ya Later" |- |''Britannia'' |Tribal Elder |Season 2 Episode 1 |- |2020 |''Coronation Street'' |Judge |Episodes: 9970, 9971 |- |2022 |''Kate & Koji'' |Twitcher 4 |Episode: "Memories" |- |}

===Short films=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !width=99| Title ! Role ! Notes |- |1978 |''Twenty Times More Likely'' | | |- |2012 |''Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out'' |Watto (voice) |TV Short |- |2015 |''The Roaring'' |Frank | |- |2017|| ''Captain Baylety's Heir'' || Himself / John Tall || |- |}

=== Video games === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- | rowspan="2" |1999 |''Star Wars: Episode I - Racer'' | rowspan="3" |Watto (voice) | |- |''Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace'' | |- |2002 |''Star Wars: Racer Revenge'' | |- |2003 |''Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon'' |Flap / Alphonse (voices) | |- |2004 |''Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords'' |Quello (voice) | |- |2005 |''Lego Star Wars: The Video Game'' |Watto (voice) |Uncredited, archival audio |- |2006 |''Broken Sword: The Angel of Death'' |(voice) | |- |2007 |''Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga'' | rowspan="2" |Watto (voice) |Uncredited, archival audio |- |2012 |''Kinect Star Wars'' | |- |2016 |''Nelly Cootalot: The Fowl Fleet'' |Dr Periwig (voice) | |- |2022 |''Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga'' |Watto (voice) |<ref>{{cite tweet |author=WingedRobot #BlackLivesMatter |user=WingedRobot |number=1511759111637114884 |date=6 April 2022 |title=Started Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga last night. My partner and I wanted to know who voices young Anikin, so we decided to watch the credits. Fast forward what felt like 15 minutes or so later, and this is what we got. What the hell, @wbgames, @TTGames, @Disney? https://t.co/5rVjChULBc |language=en |access-date=15 December 2022}}</ref> |}

=== Writing credits === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Title !Notes |- |1999 |''The Three Friends... and Jerry'' |Episode: "Dirty Älgers/Överlevnadslägret" (storyline) |- |2000–2002 |''Bob the Builder'' |2 episodes: "Spud and Squawk" & "Bob and the Bandstand" |}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|id=0781181}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secombe, Andy}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Male actors from Swansea Category:Welsh male radio actors Category:Welsh male video game actors Category:Welsh male voice actors Category:Welsh male film actors Category:Welsh male television actors Category:20th-century Welsh male actors Category:21st-century Welsh male actors