Richard Beckinsale
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Richard Beckinsale (July 6, 1947 - March 19, 1979) was a British actor, most famous for his role as Lennie Godber in the popular BBC sitcom Porridge.
Beckinsale, born in Nottingham, made his TV debut as a police officer in Coronation Street before acquiring his first starring role in 1970 as Geoffrey in the sitcom The Lovers. There followed a purple patch when he was appearing in two of British TV's most successful sitcoms at the same time. On ITV, he was playing naive medical student Alan Moore in Rising Damp while also starring in Porridge. Shortly after his 30th birthday, Beckinsale was surprised by Eamonn Andrews with the famed 'big red book' for an appearance on This Is Your Life. He became and remains the youngest 'victim' of the show.
In 1979, at the age of only 31, he died of a massive heart attack. Porridge co-star Ronnie Barker commented on Beckinsale's premature death saying: "He was so loved. He hadn't done much but he was so loved that there was a universal sort of grief that went on."
Beckinsale was an in-demand actor throughout his adult life. He had just completed work on the movie version of Porridge and was midway through filming a series called Bloomers when he died. The five completed episodes of this series were aired posthumously later in the year. He was also filming a movie which then had to be re-cast. Just days after his death, the sitcom Going Straight, a spin-off from Porridge and starring both Beckinsale and Barker, won a BAFTA award. Barker delivered a tearful acceptance speech in tribute to his co-star.
In 2001, a documentary was broadcast on ITV in tribute, called The Unforgettable Richard Beckinsale.
Beckinsale twice married - firstly to Margaret Bradley, with whom he had a daughter called Samantha in 1966. They divorced in 1971. He then married actress and casting advisor Judy Loe in 1977, four years after the birth of their daughter Kate Beckinsale.