Character Driven: The Life of Leonard Rossiter
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Product Description
'He had nothing to commend him as an actor, really. He had a face like a delinquent lizard, a voice like a corncrake and a body like a broken penknife.' James Grout, fellow actor and friend Whether he was playing seedy landlord Rupert Rigsby in Rising Damp or frustrated suburban dreamer Reggie Perrin, Leonard Rossiter gave us performances so iconic, so utterly memorable, that they have achieved timelessness. Like the comic creations of Peter Sellers or Ronnie Barker, his characters seem more real to us than the actor who played them, who for many years has remained a mystery. There has never been a biography or autobiography, and the fragments we have heard about him – such as his supposed ruthlessness and disdain for other actors – are partial and offer no real insights into his undoubtedly complex character. This book redresses the balance, offering for the first time an in-depth account of Rossiter’s life and work. Through extensive interviews with those who knew and worked with him, author Guy Adams brings to life the man behind the threadbare cardigan and manic grimace and reveals how he was able to produce such epoch-defining performances. As well as Reggie Perrin and Rigsby, Rossiter played a host of other parts in a career spanning thirty years – in the theatre, from The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui to Joe Orton’s Loot; on television, from Steptoe and Son to Z-Cars; in films including Oliver! and Barry Lyndon; and last but not least, in the much-loved Cinzano adverts co-starring Joan Collins. The book explores all of Rossiter’s roles, revealing a man whose single-mindedness and belief in his own abilities not only resulted in brilliant performances, but could rub people up the wrong way too. We also meet Rossiter the private man – an accomplished sportsman, a devoted father and a loyal friend, yet someone who was alleged to have been rather less than perfect in matters of the heart. Affectionate, fascinating, and long overdue, this book finally gives a personality to the man behind some of the greatest comic performances of the twentieth century.
About the Author
Guy Adams worked as an actor for twelve years before becoming a full-time writer, specialising in TV and entertainment. He is the author of several non-fiction titles including Leonard Rossiter: Character Driven, the official two-volume guide to the BBC drama series Life on Mars and of the bestselling humour book based on the series, The Rules of Modern Policing: 1973 Edition. An acclaimed novelist, he also wrote the fantasy novel The World House and the original Torchwood tie-in The House That Jack Built.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As a fan of the late, great Leonard Rossiter, I was delighted to see someone tackle the task of writing a biography of this acting genius. Up to now nothing has been written apart from Robert Tanitsch's excellent photo collection with commentary not long after Rossiter's untimely death. However, Guy Adams has produced a disappointing book, which looks like a commission and reflects some of the difficulties of writing about an actor who was intensely private. There appear to be few sources- no secret diaries of a tortured genius (ala Kenneth Williams or Les Dawson) or self penned revelatory autobiographical fragments. Many of his contemporaries have either not commented like Josephine Tewson and Gillian Raine -his first and second wives respectively or have passed away like John Barron of CJ fame. If Adams had too few sources he could have chosen to write a very different book- perhaps one about the difficulty of writing this life. Instead he follows a conventional and safe trawl through the actors extensive stage and screen career with the expected dip into the clippings library of reviews and it all seems heavily reliant on the Tanitsch book. Adams- perhaps aware and restricted by the scarcity of sources is reduced to padding the book out with superfluous information.- for example we are told who David Frost was and that he interviewed Nixon and that a film was made about this story. A glance at what purports to be a bibliography hardly reflects any detailed research on Rossiter's life and times or the nature of the media he worked in.
It seems churlish to criticize Guy Adams for not writing the book I might have wanted to read but not only is his prose leaden and lumpen but the short chapters and large print hint of a project gone awry. The short chapters may make it a very easy read but also allow nothing for the development of an analytical book about the themes and points made. Adams seems to be in a hurry to get it finished and in the shops. The title, Character Driven has real potential since Leonard Rossiter was possibly one of the most intense and focused actors of his generation. An analysis of the nature of his comic acting; a consideration of the similarities between his two most famous creations (Rigsby and Perrin); an analysis (rather than comment) of how these creations reflected the times they were in; a summation of his place in the acting pantheon- all this would have been interesting material to escape from the trap of the cut and paste school of biography. What would a writer such as Roger Lewis or Graham McCann have made of Rossiter's career? It would be interesting to speculate on what a hard working actor would think of today's celebrity culture and the effect on the privacy he so closely guarded. There are hints in the book that whilst Rossiter's daughter, Camilla gave it her blessing there was little help in enlightening the author about the private man himself. Similarly, it seems mostly a rehash, in print of interviews done for programmes such as Comedy Connections.
So, an opportunity missed. If you know nothing about Rossiter it is certainly a starting point and the prose is clear if uninspired but I didn't get where I am today by giving disappointing books 5 stars......Goodnight Vienna
It seems churlish to criticize Guy Adams for not writing the book I might have wanted to read but not only is his prose leaden and lumpen but the short chapters and large print hint of a project gone awry. The short chapters may make it a very easy read but also allow nothing for the development of an analytical book about the themes and points made. Adams seems to be in a hurry to get it finished and in the shops. The title, Character Driven has real potential since Leonard Rossiter was possibly one of the most intense and focused actors of his generation. An analysis of the nature of his comic acting; a consideration of the similarities between his two most famous creations (Rigsby and Perrin); an analysis (rather than comment) of how these creations reflected the times they were in; a summation of his place in the acting pantheon- all this would have been interesting material to escape from the trap of the cut and paste school of biography. What would a writer such as Roger Lewis or Graham McCann have made of Rossiter's career? It would be interesting to speculate on what a hard working actor would think of today's celebrity culture and the effect on the privacy he so closely guarded. There are hints in the book that whilst Rossiter's daughter, Camilla gave it her blessing there was little help in enlightening the author about the private man himself. Similarly, it seems mostly a rehash, in print of interviews done for programmes such as Comedy Connections.
So, an opportunity missed. If you know nothing about Rossiter it is certainly a starting point and the prose is clear if uninspired but I didn't get where I am today by giving disappointing books 5 stars......Goodnight Vienna
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Well i thought it started ok but most of the book talked about other writers and directors, i wanted to know more about Mr Rossiter, even when it described Rising Damp it felt like it talked about the writer than the actor. I mean no disrespect to anyone mentioned or involved but i was looking for more info
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
2 reviews
Oh, Len, we hardly knew ye
21 Aug 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Leonard Rossiter was one of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, although too few know this. Acclaimed for his roles in "Rising Damp" and "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin", Len was a perfectionist, demanding the best from himself and those around him. "Perrin" is, quite simply, my favorite comedy of all time. If you are able to avail yourself of the show, do so. The first few episodes may appear to be like watching a rat caught in a trap, but as you go on you will realize that is the point of the first few episodes. British humor at its best, this show takes AYBS into the alley and kicks its teeth down its throat. Can't link to the book itself (thanks Amazon), but this will get you started. The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin: The Complete Series Reginald Perrin Omnibus
Oh, Len, we hardly knew ye
21 Aug 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Leonard Rossiter was one of the greatest comedic actors of the 20th century, although too few know this. Acclaimed for his roles in "Rising Damp" and "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin", Len was a perfectionist, demanding the best from himself and those around him. "Perrin" is, quite simply, my favorite comedy of all time. If you are able to avail yourself of the show, do so. The first few episodes may appear to be like watching a rat caught in a trap, but as you go on you will realize that is the point of the first few episodes. British humor at its best, this show takes AYBS into the alley and kicks its teeth down its throat. Can't link to the book itself (thanks Amazon), but this will get you started. The Fall & Rise of Reginald Perrin: The Complete Series Reginald Perrin Omnibus
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