A much-loved comic actor who has specialized in playing plummy, quintessentially English stereotypes, Leslie Phillips' heart was in acting from a very young age. He received elocution lessons as a child in order to lose his natural cockney accent (at that time a regional British accent was a major impediment to an aspiring actor) and he attended the Italia Conti School.

During the Second World War he served with the Durham Light Infantry. He returned to acting and it was during the 1950s that he established himself as a notable player in British movies. His greatest claim to fame to this day are the "Doctor" series of movies, which he inherited from Dirk Bogarde. He also worked on radio, most notably "The Navy Lark" for the BBC.

In later life he returned to playing supporting roles and even appeared in Steven Spielberg's Empire of the Sun. He continues to make cameo appearances in films and television and is a regular guest on British chat shows.


He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1998 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to drama. Worked on the BBC radio comedy The Navy Lark with other famous British comic actors Jon Pertwee and Ronnie Barker. Friends with actors Denholm Elliott and Jon Pertwee for many years, both of whom, like Phillips, had homes in Ibiza. He was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2008 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama.