For 40 years he made millions of people laugh all over the world. His shows enjoyed great popularity, and he became an icon of English sense of humor. But there was sadness behind his smile. In his private life, he was doomed to loneliness. Despite his fortune, he died in a rented apartment. The body was not found until a few days after his death.
A characteristic face with a still wide smile. This is the first association when we try to recall the figure of the English comedian Benny Hill. The characteristic melody that announces each episode of "The Benny Hill Show" immediately sounds in your ears.
Despite the fact that 29 years have passed since the death of the English comedian, it is hard to imagine someone who would not know the actor who is constantly chasing something. In fact, Benny Hill was like that, but only on the screen. As the film stopped and the flashes went out, the smile faded too . The man who made millions of people laugh around the world was in fact living a loner life.
A new kind of joke
Benny Hill, or rather Alfred Hawthorne Hill, was born on January 21, 1924 in Southampton, England. From childhood, he showed acting talent, yet in his adult life he took on various professions. He was a milkman, a driver, and a radio drama lecturer.
It was on the radio that he decided to take the name "Benny" - in honor of his master Jack Benny, the most popular American comedian at the time. Hill's situation changed dramatically in 1955. It was then that the actor's original program "The Benny Hill Show" was launched on the BBC. The show's viewership grew from episode to episode and producers quickly realized that they were dealing with something new, original and unusual.
Benny Hill used the well-known type of slapstick comedy in which the characters are exaggerated, behave spontaneously and have various dangerous adventures. He included gags taken from silent cinema, as well as elements of pantomime and satire. An additional link was the chases or races, which were accelerated to the characteristic melody of "Yakety Sax" by Boots Randoph and James Rich.
In addition, the comedian very often impersonated female characters , which was an additional theme of the show and gave the program a cabaret character. In fact, women, especially young and sexy, were an integral part of the program.
Benny mania
"The Benny Hill Show" broke popularity and viewership records in over 100 countries. For 40 years he has won the hearts of viewers. The program was broadcast all over the world. Also in Poland in the 90s, Benny Hill became a brand, a one-man company and a classic of English sense of humor.
After nearly 30 years of broadcasting on the air, in the early 1980s "Benny mania" suddenly erupted. Many young actors and comedians considered him the king of comedy, trying to imitate his movements and expressions . A lot of famous people were also fans of Benny Hill. These included Michael Jackson, Greta Garbo and Charlie Chaplin, who hosted the actor at his home in Switzerland.
Hill's situation changed dramatically in 1955. It was then that the actor's original program "The Benny Hill Show"
was launched on the BBCAt Chaplin's house, Benny Hill noticed the videotapes of his programs stacked on the shelves. It must have been a great honor for a modest comedian. The program earned the actor a lot of fame, recognition and a fortune for which he was not ready. Going to the top was like hitting a wall that he never picked up on again. But the worst was yet to come.
"Dirty, dirty old man"
Benny Hill's private life was not that of a typical millionaire, a man with fortune and fame. He did not live in apartments or luxury villas. He never even bought a house or a car. He has been renting apartments near London all his life.
The actor's living conditions can be assessed as modest. He kept all his prizes in cardboard boxes deep in the closet. Benny Hill also never married and had no children. There were rumors in the acting community - and not only - that he was gay, and the beautiful and young women who starred in his shows are just a cover. The press from time to time asked him about his marriage and private life. The truth is that Hill has tried to start a family twice in the past, but the women refused to accept his proposal.
In the 1980s, when he was at the peak of his popularity again, he created a program which was criticized by the British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the royal family. It was after that, in 1982, Hill's programs were censored . The popularity of Prime Minister Thatcher also brought the "Benny mania" to an end after this incident.
His works were criticized and accused of being politically incorrect. Feminist circles accused the actor of sexual overtones towards young, poorly dressed women. There were voices that directly defined the comedian as "a dirty, dirty old man tearing clothes off innocent girls.
The actor tried to repel these attacks or did not comment on them at all, but personally he took very much of all the accusations that started him depressed. Especially when the program has disappeared from the air for good.
Laughter through tears
That same year, Hill's closest friend, Jackie Wright, also died. The comedian began to drown his sorrows in alcohol. His health deteriorated rapidly. In the early 1990s, he was hospitalized several times. Doctors recommended a diet and a change in lifestyle. But in vain.
Benny Hill died on April 20, 1992 at the age of 67. Probably due to a heart attack. It was not until a few days after his death that his agent found him, who had come to Hill's apartment while he was not answering the phone . He found the comedian dead in front of the TV.
The division of property after the deceased actor in the UK (and not only) has become very loud. The actor raised a sum of 10 million pounds. For those times, it was a huge amount. In his will, he bequeathed everything to his parents and siblings, but then none of his relatives were alive.
There were voices that directly defined the comedian as "a dirty, dirty old man tearing clothes off innocent girls.
In Benny's private records, a note was found in which Hill bequeathed a fortune to his friends. However, he had no legal force and the property was ultimately divided among the children of his siblings, with whom he had no contact. Perhaps because they loudly criticized the comedian's work, considering the programs tasteless and tasteless . However, they did not refuse to accept the inheritance.
On the other hand, rumors had spread to the public that Benny Hill was buried with a fortune. A few months after the funeral, police received reports that unknown perpetrators had unearthed the actor's grave. No one was captured.
Nowadays, the work of Benny Hill is appreciated and considered a classic of English comedy. The actor himself is considered a master in his profession. Remembered by many mainly due to his modesty, smile and salute with an upturned hand.