Brian Rix, Baron Rix

Brian Norman Roger Rix, Baron Rix, CBE (born 27 January 1924) is an English actor and charity worker. He is the younger brother of British actress Sheila Mercier (Emmerdale). Born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, the son of a Hull shipowner, Brian Rix was educated at Bootham School, York. He became a professional actor, briefly, when he was 17, playing with Donald Wolfit in Cardiff. His wartime National Service began in the Royal Air Force, but he soon after volunteered to become a Bevin Boy, working instead as a coal miner. After the war, Rix returned to the stage and in 1947 formed his own theatre company. He ran rep companies at Ilkley, Bridlington and Margate, and at only 26 years old was a highly successful actor and...