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c/o Eric Glass
Ltd, 25 Ladbroke Crescent, Notting Hill, London W11 1PS
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"I'd get in if I were you or they'll be
shut!"
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April 1999
2 signed 6x4 colour Carry
On Again Doctor
photos,
signed 10x8 black/white Carry
On Jack photo,
signed 10x8 black/white Carry
On Again Doctor photo,
signed 10x8 black/white Carry
On Screaming photo
and signed 13 Carry
On postcards.
  
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 Jim took the lead role in one
of my favourite childhood films - Digby, the Biggest Dog
in the World. His costars included Milo O'Shea, Norman
Rossington and John Bluthal. The film also revived
memories of earlier Carry On romances by casting him
opposite Angela Douglas.
 After bringing his Carry On
career to an end he made three films for Disney - he
played three roles in Hot Lead Cold Feet (Eli, Wild Billy
and Jasper Bloodshy). He turned his nice guy image on
it's head by playing villainous characters in Pete's
Dragon and A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court.
At the request of Laurence
Olivier, he joined the National Theatre and played
'Barnet' in The National Health directed by Michael Blakemore, 'Mr Lofty' in The Good Natured Man directed by
John Dexter, 'Lancelot Gobbo' in The Merchant of Venice
directed by Jonathan Miller, 'Kale' in The Captain of
Kopenick directed by Frank Dunlop, 'Costard' in Loves
Labour's Lost directed by Olivier himself and a two
character play (with Sir Anthony Hopkins) The Architect
and the Emperor of Assyria by Fernando Arrabal.
Jim's other London stage plays
include The Wayward Way, The Burglar, The Taming of the
Shrew, The Card and the title role in Scapino which he
co-adapted with Frank Dunlop from the Moliere farce.
Jim's successful stage career
continued when he played the eponymous Barnum on Broadway
(for which he won a Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award)
and most recently 'Fagin' in the West End revival of
Oliver.
His other credits on and off
Broadway include Scapino (which saw him rewarded with The
Drama Desk Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award and
another Tony nomination), Privates on Parade, The
Comedians, The Taming of the Shrew, the musical Me and My
Girl, The Music Man, Joe Egg (another Outer Critics
Circle Award and yet another Tony nomination) and Travels
With My Aunt which won him The Critics award, The Drama
Desk Award and a third Outer Critics Circle Award.
He recently starred as
'Pangloss/Voltaire' in Hal Prince's new Broadway
production of Leonard Bernstein's Candide, for which he
won (yes you've guessed it!) yet another Tony nomination!
He also recently filmed the
role of 'Clopin' in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, a
feature film for Turner Broadcasting directed by Peter Medak.
Jim's other films include The
National Health, The Iron Maiden, Joseph Andrews, Adolf
Hitler My Part In His Downfall, Scandalous, The American
Clock and Lock Up Your Daughters.
Jim has also had a successful
pop career and written songs for films such as Shalako,
the Winters Tale, Twinky and Joseph Andrews. His lyrics
for Gregory Girl gained him an Oscar nomination! For a long time Jim was
rumoured to have sung the theme song to Carry On Screaming, however in
2001 it was revealed that it wasn't Jim after all!
In the late
90s Jim started narrating the
spoken word editions of the phenomenally successful Harry
Potter books for the American market. Sadly he has not
done the same for the British market, that honour went to
the equally talented Stephen Fry. And although expressing
his desire to do so, Jim does not appear in the first Harry Potter film. But as there are likely to be
at least four
films made with new characters coming and going Jim's
dream may yet come true! Personally I think Jim would
make a great 'Ludo Bagman', 'Barty Crouch' or even 'Cornelius Fudge' -
here's hoping!
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