Fred Emney Sr

He was a member of a theatrical family: among his uncles was the popular comedian Arthur Williams, and he was the father of Fred Emney, a comic character actor frequently seen on stage and screen in the mid-20th century.

[2] One of his earliest successes was as Lurcher, the sheriff's officer, in the comic opera Dorothy, succeeding Arthur Williams in the role; the uncle played it more than 900 times, and the nephew made over 800 appearances in it.

[6] The West End musical comedy roles that he originated included Posh Jenkins in Lady Madcap (1904),[7] Tournesol in The Merveilleuses (1906)[8] and Nervy Nat in The Gay Gordons (1907).

[9] From 1907 Emney began to appear in music hall shows, in a long-running sketch A Sister to Assist 'er, which he played around the country, first with Sydney Fairbrother and later with Louise Tinsley.

[11] During a performance of a pantomime version of Cinderella at the London Opera House in 1917, Emney slipped on stage, fell heavily and damaged his spine, and despite two emergency operations he died a few days later, at the age of 51.