William Nicholas Foskett Phipps (23 June 1913 – 11 April 1980) was a British actor and writer who appeared in stage roles between 1932 and 1967 and more than thirty films between 1940 and 1970.

He toured in South Africa in 1937, in The Frog and The Amazing Dr Clitterhouse, and on his return, played at the summer theatre at Perranporth.

He then appeared for ENSA in a concert party at Gibraltar and North Africa, and then toured as Charles Condomine in Coward's Blithe Spirit.

After playing Proust in Crisis in Heaven at the Lyric in May 1944, he succeeded Cecil Parker as Charles Condomine in the long London run of Blithe Spirit, at the Duchess Theatre, 1944-45.

[1] Phipps was the author of the plays, "First Stop North", "Bold Lover", "The Burning Boat", and of numerous lyrics and sketches for revues, some written in collaboration with his cousin Joyce Grenfell.

Those he mentioned in his Who's Who entry were Spring in Park Lane, Maytime in Mayfair, The Captain's Paradise, Doctor in the House and three sequels, and No Love For Johnnie.

He wrote a script for David Lean, Madeleine (1950) and did one for Ralph Thomas, Appointment with Venus (1951) He was one of several writers on I Believe in You (1952), and did a thriller for George Raft Escape Route (1952).

After an Alec Guinness comedy, The Captain's Paradise (1953), Phipps had one of the biggest hits of his career with Doctor in the House (1954) for Thomas.