Clive Swift

Clive Walter Swift  was an English actor and songwriter. He was best known for his role as Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth (played by Patricia Routledge) in the British television series Keeping Up Appearances, but played many other notable film and television roles, including that of Roy in the British television series The Old Guys.

Swift was born in Liverpool, the son of Lily Rebecca (née Greenman) and Abram Sampson Swift. His elder brother, David, was also an actor. Both were educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where Clive read English literature.

He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

His family were Jewish.

He appeared as Snug in the Royal Shakespeare Company's 1968 film production of A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of a cast that included Diana Rigg, Helen Mirren and Ian Richardson.

During the 1970s, he appeared as Doctor Black in two of the BBC's M. R. James adaptations: The Stalls of Barchester and A Warning to the Curious. He is best known for his role on Keeping Up Appearancesas Richard Bucket, the long-suffering husband of Hyacinth. Swift starred in the BBC adaptation of The Barchester Chronicles and appeared in the Doctor Who story Revelation of the Daleks.

On 25 December 2007, he appeared in a Doctor Who Christmas special as Mr Copper. He also played Sir Ector, the adoptive father of King Arthur in John Boorman's 1981 film Excalibur.

In addition to acting, he was a songwriter. Many of his songs were included in his show, Richard Bucket Overflows: An Audience with Clive Swift, which toured the UK in 2007 and Clive Swift Entertains, performing his own music and lyrics, which toured the UK in 2009.

He also played the part of the Reverend Eustacius Brewer in Born and Bred, which aired on BBC 1 from 2002 to 2005.

Swift was married to novelist Margaret Drabble from 1960 until their divorce in 1975.

 He was the father of one daughter, Rebecca (who died in April 2017), known for running The Literary Consultancy in London, and two sons, Adam Swift, an academic, and Joe Swift, a garden designer, journalist and television presenter.

Swift died on 1 February 2019, at home, aged 82.

 He spent his last days with his family following a short stay at St Mary's Hospital, London where he was treated for a short illness which included breathing difficulties.

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He studied English Literature at Cambridge Univeristy. He has one daughter, Rebecca, and two sons, Adam and Joseph. He was previously a director of The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). He is the younger brother of actor David Swift. He is the father of television gardener Joe Swift. He is the uncle of actress Julia Swift. He has appeared in both Doctor Who (1963) and Doctor Who (2005). He appeared under the direction of Alfred Hitchcock in Frenzy (1972) and, over thirty years later, played Hitchcock in a British radio play. He was previously a teacher at LAMDA and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Of his appearance in the 2007 Doctor Who Christmas special, Swift declared "It wasn't until we'd been filming for two weeks that I realised that Mr Copper is an alien!". Though most prominently cast as the hen-pecked Richard Bucket in the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances, the actor eventually grew tired of being identified with this role. Educated at Clifton College and Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. First acted on stage in Nottingham in 1959.

He was one of the inspirers of Actors Centre.