Comic actor Leslie Phillips – best known for his Carry On films – has died.
He was aged 98.
Phillips starred in more than 200 films, television series and radio programmes during his eight-decade career.
His universal catchphrase was “Ding, dong” whenever he saw an attractive woman.
The “Casanova Cad” usually followed up with “Well, he-llo” and “I say”.
Phillips became a star to a new generation of youngsters as the voice of the Sorting Hat in the Harry Potter films.
His wife Zara told The Sun newspaper:
“I’ve lost a wonderful husband and the public has lost a truly great showman.
“He was quite simply a national treasure. People loved him. He was mobbed everywhere he went.”
Phillips was made an OBE in the 1998 Birthday Honours list and was promoted to CBE in the 2008 New Year Honours.
He often played an upper-class cad with a roving eye.
Phillips fought in World War II from 1943 as a Second Lieutenant in the Durham Light Infantry until 1945, when he was invalided out.
Phillips said of his experiences:
“The beginning of my trouble was continuous bombardment and the bangs.
“It was nerve-wracking with aeroplanes flying over and shooting them down.”
“I suppose it was a form of shellshock.
“I never really recovered.”
