Norman Wisdom

Despite having become one of the England's most beloved movie comedians, Norman Wisdom did not initially plan on pursuing an entertainment career--in fact, it was none other than the military that sparked his interest in performance. Born and raised in London, Wisdom joined the army at an early age. While stationed abroad, Wisdom began acting in military stage productions and quickly discovered that he had both a talent and affinity for the work. Following World War II, he scored his first job in entertainment, playing the "straight man" to a magician. During this period, he developed what would become his trademark look and character: a rumpled, put-upon Everyman. He dubbed this persona Norman Pitkin and performed under its influence in several of his more popular films. Wisdom climbed to stardom in the 1950s in a series of comedies including 1953's "Trouble in Store" and 1959's "The Square Peg." In these crowd-pleasing efforts, Wisdom generally played a man struggling to cope in menial jobs overseen by incapable, arrogant, or stupid bosses. Endearingly popular throughout the course of his long, six-decade career, Wisdom worked steadily until his death at the ripe old age of 95.