Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Harold Bennett

Harold Frank Bennett was an English actor, active in stage, television and film best remembered for being in sitcoms written and produced by David Croft, having played 'Young Mr. Grace' in the 1970s British sitcom Are You Being Served?, as well as minor character Sidney Bluett in Dad's Army.

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Harold Bennett
Bennett during his military service in World War I
Born
Harold Frank Bennett

(1898-11-17)17 November 1898
Hastings, Sussex, England
Died11 September 1981(1981-09-11) (aged 82)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1910–1980 - stage from 1950, screen 1964-1980
Children3, including John Bennett (writer)

Harold Frank Bennett (17 November 18981 – 11 September 1981) was an English actor, active in stage, television and film best remembered for being in sitcoms written and produced by David Croft, having played 'Young Mr. Grace' in the 1970s British sitcom Are You Being Served?, as well as minor character Sidney Bluett in Dad's Army.

Biography

Bennett was born in Hastings,2 Sussex. After leaving school at the age of twelve, in his early life he toured America as a clown with a circus, and later taught English at the Working Men's College in London. During World War I he served as a courier, initially on horseback, then on motorcycle. After the war he took up acting and eventually worked as stage producer in the Tower Theatre, London. He subsequently pursued a career as a draughtsman for an electric company, only taking up his acting career again following retirement.

Harold Bennett died of a heart attack on 11 September 1981, aged 82. His wife predeceased him in the 1930s;3 he was survived by their three children. One of his children, John, was also an actor.

Acting career

He played the recurring character Mr (Sidney) Bluett in Dad's Army from 1969 to 1977, but it was as Young Mr Grace, the ancient, amiably callous owner of Grace Brothers department store in British sitcom Are You Being Served? that he achieved his greatest fame. His last appearance in Are You Being Served? aired some three months after his death, having been recorded earlier in the year.

Bennett also played the role of the aged Archdeacon Pulteney in The Stalls of Barchester, the BBC A Ghost Story for Christmas broadcast 24 December 1971 and adapted from M.R. James's story of the same title. Bennett also appeared in Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton (1965), and in several films, including as a photographer in Games That Lovers Play (1971) and as the aged odd-job man Gasper in The Ups and Downs of a Handyman (1975).

On the stage, he appeared in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of London Assurance (1972) as Martin,4 and in an Open University production of Chekhov's The Three Sisters.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Ref.
1967 The Sky Bike Old Man 5
1971 Games That Lovers Play Old photographer 6
1972 Au Pair Girls Lord Tryke 7
1973 Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall Doctor 8
1976 The Ups and Downs of a Handyman Gasper 9
1977 Are You Being Served? Young Mr. Grace 10

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1965 Vote, Vote, Vote for Nigel Barton Old man TV play by Dennis Potter11
1971 Whack-O! Mr Dinwiddie 12
1971 The Stalls of Barchester Archdeacon Pulteney 13
1973 & 1976 Thriller Second old man/Blind man Episodes: "A Place To Die"14 and "The Next Victim"15
1976–1977 Clayhanger Mr Shushions 16
1969–1977 Dad's Army Sidney Bluett 13 episodes17
1977 Jesus of Nazareth Elder (uncredited) TV mini-series
1972–1981 Are You Being Served? "Young" Mr Grace 50 episodes (Final appearance)
1980 Oh Happy Band! Vicar Episode: "Diplomatic Privilege"18
References

References

  1. "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  2. Webber, Richard (1998). Are You Being Served: 25 Years. London: Orion. p. 73; ISBN 0-75281-7957.
  3. Webber, Richard (1998). Are You Being Served: 25 Years. London: Orion. p. 74; ISBN 0-75281-7957.
  4. "RSC Performances: London Assurance". Shakespeare Birthplace Trust. Retrieved 30 April 2026.
  5. "The Sky Bike Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  6. "Games That Lovers Play Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  7. "Au Pair Girls Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  8. "Adolf Hitler - My Part in His Downfall Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  9. "The Ups and Downs of a Handyman". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  10. "Are You Being Served? Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  11. "Vote, Vote, Vote, For Nigel Barton". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  12. BBC. "Whack-O!". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  13. "The Stalls of Barchester". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  14. "A Place to Die Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  15. "The Next Victim Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  16. "Clayhanger Part 1 Last of a Schoolboy Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  17. Guide, British Comedy. "Harold Bennett". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
  18. "Diplomatic Privilege Cast". British Film Institute. Retrieved 28 April 2026.
External links