by Hal Erickson
biography
Birdlike, bespectacled British comic actor Charles Hawtrey was the son of a knighted theatrical star of the same name. On stage from age seven, Hawtrey earned his keep as a popular boy soprano on radio and in music halls. In the 1930s, Hawtrey frequently appeared in the films of Will Hay, playing one of the professorial Hay's cheekier students. Also during that decade, Hawtrey starred as radio's "boy detective" Norman Bones. From 1958 through 1972, Hawtrey was a mainstay of the hilarious "Carry On" film series. Charles Hawtrey left the "Carry On" series after a well-publicized argument about billing. Hawtrey died at the age of 74.
