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Syd Walker

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Syd Walker
Born
Sydney Kirkman

(1886-03-22)22 March 1886
Died13 January 1945(1945-01-13) (aged 58)
Hove, Sussex, England
Occupation(s)Comedian, actor
SpouseLily (Lydia) Louie Margaret Kirkman
ChildrenPete Walker

Syd Walker (born Sydney Kirkman; 22 March 1886 – 13 January 1945) was a British actor and comedian.

Born in Salford, Lancashire, he started his career in music halls, both as a solo performer and in double acts. He was also a member of Fred Karno's comedy troupe.[1] After some years performing with Karno, and after losing his Lancashire accent, he became a regular on BBC radio's Band Waggon (1938–1939) as Mr. Walker, a philosophical rag-and-bone man with the popular catch phrase: "What would you do, chums?"[2][3] He later had his own show, Mr Walker Wants to Know.[1]

He fell ill with appendicitis while playing in pantomime in Croydon, and died in Hove, Sussex, in 1945 at the age of 58.[1]

His son is the film director Pete Walker.[4]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Busby, Roy (1976). British Music Hall: An Illustrated Who's Who from 1850 to the Present Day. London: Paul Elek. p. 176-177. ISBN 0-236-40053-3.
  2. ^ "Brighton and Hove people: W". Brighton History. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  3. ^ Partridge, Eric (2 September 2003). A Dictionary of Catch Phrases. ISBN 9781134929993.
  4. ^ "Syd Walker". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009.
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