plasticjock

Compassionate (!!) piece from the Mail on Sunday (phhteww..) in 2001:


Seventies heartthrob is a recluse....by MICHELLE MARTIN AND MATT NIXSON

In his heyday he was one of television's cheekiest heartthrobs - but today Man About The House star Richard O'Sullivan is almost unrecognisable.
His flowing hair, lopsided grin and penchant for sharp suits and chest-baring shirts brought him a legion of female fans in the Seventies.
But even given the fact that he is now 56 years old, the most ardent of his admirers would have been hard-pressed to place him yesterday as he shuffled to the shops on crutches with a broken leg.
Sporting a grubby anorak, tracksuit and grey stubble, he looked far older than his years and clearly did not want to be reminded of the fact. 'I never talk about the old days any more,' he said crossly.
But then, with a hint of his old smile, he admitted that his two former co-stars, Sally Thomsett and Paula Wilcox, have aged rather better than he has. 'We still keep in touch - they still look terrific,' he said.
O'Sullivan now lives the life of a virtual recluse with his 21-year-old son Jamie in their small, two-bedroom flat in West London. Alcohol and depression have taken their toll on his looks and he is now virtually retired, taking the odd commercial voice-over to make ends meet.
Thirty years ago he was a sex symbol seemingly set for a life of fame after the producers of ITV's Man About The House cast the former child star as the bachelor sharing a flat with two attractive women - still relatively daring in those days.
As many as 16 million people tuned in each week to see him try to seduce Miss Wilcox as sensible Chrissy and blonde Sally Thomsett who played dizzy Jo - and with whom he was also having an off-screen relation-ship. More often than not, the joke was on him.
While all three became household names, it was O'Sullivan who found himself catapulted to stardom. He was even given his own show, Robin's Nest, playing a chef who opens a neighbour-hood bistro.
Everything seemed perfect when he fell in love with his co-star Tessa Wyatt and the pair had Jamie together.
But their relationship ended after he refused to marry her and their constant rows became too much. She walked out on him but the pair have remained friends.
He starred in other comedies, such as Me And My Girl, in the Eighties, but never recaptured his former success.
In 1994 he admitted that his divorce from his second wife, Christine Smart, had pushed him over the edge.
'I've had a really hard time,' he admitted then after it emerged that he had booked himself into a Berkshire clinic for treatment. 'I am a hard-drinking depressive.'
His former fans will no doubt be sad to see that he still seems to be fighting his demons.




However, the latest news is that he is currently resident in Brinsworth House, Staines Road Twickenham, a Variety Club retirement home, and his health was not as bad as reported by the Mail on Sunday (phhteww....phhteww..)
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plasticjock

Unconfirmed as yet.............
Doug Fisher (Larry Simmonds)
(Doug Fisher b.1941-d.2000) Among other things, Doug played the role of "Sammy" in 1978's The Stud and 1979's The Bitch, both penned by Jackie Collins and starring her sister Joan. Doug also continued to make other appearances in film and television. But he particularly seemed to dedicate himself to stage work. He passed away July 9, 2000, of a heart attack. A tribute show was done at the Soho Theatre in London by friends such as Michael Palin.

David Brent

Many thanks Jock for that information.
So sad to hear of Doug Fisher's passing so many years ago.
I'm surprised that his passing wasn't better publicised.
Another fine talent who seems to have faded from view without being noticed.
How many more are there out there?
I know it can be depressing but i think a collection of background stories to the rise & fall of these 'well known' film and television stars would make a very good book.

Dave.

Rennie

Plasticjock: Thanks for that snippet, much appreciated.

Tessa Wyatt was married to DJ Tony Blackburn for a while. I believe he broke down on live radio pleading for her return.

WindbagtheSailor

I believe she left him for Richard O'Sullivan.
I also used to like him in Dick Turpin many years ago.

The next train's gone

jacquikoo

As far as I know Richard O'Sullivan is still with us :) and a resident at Brinsworth House Returement Home for Actors etc in Surrey, he suffered a stroke aged 59.

DB7

Think the last time I saw him was in a St Etienne video looking a bit dishevelled and uninterested.

kingcapp

Hey fellow Brit Film buffs, I’m an Australian writer/film-maker. I’m currently researching a biography of Richard O’Sullivan. If anybody has any leads for me drop me a line. I’d love to talk to anybody who worked with Richard during his long career, including the following.

Actors.

Christine Smart, Tessa Wyatt, Dennis Waterman. Duncan Preston, Tessa Wyatt, Christine Smart, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Melvyn Hayes, Natasha Pyne, Anne Holloway, Gabrielle Drake, Astrid Frank, Nancie Watt, Liz Fraser, Una Stubbs, Elizabeth Sellars, David Kelly, Jill Damas, Sue Longhurst, Joanne Ridley, Katie Martin, Jan Miller, Aimee Delamain, Frazer Hines, Frankie Avalon, Robin Stewart, Robin Askwith.

Directors.

John Robbins, Dennis Abey, Peter Frazer Jones, William G. Stewart, Michael Armstrong.

Musicians.

Johnny Hawkesworth, Hank Marvin, Brian Bennet.

smudge

Peter Frazer Jones passed away last year IIRC. If you GOOGLE Sally Thomsett's name one of the hits will lead you to here agent, who can be contacted online...

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

batman

If you contact the actors union Equity they should be able to give you agents' details for some of the performers you listed.

Equity

Bats.

Don't miss out on a chance to win a rare film in Bat-Quiz 13 closing date - 31/8/8.

Dame Starry

Doesn't Robin Stewart still live in Australia?

smudge

I think you're quite right there, YDS..

Smudge

Welcome to my house. Enter freely, and of your own will...

Torquemada

RO's name came up on another thread tonight and I got to thinking what he was up to now. So I had a look on IMDb and was frankly shocked to see that apparently he had retired from acting in the 1990s and has resided in an retirement home for old actors. But he's only 63 and besides that he was the likely lad of my youth and that makes me feel reeeee-ally old!

Seriously though, I do find it a bit odd that he should have gone to live in a retirement home at such a relatively young age. Does anyone know anymore about how he is fairing?

Dame Starry

I believe that years of drinking have taken their toll on him and that he had a stroke a while back. He's living at Brinsworth House in Twickenham; he's been there for a few years now too.

batman

I remember someone telling me that he had suffered a severe stroke a while ago which is why he was living in care.

Edit: You beat me to it by a minute YDSL.

Edit 2: another member posted this in January this year ...

As far as I know Richard O'Sullivan is still with us :) and a resident at Brinsworth House Returement Home for Actors etc in Surrey, he suffered a stroke aged 59.

Bats.

Don't miss out on a chance to win a rare film in Bat-Quiz 13 closing date - 31/8/8.