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Fred Ridgeway Fred Ridgeway obituary
(35 minutes later)
Very few actors start out in middle age, having thrown off a previous life as a high-flying money broker, and live the theatrical dream to such an extent that they play a season on Broadway with the National Theatre. But that is precisely the extraordinary story of Fred Ridgeway, who has died aged 59, after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease shortly before he repeated his performance as a cockney criminal in Richard Bean's uproarious One Man, Two Guvnors, which completed its run in New York 10 weeks ago. Very few actors start out in middle age, having thrown off a previous life as a high-flying money broker, and live the theatrical dream to such an extent that they play a season on Broadway with the National Theatre. But that is precisely the extraordinary story of Fred Ridgeway, who has died aged 59, after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease shortly before he repeated his performance as a cockney criminal in Richard Bean's uproarious One Man, Two Guvnors, which completed its run in New York 10 weeks ago.
By then, Ridgeway was paying for an extra dresser to help him in and out of costume, but hardly anyone knew he was ill. He had opened in Nicholas Hytner's now famous production, which starred James Corden, on the South Bank in May 2011, continuing with the role on the play's UK tour, then in the West End and finally in New York.By then, Ridgeway was paying for an extra dresser to help him in and out of costume, but hardly anyone knew he was ill. He had opened in Nicholas Hytner's now famous production, which starred James Corden, on the South Bank in May 2011, continuing with the role on the play's UK tour, then in the West End and finally in New York.
In a comparatively short career which started in the mid-1990s, he made a name for himself as a television regular in series such as The Bill, Heartbeat, EastEnders and Casualty, but counted the greatest day of his life as leading a 1998 West End revival of Joe Orton's black comedy Loot. Small and wiry, perhaps even ferrety onstage, he played Truscott of the Yard, the dodgy inspector once played by another great late-starter, Leonard Rossiter, and was, said one critic, every inch a parody detective; "with his recessive chin and glassy eyes, he looks like something nasty on a fishmonger's slab," wrote another. In a comparatively short career which started in the mid-1990s, he made a name for himself as a television regular in series such as The Bill, Heartbeat, EastEnders and Casualty, but counted the greatest day of his life as leading a 1998 West End revival of Joe Orton's black comedy Loot. Small and wiry, perhaps even ferrety onstage, he played Truscott of the Yard, the dodgy inspector once played by another great late-starter, Leonard Rossiter, and was, said one critic, every inch a parody detective; "with his recessive chin and glassy eyes, he looks like something nasty on a fishmonger's slab," wrote another.
He was born into a Catholic family in Dublin, the youngest of eight children of Benjamin Ridgeway, a railway worker, and his wife, Christina McCormack. They all moved to Peckham, south-east London, where his father worked at Peckham Rye station. He was born into a Catholic family in Dublin, the youngest of eight children of Benjamin Ridgeway, a railway worker, and his wife, Christina McCormack. They all moved to Peckham, south-east London, where his father worked at Peckham Rye station.
Ridgeway joined the National Youth Theatre after being encouraged to do so by his teachers at St Thomas the Apostle College, in Nunhead. He left school aged 18 and began a meteoric financial career, 25 years in all, rising to the position of associate director at Exco, striking deals on foreign exchange markets and working in Frankfurt and on Wall Street.Ridgeway joined the National Youth Theatre after being encouraged to do so by his teachers at St Thomas the Apostle College, in Nunhead. He left school aged 18 and began a meteoric financial career, 25 years in all, rising to the position of associate director at Exco, striking deals on foreign exchange markets and working in Frankfurt and on Wall Street.
While in New York, he fed his passion for theatre by attending classes at the Actors' Playhouse in Greenwich Village. He said that his two idols were Dustin Hoffman ("same height and a big nose, just like me") and George Soros, the king of currency speculation, who broke the Bank of England on Black Wednesday in 1992.While in New York, he fed his passion for theatre by attending classes at the Actors' Playhouse in Greenwich Village. He said that his two idols were Dustin Hoffman ("same height and a big nose, just like me") and George Soros, the king of currency speculation, who broke the Bank of England on Black Wednesday in 1992.
Back in England, and living a luxury lifestyle in Chislehurst, Kent, with his wife, Jeanne, whom he married in 1983, and their two children, Ridgeway plunged into amateur dramatics, first with the South London theatre in Norwood, and then with the Geoffrey Whitworth theatre in Crayford, Kent, where his roles included Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman. Back in England, and living a luxury lifestyle in Chislehurst, Kent, with his wife, Jeanne, whom he married in 1983, and their two children, Ridgeway plunged into amateur dramatics, first with the South London theatre in Norwood, and then with the Geoffrey Whitworth theatre in Crayford, Kent, where his roles included Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and Willy Loman in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
He turned professional in 1996, downsized the family house, forsook the company car and "walked on" in The Alchemist at the Birmingham Rep, a co-production with the National Theatre, where he understudied Tim Pigott-Smith. He made his London debut in the actor David Haig's play about Rudyard Kipling, My Boy Jack (1997), at the Hampstead theatre. He turned professional in 1996, downsized the family house, forsook the company car and "walked on" in The Alchemist at the Birmingham Rep, a co-production with the National Theatre, where he understudied Tim Pigott-Smith. He made his London debut in the actor David Haig's play about Rudyard Kipling, My Boy Jack (1997), at the Hampstead theatre.
In 1998, Jude Kelly cast him first in a revival of Dealer's Choice, Patrick Marber's play about poker, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, then in her Chichester Festival theatre production of Eduardo De Filippo's Saturday, Sunday, Monday. In the same season, he opened as Truscott in David Grindley's Loot revival in the Chichester Minerva, en route to the Vaudeville theatre in the West End. In 1998, Jude Kelly cast him first in a revival of Dealer's Choice, Patrick Marber's play about poker, at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, then in her Chichester Festival theatre production of Eduardo De Filippo's Saturday, Sunday, Monday. In the same season, he opened as Truscott in David Grindley's Loot revival in the Chichester Minerva, en route to the Vaudeville theatre in the West End.
Ridgeway worked consistently in television until 2003, when he appeared as another inspector in Franco Zeffirelli's sleek production of Pirandello's Absolutely! (Perhaps), translated by Martin Sherman, starring Joan Plowright, at Wyndham's. A great boost to the roster of Royal Shakespeare Company supporting players in the 2005 Gunpowder Plot season at Stratford-upon-Avon, he also played Sicinius Velutus in Coriolanus, directed by Gregory Doran.Ridgeway worked consistently in television until 2003, when he appeared as another inspector in Franco Zeffirelli's sleek production of Pirandello's Absolutely! (Perhaps), translated by Martin Sherman, starring Joan Plowright, at Wyndham's. A great boost to the roster of Royal Shakespeare Company supporting players in the 2005 Gunpowder Plot season at Stratford-upon-Avon, he also played Sicinius Velutus in Coriolanus, directed by Gregory Doran.
Ridgeway always said that acting was less hectic but just as stressful as working on the money markets, but he was settling into a rich vein of work in the last years of his life, playing a chirpy cockney philosopher in Bean's glorious rainbow of racial stereotypes in England People Very Nice at the National in 2009, and appearing in Bean's brilliant farcical thriller The Big Fellah (2010) for Out of Joint.Ridgeway always said that acting was less hectic but just as stressful as working on the money markets, but he was settling into a rich vein of work in the last years of his life, playing a chirpy cockney philosopher in Bean's glorious rainbow of racial stereotypes in England People Very Nice at the National in 2009, and appearing in Bean's brilliant farcical thriller The Big Fellah (2010) for Out of Joint.
He is survived by Jeanne, their children, Sarah and Benjamin, a brother and three sisters.He is survived by Jeanne, their children, Sarah and Benjamin, a brother and three sisters.
• Frederick Gerrard Ridgeway, actor, born 16 October 1953; died 12 November 2012• Frederick Gerrard Ridgeway, actor, born 16 October 1953; died 12 November 2012