Warren Mitchell

Warren Mitchell Headshot

Actor

Birth Name: Warren Misell

Birth Date: January 14, 1926

Death Date: November 14, 2015

Birth Place: London, England, UK

British actor Warren Mitchell's turn as a cantankerous Cockney bigot on the BBC series "Till Death Do Us Part (1966-1975) provided him with a lengthy career on the English stage and in features, and inspired one of the best American sitcoms in television history, "All in the Family" (CBS, 1971-79).

Born Warren Misell in the Stoke Newington neighborhood of London, England on January 14, 1928, he was interested in acting from an early age, and studied at a dramatic arts academy in his early adolescence. Mitchell shifted his interest towards chemistry as a student at Oxford, but upon meeting fellow student Richard Burton, he decided to make performing his profession.

After completing his training as a navigator with the Royal Air Force shortly before the end of World War II, Mitchell attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art while gaining practical experiences with the Unity Theatre. Roles in radio dramas and comedies led to appearances on television and in feature films like "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" (1961) and Richard Lester's "Help!" (1965) with the Beatles.

That same year, he made his first appearance in the role that would make him famous: the bigoted, hypocritical Alf Garnett on "Till Death Do Us Part." Loudmouthed and opinionated, Garnett was frequently at odds with his family and neighbors, who ridiculed him for his wrongheaded tirades; the character became an audience favorite for decades, and earned Mitchell a TV Actor BAFTA in 1967. More significantly, the character and series served as the inspiration for Norman Lear's groundbreaking American sitcom "All in the Family."

Mitchell would reprise Garnett numerous times throughout his career, most notably in two feature films, two follow-up series ("Till Death," ATV, 1981, and "In Sickness and in Health, BBC, 1982-85), and an award-winning one-man theatrical production, "The Thoughts of Chairman Alf" in 1976. The popularity of the character never conflicted with other roles, and Mitchell enjoyed a long and fruitful career in British features, television series and on stage, including an Olivier Award-winning turn as Willy Loman in a production of "Death of a Salesman" in 1979.

Mitchell reprised Garnett one final time in the ITV series "A Word with Alf" (1997), but requested that the series be cancelled after the death of producer Johnny Speight, who had created the character. Mitchell continued to act in the subsequent decade, netting another Olivier in 2004 for Arthur Miller's "The Price."

He suffered a mild stroke during the latter play's theatrical run in 2004, but returned to the show after a week of recuperation. Mitchell made his last screen appearance in the short film "The 10th Man" in 2006, but remained active in theater until 2008; he died after a long illness on November 14, 2015.

Credits

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Actor
Frank Edwards / Captain Smashmouth
Movie
2019

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Costume Design
Movie
2019

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Director
Movie
2019

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Film Editing
Movie
2019

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Producer
Movie
2019

Captain Smashmouth and the Fantastic Monolith

Set Decoration
Movie
2019

Playing the Salesman

Guest
Show
2006

Comedy Connections

Guest Star
Show
2003

A Christmas Carol

Actor
Eddie's Dad
Movie
2000

Comedy Showcase

Voice
Sid
Show
1998

Crackers

Actor
Albert Hall
Movie
1998

Brahms and the Little Singing Girls

Actor
Joahnnes Brahms
Show
1997

Ain't Misbehavin'

Actor
Ray Smiles
Show
1997

Death of a Salesman

Actor
Willy Loman
Movie
1996

Gobble

Actor
Waterboard Chairman
Movie
1996

Kavanagh Q.C.

Guest Star
Avram Rypin
Show
1995

Un des siens

Actor
Movie
1993

Jackaroo

Actor
Ambrose Barberton
Movie
1990

Kokoda Crescent

Actor
Stan
Movie
1989

Caballeros y Esmeraldas

Actor
Movie
1986

Knights and Emeralds

Actor
Mr. Kirkpatrick
Movie
1986

Foreign Body

Actor
I.Q. Patel
Movie
1986

In Sickness and in Health

Actor
Alf Garnett
Series
1985

The Dunera Boys

Actor
Mr. Baum
Movie
1985

The Chain

Actor
Bamber
Movie
1984

Man of Letters

Actor
Sir Dorton Serry
Movie
1984

Norman Loves Rose

Actor
Morris
Movie
1982

The Plague Dogs

Voice
Tyson/Wag
Movie
1982

Meetings With Remarkable Men

Actor
Gurdjieff's Father
Movie
1979

Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers

Actor
Morris Morris
Movie
1977

The SweeneyStream

Guest Star
William Wardle
Series
1975

Last of the Summer WineStream

Guest Star
Series
1973

Innocent Bystanders

Actor
Omar
Movie
1973

The Alf Garnett Saga

Actor
Alf Garnett
Movie
1972

Moon Zero TwoStream

Actor
J.J. Hubbard
Movie
1970

All the Way Up

Actor
Fred Midway
Movie
1970

The Assassination Bureau

Actor
Herr Weiss
Movie
1969

Diamonds for Breakfast

Actor
Popov
Movie
1968

Till Death Us Do Part

Actor
Movie
1968

Alf 'n' Family

Actor
Alf Garnett
Movie
1968

Dusty

Self
Show
1966

Promise Her Anything

Actor
Frank Focus/Panel Moderator
Movie
1966

Arrivederci, Baby!

Actor
Movie
1966

Till Death Us Do Part

Actor
Alf Garnett
Series
1965

Night Caller From Outer Space

Actor
Reg Lilburn
Movie
1965

Where Has Poor Mickey Gone?

Actor
Emilio Dinelli
Movie
1964

The Small World of Sammy Lee

Actor
Lou Leeman
Movie
1963

The Main Attraction

Actor
Cafe Proprietor
Movie
1963

The SaintStream

Guest Star
Marco Di Cesari
Series
1962

Man of the World

Actor
Show
1962

Postman's Knock

Actor
Rupert
Movie
1962

Village of Daughters

Actor
Puccelli
Movie
1962

The Silent Invasion

Actor
Robert
Movie
1962

The AvengersStream

Guest Star
Series
1961

The Curse of the Werewolf

Actor
Pepe Valiente
Movie
1961

La maldición del hombre lobo

Actor
Movie
1961

The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre

Actor
Chemist
Show
1960

The Boy Who Stole a Million

Actor
Pedro
Movie
1960

Surprise Package

Actor
Klimatis
Movie
1960

No Hiding Place

Actor
Miles Webber
Show
1959

Interpol Calling

Actor
Willi
Show
1959

The Adventures of William Tell

Actor
Carlo
Show
1958

The Crawling EyeStream

Actor
Prof. Crevett
Movie
1958
67%

The Man With a Gun

Actor
Movie
1958

Three Crooked Men

Actor
Walter Prinn
Movie
1957

Manuela

Actor
Moss
Movie
1957