Jeffrey Holland (actor)

Jeffrey Holland (born Jeffrey Michael Parkes, 17 July 1946) is an English actor well known for roles in television sitcoms, playing camp comic Spike Dixon at the Maplin's holiday camp in Hi-de-Hi!, as well as BBC Radio comedy, including Week Ending. He also played a leading role in the sitcoms You Rang, M'Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching!.

Jeffrey Holland
Jeffrey Holland in May 2011.
Born
Jeffrey Michael Parkes

(1946-07-17) 17 July 1946
Walsall, Staffordshire, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationActor
Years active1963–present
Spouse(s)Eleanor Hartopp (m.1971 - ?) (divorced)
Judy Buxton (2004-present)
Children2

Early life and career

Born in Walsall, Staffordshire, he was educated at Queen Mary's Grammar School, Walsall. Holland joined an amateur theatre company, and worked at a wine merchants and in the office of a manufacturing company before training at Birmingham School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art and becoming a professional actor. His first stage appearance was at the Alexandra Theatre in 1967, in the Henry Cecil Leon play No Fear or Favour. He appeared in an episode of Dixon of Dock Green, Are You Being Served, several episodes of Crossroads and as a soldier in an episode of Dad's Army and It Ain't Half Hot Mum. He broke through to public fame in the role of Spike Dixon, the camp comic at the Maplin's holiday camp in Hi-de-Hi!. He later appeared in Russ Abbot's Madhouse.

David Croft used three main Hi-de-Hi! actors (Paul Shane, Holland, and Su Pollard) in similar roles in a later Croft/Perry sitcom, You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–1993), and again in Oh, Doctor Beeching! (1995–1997), this time co-written with Richard Spendlove.

In 2001, Holland performed in Goon Again, the 50th anniversary celebration of The Goon Show. He took the parts originally played by Peter Sellers, alongside Jon Glover (playing Spike Milligan's roles), Andrew Secombe (playing the son of his dad Harry's character Neddie Seagoon) and Christopher Timothy.

In 2011 he appeared in Coronation Street as Clive Drinkwater.

In 2012 he was cast in the film version of Ray Cooney's farce Run for Your Wife as Dick Holland. The film was met with overwhelming negative reviews from both the critics and audiences.

In 2013, he débuted his short one-man play, ….And this is my friend Mr Laurel, based on the life of Stan Laurel, at the Camden Fringe festival. This was taken on tour of the UK in 2014–2015. [1] The play was devised by Holland and written by Gail Louw.

In November 2020 Holland attended a virtual Hi-de-Hi! reunion via Zoom, which was streamed to YouTube. Also attending the reunion were his co-stars from the show including Su Pollard, Ruth Madoc, Nikki Kelly, Linda Regan and David Webb.

Personal life

Holland is married to the actress Judy Buxton. They married in 2004.

Television roles
YearTitleRole
1964CrossroadsMike Hawkins
1974Dixon of Dock GreenAlan Hunt
1976 to 1977It Ain't Half Hot MumAircraftsman Ormanroyd/ RAF Airman
1977Dad's ArmySoldier
1977Secret ArmyMichel
1978The Mayor of Casterbridge (mini-series)Carter
1978King Richard the SecondDuke of Surrey
1978As You Like ItWilliam
1977 to 1979Are You Being Served?The Blazer/ The Afro Pants
1979The Life of Henry the FiftNym
1980 to 1988Hi-de-Hi!Spike Dixon
1981 to 1985Russ Abbot's Saturday MadhouseVarious
1985The Kenny Everett Television ShowVarious
1986Spitting ImageLester Piggott
1986The Les Dennis Laughter ShowVarious
1988 to 1993You Rang, M'Lord?James Twelvetrees
1990The Russ Abbot ShowVarious
1995 to 1997Oh, Doctor Beeching!Cecil Parkin
2011Coronation StreetClive Drinkwater
2012Run for Your WifeDick Holland
2015Art AcheSteve Phillips
2016The National Union of Space PeopleRupert Darling
2020 Barmy Dale Reverend Wilkins

References
  1. http://www.jeffreyholland.co.uk/Jeffrey_Holland/Mr_Laurel.html Jeffrey Holland/Mr Laurel at jeffreyholland.co.uk: retrieved 3 March 2015
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