Ben Aris

Ben Aris was another of Britain's unsung heroes - one of those familiar faces who specialised in playing upper class roles, but whose name didn't immediately trip off the tongue. He would be best remembered by many as the snooty dance instructor Julian Dalrymple-Sykes in the sitcom Hi-de-Hi! although his list of screen credits from 1951 to 2002 took in over 100 appearances and he was a regular on the West End stage.

Benjamin Patrick Aris was born in London on 16 March 1937 and, following the Second World War, he trained at the Buddy Bradley School of Dancing as a child before attending the Arts Education School to study drama. As a youth he was also on the radio as one of the "Ovaltinies". His film career began at the age of 13 when he appeared, uncredited, as Tadpole, a student at Rugby boarding school in the 1951 film Tom Brown's School Days.

At 16 years of age, Aris toured in the hit musical Zip Goes a Million before doing two years National Service, after which he worked in Rep and in West End musicals. Among those early stage credits were Finian's Rainbow (1957), One Over the Eight (1961) - a revue starring Kenneth Williams with sketches by Peter Cook, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1963) and Lionel Bart's ill-fated Twang!! (1965).

In 1963, Aris appeared uncredited once again, in the film West 11 which starred Alfred Lynch and Diana Dors and had to wait another three years before seeing his name on the cast list in the Hammer film The Plague of Zombies. He made his adult small screen debut in 1968 in the series Gazette starring Gerald Harper as the owner of a local newspaper. The series was spun-off into the more successful Hadleigh.

Aris was given one of his first notable film roles when he was cast as Captain Maxse in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968). The following year he won the role of Rosencrantz in the Round House production of Hamlet, and when the production went to New York, where it played for six weeks before touring the United States, Aris recreated his performance as Rosencrantz and also understudied Polonius. In the early 1970s, he was cast by Ken Russell in three of his films, The Music Lovers, Savage Messiah and the rock opera Tommy. Aris also had roles in Lindsay Anderson's film If . . . (1968) and its sequel O Lucky Man! (1973).

However, it was television that made Aris an instantly recognisable figure. Standing at 6' 2" (1.88m), with a thin moustache and a dry sense of humour he cut an imposing figure in such diverse programmes as Doctor Who, Bergerac, Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em, Crown Court, Get Some In! and Poirot. As well as acting with Penelope Keith in To the Manor Born, he also appeared with her in Executive Stress and No Job for a Lady.  He was rarely off the small screen. It was, though, Hi-de_Hi! that established him as a leading character actor in the minds of the British viewing public.

In his private life, Aris was a very knowledgeable wine connoisseur who was on the committee at the Garrick Club (one of the oldest members' clubs in the world) and he was a dedicated bird-watcher ("twitcher") who, when not working, could often be seen with a pair of binoculars hoping to catch sight of a rare species in the various countries he visited. He was also a much-respected vice-chairman of the Royal Theatrical Fund which provides support to those in the acting profession that are unable to work due to illness, injury or are in their twilight years.

One of his most memorable stage performances was in the West End playing Geoffrey in Stepping Out by Richard Harris, which was awarded the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Comedy in 1984. His final stage appearance was in The Lady in the Van by Alan Bennett, opposite Dame Maggie Smith (1999).

Ben Aris passed away on 4 September 2003 aged 66 years. He was survived by his wife, daughter and son, Jonathan Aris, who followed his father into acting and appears as the angelic quartermaster in the Amazon Prime series Good Omens.

Aris established a distinguished career portraying a variety of "terribly British" characters—often pompous or slightly absurd, rarely authoritative. His performances were both memorable and endearing, leaving an indelible mark on the entertainment industry.