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Harold Bennett
as Young Mr. Grace in Are You Being Served?
Born	Harold Bennett 17 September 1899(1899-09-17) Hastings, East Sussex, England
Died	15 September 1981 (aged 81) London, England
Years active	1965-1981

Harold Bennett (17 September 1899 – 15 September 1981) was an English actor best remembered for playing 'Young Mr. Grace' in the 1970s British sitcom Are You Being Served?.

Biography

Bennett was born in Hastings, East Sussex. In his early life he toured America as a clown with a circus. During World War I he was a courier, initially on horseback, then on motorcycle. After the war he took up acting and eventually worked as stage producer in the now defunct Tower Theatre, London. He subsequently pursued a career as an architect, only taking up his acting career again following retirement. He played the recurring character Mr Blewitt in Dad's Army from 1969 to 1977.

Bennett portrayed 'Young Mr. Grace' in Are You Being Served? as the very old, frugal and slightly absent minded owner of Grace Brothers department store. Many of the show's earlier premises were based on cutting back measures that he instituted, which was met by the usual disdain of the store's staff. But by the end of each episode, his character would once again fall in favour of the staff's good "graces", by his allowing a compromise of the situation that never quite satisfied the staff, and then announcing "You've all done very well".

Interestingly, the part of 'Old Mr. Grace' was played by Kenneth Waller, who was actually some 28 years younger than Bennett.

Harold Bennett died of a heart attack on 15 September 1981, two days before his 82nd birthday.

External links

• Harold Bennett at the Internet Movie Database

Television Roles