Simon John Cadell was an English actor, best known for his portrayal of Jeffrey Fairbrother in the first five series of the British Broadcasting Corporation situation comedy Hi-de-Hi!.
Background
Born in London, he was the son of theatrical agent John Cadell, grandson of the Scottish character actress Jean Cadell, the brother of the actress Selina Cadell and commercials director Patrick Cadell, the cousin of the actor Guy Siner and son-in-law of the television producer David Croft.
Career
He was educated at The Hall School in Hampstead and Bedales School at Petersfield where his close friends included Gyles Brandreth, who remained a friend until Cadell"s death. Cadell trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His first successes were found in the theatre in the mid to late 1970s.
He then provided the voice of Blackberry in the animated adaptation of Watership Down (1978), based on the novel by Richard Adams.
Subsequently he had roles in television programmes such as Enemy at the Door (1978-1980), and also appeared briefly in the disaster film Meteor (1979) as a television news reporter. He is best remembered for his role as the well-meaning holiday camp manager Jeffrey Fairbrother in the British Broadcasting Corporation situation comedy Hi-de-Hi! (1980-1984) and for playing the disingenuous civil servant Dundridge in the screen adaptation of a novel by Tom Sharpe, Blott on the Landscape (1985).
On radio he played the elven-king Celeborn in the British Broadcasting Corporation adaptation of The Lord of the Rings (1981). He starred in the British Broadcasting Corporation sitcom Life Without George (1987-1989) which ran for three series and also featured Carol Royle in a leading role.
Cadell appeared in the 1991 British comedy series Singles.
Other television credits include, Minder, Bergerac, The Kenny Everett Television Show and Roald Dahl"s Tales of the Unexpected. He was also in heavy demand as a voice-over for television commercials. He also narrated the children"s television series Bump for the British Broadcasting Corporation which is all about a baby elephant (who always bumps into things) and his friend Birdie.
In January 1993 Cadell suffered a near-fatal heart attack after giving a recital with Joanna Lumley at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, in London.
On 11 September the same year, cancer was detected. Sinden had been born 5 weeks before him, and his father, Donald Sinden, had been a client of Cadell"s father John, for over 30 years.
Bergerac.