Stanley James Carroll Beck
(1929-1973) was 'a very naughty boy' according to Joan, John Le Mesurier's wife. No doubt James was naughty when enjoying some down time with John, co-actor in Dad’s Army, a series beloved by the whole world.
Although he gained immortal fame in this British comedy classic, James Beck (or Jimmy) was so much more than his role as wartime spiv Private Walker. Did you know he spent over twenty years on stage in repertory all over the UK? Working with people like Jean Alexander, Diana Rigg, Trevor Bannister, and Denholm Elliott, to name a few? For his repertory work in York, he earned plaudits from none other than Sir Laurence Olivier, who praised Jimmy highly.
Lots of excellent books have been written about the Dad's Army series, and 'platoon members' like Arthur Lowe, John Le Mesurier, Clive Dunn, Frank Williams, Arnold Ridley and Bill Pertwee had their biographies (sometimes posthumously) published. Probably the least known actor from the series is Jimmy Beck. Little info can be found on the Internet, usually focussing on his untimely death, and unfortunately nobody, not even his wife Kay, ever wrote down the story of Jimmy's life.
An actor that was so extremely talented, and did so much work before finally gaining fame but sadly basically is solely remembered for that one role 'whether you like it or not, you get pigeonholed'. Jimmy Beck deserves more than that.
That's why Mariska Schrieken decided to start working on an unauthorised biography, 50 years after Jimmy's untimely death in 1973. This project started to take shape in 2023, from the initial thoughts of writing every little piece of info I could find, to deciding to start the challenge of writing Jimmy's life story.
To say it has been and still is a challenge is an understatement; so many people that knew or worked with him have passed away since or are not available or untraceable. only this project had started 20 years ago!
However, I hope my story of Jimmy's life will be an enjoyable read and show you what a wonderful person he was.
The book offers the reader a unique insight into JAMES BECK, a man who never grew up. The charming man we will always remember, dashing on the screen, joking and smiling.
