Paul Eddington

Paul Eddington CBE (18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and '80s.

A Quaker, Eddington attended The Friends' School, Sibford Ferris, Oxfordshire. He began acting with Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) which was set up to entertain British troops during World War II, but was asked to leave when it became known that he was a pacifist and a conscientious objector. Eddington moved into repertory theatre in Sheffield, and made his first appearance in TV drama in the 1950s, as a regular cast member of The Adventures of Robin Hood (first shown 1955), initially as minor characters and eventually as Will Scarlett. He also had roles in early episodes of The Prisoner and The Avengers, had a supporting role in Hammer Films' The Devil Rides Out, and appeared as a "straight man" (substituting for regular stooge Henry McGee) in a 1976 episode of The Benny Hill Show.

Eddington's fame grew further as the star of the hit comedy series Yes Minister, first screened in 1980, and later to become Yes, Prime Minister — said to have been former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's favourite TV programme. He played the title role of Jim Hacker until the show's close in 1988. This role led him to be shortlisted for the BAFTA award for Best Light Entertainment Performance four times, though he lost out to his co-star Nigel Hawthorne on all four occasions.

Politically, Eddington's faith as a Quaker led him to be a supporter of unilateral nuclear disarmament and an opponent of the Trident missile programme.