Alec Bregonzi was born in London on 21st April 1930. He began his career as a professional actor in 1955 in repertory theatre in Farnham, then in York, Bromley and Leatherhead, amongst other places. Work in the West End followed, in "Camino Real", where he played two parts and understudied Ronnie Barker.
In 1957, Alec appeared in "Hancock's Half Hour" for the first time - he went on to appear in 22 of the 63 episodes made for BBC-TV. Duncan Wood, the television director of "Hancock's Half Hour" recommended Alec to other directors, so that he appeared in 1950's/60's shows starring Benny Hill, Charlie Drake, Arthur Askey, Ted Ray, Frankie Howerd, Harry Worth, Jimmy Logan, and Alan Melville, amongst others.
Later on, he worked with comedians Cannon and Ball, Kenny Everett, Hale and Pace, Little and Large, Kelly Monteith, and in the
television series "The Two Ronnies" (with Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett) and "Filthy Rich and Catflap" (with
Rik Mayall, Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer). In 'straight' television, he has appeared in "The Mayor of Casterbridge", "The Barchester Chronicles", "Mapp & Lucia", "Don Camillo", "Great Expectations", "London's Burning", "The Recruiting Officer", "A Royal Scandal" and, most recently, "Happiness".
In 1958, Alec Bregonzi toured with Tony Hancock, performed the famous "Budgerigar" sketch together on tour and in the Royal Variety Performance and on television (in "Christmas Night with the Stars"). They toured together again in 1961.
Alec read viewers' letters for four years on BBC TV's "Points of View", hosted by Barry Took, which led to a radio series "Joke By Joke", compiled by Barry. He has also appeared in radio comedy with Kenneth Connor, Richard Briers and others. In 1995-1997, he played the voice parts of several characters in the puppet series "The Treacle People". He has appeared in several films, including the French film "L'Etincelle", which he regards as his best film part. Unfortunately, it has never been shown in the U.K. Alec's extensive acting work has also included many
television commercials, both in the U.K. and abroad.
Alec Bregonzi in the Theatre
| No. | Year | Play Title | Theatre / Tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spring Awakening | RSC: Barbican | |
| 2 | Camino Real | Phoenix | |
| 3 | Comedy of Errors | RSC: Barbican, Europe, Far East, Australia | |
| 4 | A Patriot For Me | RSC, Barbican | |
| 5 | Bitter Sweet | Sadlers Wells & tour | |
| 6 | Virtue In Danger | Mermaid & Strand | |
| 7 | Stand & Deliver | Roundhouse & Edinburgh | |
| 8 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Regent's Park & Middle East | |
| 9 | Hancock's Finest Hour | Boulevard Theatre & tour | |
| 10 | The Importance Of Being Earnest | Vienna |
The Films of Alec Bregonzi
| No. | Year | Film Title | Studio | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgar Wallace: "Face Of A Stranger" | Crime | ||
| 2 | Edgar Wallace: "Ricochet" | Crime | ||
| 3 | Edgar Wallace: "Downfall" | Crime | ||
| 4 | 1966 | Georgy Girl | Drama | |
| 5 | 1958 | Carry On Sergeant | Anglo Amalgamated | Comedy |
| 6 | 1978 | Revenge of the Pink Panther | Comedy | |
| 6 | 1970 | Cool It Carol | Comedy | |
| 7 | L'Etincelle | A French Film |
Alec Bregonzi in "Hancock's Half Hour" (BBC-TV)
| No. | Date | Episode Title | Series/ Episode No. | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30.9.1957 | "The Continental Holiday | 3/1 | "The Crimson Alligator" |
| 2 | 14.10.1957 | "The Amusement Arcade" | 3/3 | "Listener" |
| 3 | 28.10.1957 | "Air Steward Hancock" | 3/5 | "Pilot" |
| 4 | 4.11.1957 | "The Regimental Reunion" | 3/6 | "2nd Clerk |
| 5 | 2.12.1957 | "The Lawyer: The Crown V. James, S." | 3/9 | "Court Official" |
| 6 | 9.12.1957 | "How To Win Money and Influence People" | 3/10 | "2nd Man" |
| 7 | 16.12.1957 | "There's An Airfield At The Bottom Of My Garden" | 3/11 | "Violin Player" |
| 8 | 26.12.1958 | "Ericson The Viking" | 4/1 | "Cameraman" |
| 9 | 16.1.1959 | "The New Nose" | 4/4 | "1st Man At Bus Stop" |
| 10 | 23.1.1959 | "The Flight Of The Red Shadow" | 4/5 | "Balloon Seller" |
| 11 | 30.1.1959 | "The Horror Serial" | 4/6 | "1st Soldier" |
| 12 | 13.2.1959 | "Matrimony - Almost" | 4/8 | "Freddie"/"Guest" |
| 13 | 6.3.1959 | "The Wrong Man" | 4/10 | "3rd Witness" |
| 14 | 27.3.1959 | "The Servants" | 4/13 | "Male Secretary" |
| 15 | 25.9.1959 | "The Economy Drive" | 5/1 | "5th Man" |
| 16 | 16.10.1959 | "Twelve Angry Men" | 5/4 | "Young Man Juror" |
| 17 | 13.11.1959 | "The Tycoon" | 5/8 | "Tony's Tailor" |
| 18 | 27.11.1959 | "Football Pools" | 5/10 | "1st Football Player" |
| 19 | 11.3.1960 | "The Missing Page" | 6/2 | "Man In Library" |
| 20 | 18.3.1960 | "The Emigrant" | 6/3 | "Baffin Island Clerk" |
| 21 | 8.4.1960 | "The Baby Sitters" | 6/6 | "2nd Burglar" |
| 22 | 2.6.1961 | "The Bowmans" | 7/2 | "Fred" |
Alec Bregonzi on Tour with Tony Hancock
| "Tony Hancock - In Person" : July - November 1958 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Week Commencing | Venue |
| 1 | 21.7.1958 | Gloucester, ABC Regal Cinema |
| 2 | 28.7.1958 | Exeter, ABC Savoy Theatre |
| 3 | 4.8.1958 | Liverpool, Empire Theatre |
| 4 | 11.8.1958 | Stockton-On-Tees, ABC Globe Theatre |
| 5 | 13.10.1958 | Lincoln, ABC Savoy Theatre |
| 6 | 20.10.1958 | Hull, Regal Cinema |
| 7 | 27.10.1958 | Hanley, Theatre Royal |
| 8 | 3.11.1958 | Coliseum, Royal Variety |
| "The Tony Hancock Show" : March - April 1961 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Week Commencing | Venue |
| 1 | 6.3.1961 | Shrewsbury, Granada Cinema |
| 2 | 13.3.1961 | Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Empire Theatre |
| 3 | 20.3.1961 | Southampton, Gaumont Cinema |
| 4 | 27.3.1961 | Brighton, Hippodrome Theatre |
| 5 | 3.4.1961 | Bristol, Hippodrome Theatre |
| 6 | 10.4.1961 | Oxford, New Theatre |
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