Much-loved actor Bernard Cribbins died at the age of 93.
Fans have been grieved by the passing of the British actor, who appeared in Doctor Who, narrated The Wombles, Jackanory, and starred in the film adaption of The Railway Children.
He tried his hand at everything from Shakespeare to pantomime, Jackanory to Top of the Pops as an actor, comic, singer, and raconteur.
He was the voice of the Wombles, Catherine Tate’s cuddly grandfather in Doctor Who, and the irate-but-kind-hearted station master in the 1970 film The Railway Children.
What Happened To Actor Bernard Cribbins?
Veteran actor Bernard Cribbins died Friday at the age of 93, only months after his loving wife of over 70 years passed away.
‘Beloved actor Bernard Cribbins OBE has gone away at the age of 93,’ stated Cribbins’ agency, Gavin Barker Associates.
‘His career spanned seven decades, with work spanning from films like ‘The Railway Children’ and the ‘Carry On’ series, to popular 60’s song ‘Right Said Fred,’ to being a renowned guest on ‘Fawlty Towers’ and narrating ‘The Wombles.’
‘He worked well into his 90s, most recently in Doctor Who and the CBeebies show Old Jack’s Boat.’ Last year, he lost his wife of 66 years, Gill.
‘Bernard’s influence on British entertainment is undeniable. He was one-of-a-kind, embodying the finest of his generation, and he will be sorely missed by anyone who had the privilege of knowing and working with him.’
Mr. Cribbins, the son of an Oldham cotton weaver who worked on children’s television until recently was set to feature in the new season of Doctor Who next year.
He recently attributed his long life and career to ‘luck and genes.’ ‘It’s only a number,’ he stated when he reached 90. But he was saddened in October when his wife Gillian, whom he married in 1955, died.
They resided in Surrey and had no children as a result of a series of miscarriages.
Bernard stated that his work on children’s television and films, particularly The Railway Children, gave him a “really nice feeling to think of all those who saw it as a child.” It helped him cope with the loss of not being able to have their own.
What Is Bernard Cribbins’s Death Cause?
Condolences are flooding in for Bernard Cribbins’ passing. The cause of his death is yet to be reported, but we assumed that some illness took his life.
Cribbins, who was born in Oldham, was admired for his flexibility and became a favorite of young audiences throughout the country as the narrator of The Wombles. As well as for more than 100 performances on the children’s show Jackanory.
Cribbins made his film debut in 1957’s Davy, before going on to work with some of British cinema’s biggest stars in films. It includes Two-Way Stretch, She, Daleks’ Invasion Earth 2150 AD, the 1967 adaptation of Casino Royale, and Frenzy.
He has appeared in numerous Carry On films, as well as Coronation Street and the rebooted Doctor Who.
Off-screen Cribbins had a great musical career with a series of hit albums, including comic songs in 1970. For his long tenure in theater, he was awarded an OBE in 2011.
Speaking at the investiture event, he stated that due to the way The Wombles was written, delivering the voices of characters such as Uncle Bulgaria, Tobermory, and the Orinoco was straightforward.
‘The writing was structured in such a way that you understood precisely where everyone was socially in that home,’ he explained.
He went on to play Wilfred Mott, the grandfather of the Doctor’s companion Donna Noble, played by Catherine Tate, in the Doctor Who TV series.
He also starred in the CBeebies show Old Jack’s Boat and narrated the Tufty Fluffytale series of public service announcements on road safety in the 1960s.
Cribbins was recently sighted filming with Tate and Tennant for Doctor Who’s 60th-anniversary festivities.
Detail On Bernard Cribbin Sickness
Cribbins has also had his fair share of health issues over the years, as he detailed in an interview a few years ago.
The actor confessed that he underwent spinal surgery in 2017 after he damage his spine in a terrible accident while serving as a paratrooper in National Service during WWII.
He also had prostate cancer which was successfully treated with radiation and he had undergone a triple heart bypass in 1997″.
Despite the brief insight into his medical past, Cribbins has stayed largely quiet about the life-threatening ailments that have threatened him over the years.
In another rare interview in 2014, Cribbins told the MailOnline that if he were the Invisible Man for the day, he would “witness a heart transplant procedure.” In 1998, I underwent a triple bypass, which saved my life.
“I’m 85 years old and still going strong.” Those surgeons are simply outstanding.”
The actor also disclosed that he has had both of his knees replaced, which means he can’t kneel very well because of the mental implants(Express.co).