British character actor Lionel Jeffries died of undisclosed causes on 19 February 2010. Born in London, England, on 10 June 1926, he served in Burma during World War II. After the war, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and appeared in a number of stage roles (including Colonel Pickering in a 1987 Broadway production of Pygmalion that starred Peter O’Toole), but he is best known for his film work. He had relatively few appearances over a nearly 50-year-career, but they were memorable.
He may be best remembered for playing Grandpa Potts in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), the father of the eccentric inventor of the magical titular automobile. Dick Van Dyke, who played his son, was actually six months older than Jeffries. The New York Times notes that “his signature moment is the singing of the traveling song ‘Posh!’ while standing in an outhouse-size cabin that is being hauled over the ocean by a hot-air balloon.” Jeffries frequently played characters older than he was.
His other sf/f/h roles include appearances in: Lexx (2001), Jekyll & Hyde (1990), Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971), Camelot (1967), Rocket to the Moon (1967), First Men in the Moon (1964), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), and The Quartermass Xperiment (1955).
He also wrote and directed a few movies, including, most notably, The Railway Children (1970, based on E. Nesbit’s novel of the same name), The Amazing Mr. Blunden (1972), and The Water Babies (1978).
He is survived by his wife Eileen, three children, and several grandchildren.
On a personal note, I had the privilege of meeting and casting Lionel Jeffries in the wonderful, Emmy Award-nominated, animated special Abel’s Island (1988). He was the voice of Gower, the frog, who befriended Abel (an aristocratic mouse, voiced by Tim Curry). I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and working with him. He was charming and witty, and immediately embraced the character of the frog in this short film. It was fascinating to watch him actually become the frog in that recording studio, and it was very special to see how much he enjoyed being part of this production. I am very sorry to learn of his passing; he will definitely be missed.