Ronald Shiner

Born: 1903-06-08

Ronald Alfred Shiner (8 June 1903 in London – 29 June 1966 in London) was a British stand-up comedian and comedic actor whose career encompassed film, West End theatre and music hall. A former Royal Northwest Mounted Police Officer, farmer, greengrocer, milkman, bookie's clerk, soldier and film extra, Shiner shot to fame appearing in 1,700 performances of the stage hit Worm's Eye View from 1945 to 1947 (he would later top his own record by appearing in the play Seagulls Over Sorrento for 2,000 performances between 1950 and 1954). At the height of his career Shiner insured his nose for £10,000 because he said "it's me beak which made 'em larf." In retirement he owned a pub at Blackboys in Sussex but was plagued by ill health in his final years and retired to Eastbourne. He died there in June 1966 leaving an estate of £30,955.


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Caesar and Cleopatra

as 2nd Porter
Released: 1945-12-11

The aging Caesar finds himself intrigued by the young Egyptian queen. Adapted by George Bernard...

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St. Martin's Lane

as Barman (uncredited)
Released: 1938-10-18

On the sidewalks of the London theater district the buskers (street performers) earn enough...

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The Gentle Sex

as Racegoer
Released: 1943-05-23

During the War seven women from very different backgrounds find themselves together in the...

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Let George Do It!

as Musician
Released: 1940-07-12

Shortly after the start of World War II, a ukelele player (George) takes the wrong boat and...

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Old Bill and Son

as Bert
Released: 1941-03-01

Old Bill has grumbled his way through the trenches of the First World War. Now it is the Second...

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A Yank at Oxford

as Bicycle Repairman (uncredited)
Released: 1938-02-18

A brash young American aristocrat attending Oxford University gets a chance to prove himself and...

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Girls at Sea

as Marine Ogg
Released: 1958-10-01

When HMS Scotia pays a visit to the French Riviera, the officers throw a lavish party to...

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Come on George!

as Nat
Released: 1939-12-01

George Formby, who plays George, a stable boy. He also has the unique ability to soothe an...

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I Live in Grosvenor Square

as Paratrooper
Released: 1945-07-20

The WW II romance set in Grosvenor square aka Eisenhower's home where the GIs stayed in London....

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The Young Mr. Pitt

as Man in Stocks
Released: 1942-09-21

This biopic tells the story of the life of Pitt The Younger, who became Prime Minister of Great...

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Spare a Copper

as Piano Mover
Released: 1940-12-02

George is an inept reserve policeman working in wartime Liverpool, who is chosen by a gang of...

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The Magic Box

as Fairground Barker
Released: 1952-01-01

Now old, ill, poor, and largely forgotten, William Freise-Greene was once very different. As...

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The Man Within

as Cockney Harry
Released: 1947-05-19

A man goes on the run from hardened smugglers.

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Dry Rot

as Alf Tubbe
Released: 1956-10-31

Comedy about a trio of not particularly bright bookmakers who try to fix a horse race.

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Carry on Admiral

as Salty Simpson
Released: 1957-05-14

Two friends get drunk and decide to switch identities. One is a Parliamentary Secretary, and the...

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Beauty and the Barge

as Augustus
Released: 1937-02-07

A young girl is engaged to a man she doesn't love, and rather than marry him she decides to flee...

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Forbidden

as Dan Collins
Released: 1949-02-28

Set on Blackpool’s Golden Mile, Jim (Douglass Montgomery), a once promising scientist, sets up...

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South American George

as Swifty
Released: 1941-12-27

To help out his exact double, George Formby (in a dual role) takes the place of a noted South...

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They Drive by Night

as Charlie
Released: 1938-12-01

“Shorty” Matthews having recently been released from prison visits his girlfriend in London only...

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My Learned Friend

as Man in Wilson's Bar
Released: 1943-10-25

An insane murderer is on the loose, and gunning for the men who put him away. Will Hay is on the...

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They Flew Alone

as Mechanic
Released: 1942-06-29

The story of flyer Amy Johnson the girl from Yorkshire who won the hearts of the British public...

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It's a Bet

as Fair Man
Released: 1935-02-01

A young English reporter makes a bet with a wealthy publisher that he can disappear for a month....

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Miss London Ltd.

as Sailor Meredith
Released: 1943-06-14

Askey stars as a man trying to save his flagging escort agency. A new partner suggests getting...

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The Gang's All Here

as Spider Ferris
Released: 1939-03-04

John Forrest is anticipating a quiet retirement spent penning detective fiction when he learns...

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King Arthur Was a Gentleman

as Sergeant
Released: 1942-12-28

Arthur King joins the army, and soon starts fantasizing about King Arthur and his knights.

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The Night We Got the Bird

as Cecil Gibson
Released: 1960-11-03

Good natured comic caper charting the misadventures of a hapless bunch of Brighton based petty...

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Operation Bullshine

as Gunner Slocum
Released: 1959-06-30

During World War II, a Royal Artillery officer is assigned to an anti-aircraft battery that is...

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Thursday's Child

as Joe
Released: 1943-03-24

A couple's little girl becomes a movie star, but all it seems to bring is trouble.

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Little Big Shot

as Henry Harkwood
Released: 1952-01-01

Harry Hawkwood is the son of 'Pa' Hawkwood, one of England's greatest crooks, and it's Harry's...

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The Case of the Frightened Lady

as Sergeant Totty
Released: 1940-09-28

A classic British thriller set in a sinister old house, based on a story by Edgar Wallace.

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Aunt Clara

as Henry Martin
Released: 1954-11-22

A wealthy old man dies and leaves his holdings--including a brothel and a gambling den, racing...

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Trouble Brewing

as Bridgewater
Released: 1939-03-01

Ealing comedy starring music hall star George Formby. An eager newspaper reporter (Formby) goes...

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Up to His Neck

as Jack Carter
Released: 1954-01-01

A maritime farce set in the South Seas. A strong supporting cast includes Brian Rix, Anthony...

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Innocents in Paris

as Dicky Bird
Released: 1953-07-22

Romantic comedy about a group of Britons flying to Paris for the weekend.

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The Balloon Goes Up

as Sergeant Shiner
Released: 1942-12-01

Balloon unit WAAFs catch German spies.

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The Navy Lark

as CPO Banyard
Released: 1959-01-01

An Inshore Minesweeping Unit has been forgotten by the Navy after World War II on the peaceful...

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Once a Thief

as Alice's Young Man
Released: 1935-06-14

Down on his luck inventor Roger (John Stuart) "borrows" some money from a handbag he finds but...

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Laughing Anne

as Nobby Clark
Released: 1953-09-01

Story of love affair of captain who runs ship in Java Seas and a French saloon singer. From a...

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Bees in Paradise

as Ronald Wild
Released: 1944-03-20

Four pilots become stranded on a tropical island inhabited by beautiful women.

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Gentlemen's Agreement

as Jim Ferrin
Released: 1935-01-01

A young doctor realises that his father is a quack and changes places with a down-and-out.

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Top of the Form

as uncredited
Released: 1953-02-01

A con man hides out in a boys' school, posing as a professor. When the undisciplined and lazy...

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Sabotage at Sea

as Ernie (the cook)
Released: 1942-09-07

The captain of a British cargo ship shanghais a group of sabateurs, unaware that the daughter of...

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Squibs

as Bill
Released: 1935-06-11

Squibs, a cockney flowerseller with a father overwhelmed by gambling debts wins through with the...

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Doctor's Orders

as Miggs
Released: 1934-11-01

Leslie Fuller stars as a quack whose son qualifies as a doctor in total ignorance of his...

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Flying Fifty-Five

as Scrubby Oaks
Released: 1939-05-01

Bill Urquhart, a young wastrel disinherited by his father, tries to get a job as a jockey – just...

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Unpublished Story

as Agitator
Released: 1942-08-10

Morale-boosting story released in the middle of World War II. A journalist uncovers a peace...

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Salvage with a Smile

as Dustman
Released: 1940-01-01

Wartime propaganda short in which a professor enlists the help of a dustman to explain the...

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Get Cracking

as Everett Manley
Released: 1943-05-17

Get Cracking is a 1943 British comedy war film, directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Dinah...

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Dinner at the Ritz

as Sydney
Released: 1937-11-26

The daughter of a murdered financier works as a jewelry salesperson while she tracks her...

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The Black Sheep of Whitehall

as Porter
Released: 1942-02-23

A professor teaching at a correspondence school discovers that a Nazi agent is trying to...

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George in Civvy Street

as Fingers
Released: 1946-07-07

George Formby plays George Harper, a tavern owner, who works to turn a waitress from her current...

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The Adventures of Dusty Bates

as 'Squeaky' Watts
Released: 1947-09-01

Dusty Bates observes some smuggled jewels hidden in a crate aboard a ship; he is pursued by...

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Not Wanted on Voyage

as Higgins
Released: 1957-11-01

The scheming Albert Higgins and his dim witted mate Cecil Hollebone, set out on a ocean voyage...

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Limelight

as Asst. Stage Manager
Released: 1936-05-29

A chorus girl (Anna Neagle) discovers a singer (Arthur Tracy) in the streets and asks her...

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