Richard Armitage

Richard Noel Marshall Armitage (12 August 1928 – 17 November 1986) was a talent agent, active in England in the 1950s–1980s. Among his clients were Rowan Atkinson, John Cleese, David Frost and Stephen Fry. Producer John Lloyd described him as "the most powerful agent in the country at that time [the late 1970s]". Armitage's father was songwriter and music publisher Noel Gay, (born Reginald Moxon Armitage), and in the late 1950s Richard set up Noel Gay Artists in order to ensure a supply of performers for his father's compositions. In the 1960s, NGA's clients included Russ Conway, Peter & Gordon, The Scaffold, Geoff Love, Paul Jones, David Frost, and John Cleese. In the 1970s The King's Singers, The Swingle Singers, Tony Macaulay, Jake Thackray and Claude François were on the company's books. Armitage died of a heart attack at his home in Stebbing in 1986. His sons Charles and Alex, who had joined the agency in 1972 and 1976 respectively, continued the business.