Julian Orchard

Julian Dean Chavasse Orchard (3 March 1930, in Wheatley, Oxfordshire– 21 June 1979, in Westminster, London, England) was an English comedy actor.

Orchard was educated at Shrewsbury School and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. He appeared as the flamboyant Duke of Montague, a cousin of Prince Edward, in the Cinderella film, The Slipper and the Rose (1976). He had a regular slot on Spike Milligan's The World of Beachcomber, a TV version of the Beachcomber pieces by J.B. Morton, appearing as the poet Roland Milk. His customary role was that of a gangling and effete – and sometimes effeminate – dandy.

He played Snodgrassin the TV musical Pickwick for the BBC in 1969, and appeared in several of the comedy Carry On films and the sex comedy Adventures of a Private Eye (1977).

He appeared on BBC television as the "Minister for the Arts" in the episode of The Goodies entitled "Culture for the Masses" and as one of the "mechanicals" in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream.

The role of teacher Mr Oliver Pettigrew in the TV series Whack-O! was played by Julian Orchard in 1971 (having been created by Arthur Howard in 1956–60).

He appeared in the role as Cornelius Button in the London Weekend Television serial for children created by Joy Whitby, Grasshopper Island as an eccentric grasshopper expert who had lived on Grasshopper Island for many years.

For the 1971 Christmas season Orchard starred, with Terry Scott, as an Ugly Sister, in the London Palladium's production of Cinderella and the following year he again played the Dame, the nurse, in the London Palladium's pantomime, 'Babes in the Wood'.

In 1974 Julian Orchard became a member of the National Theatre Company at the Old Vic, appearing in Peter Hall's debut production, The Tempest. He and Arthur Lowe played the comedy duo of Stephano and Trinculo to John Gielgud's Prospero.