DEAD DUG DID SEX FLICK
Late Lovejoy fave starred in classic PORN movie
TRIBUTES came in thick and fast for the Lovejoy actor Dudley Sutton, who died last weekend aged 85.
Dudley was best known for playing Tinker Dill, a tout who was friends with Ian McShane’s roguish antique dealer Lovejoy, in the beloved BBC comedy, which ran for 71 episodes from 1986 to 1994.
But there was much more to Dudley Sutton than Lovejoy and he was not shy when it came to taking up controversial roles.
In the 1964 movie The Leather Boys he played a gay biker, at a time when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain.
He also starred in the racy 1971 Ken Russell flick The Devils and stripped nude to play the Bishop of Winchester in the 1991 Derek Jarman movie Edward II.
Iconic
But his X- rated high point came in 1978 when he played an end-of-the-world sandwich board man called Hern in the iconic Brit porn classic The Playbirds.
The movie starred sex icon Mary Millington alongside Windsor Davies, Glynn Edwards – Dave the barman from
Minder – and That’s Life’s Gavin Campbell. The film’s executive producer, Sunday Sport publisher David Sullivan, said: “Like everyone who worked on The
Playbirds, Dudley was a consummate professional.
“He was also a real gent with a wicked sense of humour. He’ll be sadly missed.”
A statement last week from Dudley’s agent confirmed the actor had died peacefully at the Royal Trinity Hospice in south London on September 15 after he was diagnosed with cancer.
He was surrounded by his family, who said in a statement: “Today we’re devastated by the loss of our beautiful Dudley, who leaves a gaping hole in all our lives. We’re grateful for the love expressed by friends and fans and for the extraordinary care he received at the Royal Trinity Hospice, south London, where he went out fighting for our NHS.”