{"id":323165,"date":"2025-08-06T18:23:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:23:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/323165\/"},"modified":"2025-08-06T18:23:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-06T18:23:14","slug":"george-and-mildred-star-dies-aged-80","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/323165\/","title":{"rendered":"George and Mildred star dies aged 80"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Norman Eshley, who was best known for his role in the sitcom, died in hospital<\/p>\n<p><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35 __className_0e0312\">Jamie Roberts<\/strong> Senior Showbiz and TV Reporter and <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35 __className_0e0312\">Cheryl Mullin<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>14:06, 06 Aug 2025Updated 14:07, 06 Aug 2025<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_GettyImages-1326459462.jpg\" alt=\"Norman Eshley and Sheila Fearn in character as Jeffrey and Ann Fourmile on the set of sitcom George And Mildred - Norman has died at the age of 80, his agent has shared \" loading=\"eager\"  \/>Norman Eshley and Sheila Fearn in character as Jeffrey and Ann Fourmile on the set of sitcom George And Mildred &#8211; Norman has died at the age of 80, his agent has shared (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Norman Eshley has passed away at the age of 80, his representative has confirmed. The actor, best known for his portrayal in the sitcom George and Mildred, died in hospital with his wife by his side.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Agent Thomas Bowington <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/news\/uk-world-news\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"broke the news Link opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">broke the news <\/a>saying: &#8220;It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of our client<a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/tv\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\" actorLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\"> actor<\/a> Norman Eshley. A warm, kind and grounded man with a great voice that I will miss not hearing over the phone again.&#8221; His devoted wife Rachel also paid tribute saying: &#8220;Although our time together wasn&#8217;t long enough I will be forever grateful for the wonderful times we shared. He was my husband and best friend and my heart will always be with him.'&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Norman carved out a distinguished career as both performer and writer, most famously playing the character of pompous neighbour Jeffrey in the beloved 1970s series George and Mildred, reports <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mirror.co.uk\/3am\/celebrity-news\/breaking-norman-eshley-dead-george-35681493\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">He appeared alongside Brian Murphy, Yootha Joyce and Sheila Fearn in the much-loved <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/itv\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">ITV<\/a> comedy programme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">The actor passed away on August 2 at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital following a battle with cancer.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_An-immortal-history.jpg\" alt=\"Norman also starred in An Immortal History\" loading=\"lazy\"  \/>Norman also starred in An Immortal History(Image: INA via Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">In the wake of the announcement, fans took to social media platforms to pay tribute.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">One <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/twitter\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Twitter<\/a>\/X user wote: &#8220;Just learned of the death of Norman Eshley, sitcom star, TV veteran and the male lead in Orson Welles&#8217; The Immortal Story, during which he developed a lovely relationship with the great man.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">A fellow fan shared: &#8220;Heartbroken to read that Norman Eshley has passed away. Grew up with him on Man About The House and George And Mildred. Obviously many other acting credits. He will be missed. #rip.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">In addition to his roles in George and Mildred, Norman graced other shows like Canterbury Tales. His film career kicked off in 1968 when he starred in Orson Welles&#8217; drama, The Immortal Story.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Prior to his screen appearances, Norman cut his acting teeth in successful West End productions, including a variety of Shakespearean plays.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Beyond his acting pursuits, Norman co-wrote a book titled The Dreamtime Of The Artful Dodger, a sequel to Charles Dickens&#8217; classic novel, Oliver Twist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">For the latest news and breaking news visit <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/news\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">liverpoolecho.co.uk\/news<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Get all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you by signing up to our <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/data.reachplc.com\/212764146160855\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"daily and breaking newsletterLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">daily and breaking newsletter<\/a>. Sign up to our breaking news newsletter <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/data.reachplc.com\/212764146160855\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">Follow us on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.liverpoolecho.co.uk\/all-about\/twitter\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"XLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">X<\/a> <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LivEchonews\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"@LivECHONewsLink opens in a new tab.\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">@LivECHONews<\/a> or on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/liverpoolecho.co.uk\" target=\"_self\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Bluesky @liverpoolecho.co.uk <\/a>&#8211; official Liverpool ECHO accounts &#8211; real news in real time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \">We&#8217;re also on <a class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theliverpoolecho\" target=\"\" aria-label=\"\" tabindex=\"0\" rel=\"noopener\">Facebook\/theliverpoolecho<\/a> &#8211; your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Liverpool ECHO.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Norman Eshley, who was best known for his role in the sitcom, died in hospital Jamie Roberts Senior&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323166,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[77,378,382,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-323165","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-in-the-news","10":"tag-tv","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114983220427328947","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323165"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323165\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}