'Eric Sykes' started as a radio scriptwriter but he soon found he could perform as well as write. The slight handicap of being very hard of hearing doesn't interfere with his wonderful comic timing. The spectacles he wears have no lenses but contain a bone conducting hearing aid.
He is the father of three daughters: Kathy Sykes (born in 1952), Susan Stronge (born in 1953) and Julie Sykes (born in 1958), and one son, David Kurt Sykes.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1986 Queens Birthday Honours List for his services to drama.
He received The Bernard Delfont Award For Outstanding Contribution To Show Business Award, at The Variety Club Show Business Awards in 2002.
He was awarded the CBE in the 2005 Queens New Year Honours List for his services to drama.
He is the grandfather of Matt Stronge.
He is often quoted as saying that although Monty Python was brilliant it marked the start of a decline in comedy.
He was enormously successful on 70s TV, teamed with Hattie Jacques playing his heavyset but timid sister in a number of settings, particularly with the series, "Sykes" .
He played caretakers in two different movies: The Others and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire .
In 2002 he suffered a stroke and underwent heart bypass surgery.
His manager was Norma Farnes , and his personal assistant Janet Spearman.
Gave up smoking cigarettes in 1966 and cigars in 1998.
The ninth Harry Potter film series cast member to die.
