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Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens (14 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as "What an absolute shower!", "Good show!", "You dirty rotter" and "Hard cheese". He was born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens at 53, Princes Avenue N3, Finchley, North London, England, the son of Ellen Elizabeth (née Hoar) and Ernest Frederick Stevens, a business... MORE

Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens (14 July 1911 – 8 January 1990) was a distinctive English comic actor, known as Terry-Thomas. He was famous for his portrayal of disreputable members of the upper classes, especially cads and toffs, with the trademark gap in his front teeth, cigarette holder, smoking jacket, and catch-phrases such as "What an absolute shower!", "Good show!", "You dirty rotter" and "Hard cheese". He was born Thomas Terry Hoar-Stevens at 53, Princes Avenue N3, Finchley, North London, England, the son of Ellen Elizabeth (née Hoar) and Ernest Frederick Stevens, a business executive. He was educated at Ardingly College. He began his working life as a clerk with Union Cold Storage Co, before drifting into show business. Terry-Thomas worked in cabaret and as a film extra before finding success as an entertainer during World War II. After the war, he worked in TV, radio and variety, but it was during the mid-1950s that he developed his famous persona, first in his television series, How Do You View?, and then in films. His performance as Major Hitchcock in the Boulting brothers' Private's Progress (1956) gave birth to his catchphrase, "you're an absolute shower", and made him a LESS