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{{Short description|English actor and comedian (1911–1990)}}
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{{Use British English|date=March 2013}}
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[[File:Terry-Thomas in Where Were You When the Lights Went Out.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Terry-Thomas in ''[[Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?]]'' (1968)]]

'''Terry-Thomas''' (born '''Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens'''; 10 July 1911 – 8 January 1990){{efn|A number of sources—including Terry-Thomas's two autobiographies—show the date of birth as 14 July 1911. Terry-Thomas's biographer, [[Graham McCann]], notes that the date on the birth certificate is 10 July.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=9}} }} was an English [[character actor]] and comedian who became internationally known through his films during the 1950s and 1960s. He often portrayed disreputable members of the [[Social structure of the United Kingdom#Upper class|upper classes]], especially [[wikt:cad|cads]], [[toff]]s and [[wikt:bounder|bounders]], using his distinctive voice; his costume and props tended to include a monocle, waistcoat and cigarette holder. His striking dress sense was set off by a {{convert|1/3|in|adj=on}} [[Diastema|gap]] between his [[Maxillary central incisor|two upper front teeth]].

Born in London, Terry-Thomas made his film debut, uncredited, in ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'' (1933). He spent several years appearing in smaller roles, before wartime service with [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA) and [[Stars in Battledress]]. The experience helped sharpen his cabaret and revue act, increased his public profile and proved instrumental in the development of his successful comic stage routine. On his [[demobilisation]], he starred in ''Piccadilly Hayride'' on the London stage and was the star of the first comedy series on British television, ''[[How Do You View?]]'' (1949). He appeared on various [[BBC Radio]] shows, and made a successful transition into British films. His most creative period was the 1950s when he appeared in ''[[Private's Progress]]'' (1956), ''[[The Green Man (film)|The Green Man]]'' (1956), ''[[Blue Murder at St Trinian's]]'' (1957), ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959) and ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1959).

From the early 1960s Terry-Thomas began appearing in American films, coarsening his already unsubtle screen character in films such as ''[[Bachelor Flat]]'' (1962), ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'' (1963) and ''[[How to Murder Your Wife]]'' (1965). From the mid-1960s on he also frequently starred in European films, in roles such as Sir Reginald in the successful French film ''[[La Grande Vadrouille]]''. In 1971 Terry-Thomas was diagnosed with [[Parkinson's disease]], which slowly brought his career to a conclusion; his last film role was in 1980. He spent much of his fortune on medical treatment and, shortly before his death, was living in poverty, existing on charity from the Actors' Benevolent Fund. In 1989 a charity gala was held in his honour, which raised sufficient funds for him to live his remaining time in a nursing home.

==Biography==
===Early life: 1911–1933===
[[File:Ardingly college 1.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|[[Ardingly College]], where Terry-Thomas engaged in amateur dramatics.]]
Terry-Thomas was born Thomas Terry Hoar Stevens at 53 Lichfield Grove, [[Finchley]], [[North London]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=9}} He was the fourth of five children born to Ernest Frederick Stevens, managing director of a butcher's business at [[Smithfield Market]] and part-time amateur actor, and his wife Ellen Elizabeth Stevens (née Hoar).{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=10}}{{sfn|Hope-Hawkins|Nicholls|2004}} As a child, Terry-Thomas was often referred to as Tom, the diminutive used by his family. He led a generally happy childhood, but believed his parents secretly desired a daughter in his place.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=10}} By the time he reached adolescence, his parents' marriage had failed and both had become alcoholics.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=11}} In an attempt to bring them together, he often entertained them by performing impromptu slapstick routines, reciting jokes and singing and dancing around the family home. The performances seldom worked, and his father became increasingly distant from his family.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=12}}

In 1921 Terry-Thomas began to nurture his distinctive, well-spoken voice, reasoning that "using good speech automatically suggested that you were well-educated and made people look up to you".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=5}} He used the speech of the actor [[Owen Nares]] as a basis for his own delivery.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=14}} Terry-Thomas became fascinated by the stage, and regularly attended the [[Golders Green Hippodrome]] to see the latest shows. It was there that he developed an interest in fashion, and adopted the debonair dress-sense of his hero [[Douglas Fairbanks]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=15}} Terry-Thomas attended Fernbank School in Hendon Lane, Finchley,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=16}} which was a welcome escape from the stresses of his parents' break-up. When he was 13, he transferred to [[Ardingly College]], a public school in [[Sussex]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=16}} He excelled in [[Latin]] and geography, and briefly took up drama. The latter subject later led to his expulsion from the school, after his frequent and inappropriate use of [[Ad libitum|ad lib]] during lessons. He also took up a position in the school jazz band, first playing the [[ukulele]] and then percussion. He also often performed comedy dance routines to the band's music.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=17}}

[[File:Erich von Stroheim.lowrey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Erich von Stroheim]], on whom Terry-Thomas based his early look.]]
Terry-Thomas enjoyed his time at Ardingly, and relished his association with [[upper middle class]] school friends. His academic abilities were modest, and he came to the notice of staff only through his frequent tomfoolery.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=17–18}} Although he initially felt intimidated by his school surroundings, his confidence grew as he put on "a bold, undiluted and sustained show of ''[[chutzpah]]''", according to his biographer, Graham McCann.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=16}} On his return home to Finchley in 1927, his more mature manner impressed the family's housekeeper Kate Dixon, who seduced him at the family home. He stayed at Ardingly for one more term and returned home to London, but made no plans to further his education or start long-term work.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=18}} Instead, he accepted a temporary position at Smithfield Market, where he earned 15 [[Shilling (British coin)|shillings]] a week as a junior transport clerk for the Union Cold Storage Company.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=19}}

By his own admission, he never stopped "farting around" and often kept his colleagues entertained with impersonations of the [[The Hunchback of Notre-Dame|Hunchback of Notre-Dame]] and [[Erich von Stroheim]]. He invented various characters, including Colonel Featherstonehaugh-Bumleigh and Cora Chessington-Crabbe, and frequently recited comic stories involving them to his colleagues. His characterisations soon came to the notice of the company's management who prompted him to enrol in the company's amateur drama club. He made his début with the drama company as Lord Trench in ''[[The Dover Road (play)|The Dover Road]]'' which was staged at the [[Fortune Theatre]], London. The production was popular with audiences, and he subsequently became a regular performer in amateur productions.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=20}}

Terry-Thomas made his professional stage début on 11 April 1930 at a social evening organised by the Union of Electric Railwaymen's Dining Club in [[South Kensington]]. He was billed as Thos Stevens, but only appeared as a minor turn. His performance brought [[heckle]]s from the drunken audience, but earned him a commission of 30&nbsp;shillings. After this, he played a few minor roles in [[Gilbert and Sullivan]] productions by the Edgware Operatic Society at the [[Scala Theatre]]. In 1933, he left Smithfield Market to work briefly with a friend at an electrical shop before he became a travelling salesman of electrical equipment. He enjoyed the job and relished being able to dress up in elaborate clothing in order to make his pitch.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=21}} In his spare time, he began playing the ukulele with a local jazz band called the Rhythm Maniacs. He took up dancing and formed a partnership with a sister of [[Jessie Matthews]]. The act starred in local exhibitions and at minor venues, and they earned well from it. News soon travelled of the couple's talent, and they were engaged as ballroom dancers at a hall in [[Cricklewood]]. He found the dance-style too restrictive and he left the act to try other aspects of entertainment.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=22}}

===Early performances: 1933–1939===
[[File:Terry-Thomas in Burke's Law (1964) Crisco restoration.jpg|thumb|right|"Everyone was talking about the gap between my teeth, my monocle, the fancy waistcoats I wore and the seven-inch cigarette holders I used."<br />—Terry-Thomas on his unique look{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=30}}]]

By 1933 Terry-Thomas had moved out of Finchley and into a friend's flat; the friend was a [[Extra (acting)|film extra]] who introduced him to the idea of working in the industry.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=11}} Terry-Thomas made his uncredited film debut in the 1933 film, ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'',{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=225}} which starred [[Charles Laughton]] in [[Henry VIII of England|the title role]].<ref name="BFI: Henry 8" /> Between 1933 and 1941 Terry-Thomas appeared in 16&nbsp;films, as an uncredited extra in all but one;{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=85}}{{efn|The 16 films in which he appeared between 1933 and 1941 are: ''[[The Private Life of Henry VIII]]'' (1933); ''[[The Ghost Goes West]]'' (1935); ''[[It's Love Again]]'' (1936); ''[[Once in a Million]]'' (1936); ''[[Rhythm in the Air]]'' (1936); ''[[This'll Make You Whistle]]'' (1936); ''[[When Knights Were Bold (1936 film)|When Knights Were Bold]]'' (1936); ''[[Things to Come]]'' (1936); ''Cheer Up'' (1936); ''Rhythm Racketeer'' (1937); ''[[Flying Fifty-Five]]'' (1939) (his only credited role); ''Sam Goes Shopping'' (1939); ''[[Climbing High]]'' (1939); ''[[For Freedom (1940 film)|For Freedom]]'' (1940); ''[[Under Your Hat]]'' (1940) and ''[[Quiet Wedding]]'' (1941).{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=225–26}}<ref name="BFI: T-T filmography" />}} he later said that "this work suited me down to the ground. It wasn't really like work to me. I got an enormous kick out of it".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=11}} His first speaking role came in the 1935 [[Buddy Rogers (actor)|Buddy Rogers]] comedy ''[[Once in a Million]]'' where he shouted "A thousand!" during an auction.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=23–24}} During the 1936 musical comedy ''[[This'll Make You Whistle]]'', starring [[Jack Buchanan]], he permanently damaged his hearing as a result of jumping into a water tank.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=11}} In between his film work, he developed his cabaret act and was employed as a dance teacher at the Aida Foster School of Dancing in [[Golders Green]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=13}}

During this period, he billed himself as Thomas (or Thos) Stevens, but rearranged the name to its backward spelling of Mot Snevets;{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=1}} the name did not last long and he changed it to Thomas Terry. He soon realised that people were mistaking him as a relative of [[Ellen Terry|Dame Ellen Terry]], so inverted the name to Terry Thomas.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=25}} He did not add the hyphen until 1947, and later explained that it was "not for snob reasons but to tie the two names together. They didn't mean much apart; together they made a trade name":{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=35}} the hyphen was also "to match the gap in his front teeth".{{sfn|Hope-Hawkins|Nicholls|2004}} By now, he was developing a unique sense of style both on and off stage. To avoid staining his fingers with smoke, he used a cigarette holder and later purchased "the most irresistible holder in [[Alfred Dunhill Ltd.|Dunhill's]]. It was slightly [[wikt:outré|outré]] because it was made of lacquered, black [[whangee]]&nbsp;... with a gold band twisting neatly round it".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=32}}{{efn|Even after he stopped smoking in 1945 he continued to use a cigarette holder as a prop.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=43}}}} Adding to his look were a "monocle, raffish waistcoat and red carnation".{{sfn|Hope-Hawkins|Nicholls|2004}} He later wrote that "sartorially I was an eccentric. But I knew that underneath the clothes I was very much a conservative Englishman who would have loved to have been a genuine eccentric".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=130}}

In 1937 Terry-Thomas met the South African dancer and choreographer Ida Florence Patlansky, who went by the stage-name Pat Patlanski,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=25}}{{efn|Although spelled as "Patlansky" on official documents, she used the variant "Patlanski" on all other occasions.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=253}}}} while she was auditioning in London for a partner for her [[flamenco]] dancing act.{{efn|Ida Patlanski was born in [[Johannesburg]], South Africa in 1903.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=26}} The daughter of a [[Hotel manager|hotelier]], she later helped run a small dancing school before moving to London in 1937. She assumed the nickname "Pat".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=25}} }} Patlanski was keen to employ Terry-Thomas as a comedian rather than a dancer, and they established a cabaret double-act billed as "Terri and Patlanski", which was immediately popular with audiences. The couple became romantically involved and married on 3 February 1938 at [[Marylebone]] [[Register office (United Kingdom)|Register Office]], afterwards moving to 29&nbsp;Bronwen Court in [[St John's Wood]]. Despite the success of Terri and Patlanski,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=26}} the act lasted only three months{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=14}} and they took on small engagements on the [[cabaret]] circuit. On 6 June 1938 Terry-Thomas made his first radio broadcast on the [[BBC]] London Regional dance programme ''Friends to Tea''. He later recounted that "I didn't give a very good performance&nbsp;... I was a dismal failure".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=13}} At the end of the summer of 1938 they were hired by the bandleader Don Rico, who incorporated them into his orchestra, with Patlanski playing the piano and Terry-Thomas acting as the [[Master of ceremonies|compère]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=26}}{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=17}}

===Second World War===
{{Quote box|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|quote=I was with an ENSA party in Hereford when I received a cunningly worded, if not cordial, invitation to join the Army. I accepted with dignity, if not enthusiasm.|source=Terry-Thomas on his call-up{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=42}}|width=200px|salign=right}}
The [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA) was formed in 1938 to provide entertainment to the [[British Armed Forces]].{{sfn|Banham|1995|pp=344–45}}{{efn|The formation of ENSA was actually a ''re''-formation, as the organisation had been active during the [[First World War]].{{sfn|Hayes|Hill|1999|p=4}}}} Terry-Thomas and Patlanski signed up in 1939{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=27–28}} and during the [[Phoney War]] were posted to France, where they appeared in a variety show.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=15}} From early in their marriage, Patlanski had affairs, which prompted Terry-Thomas to reciprocate; he made sure he was sent on tour to France where a girlfriend was due to perform, although Patlanski accompanied him on the trip. During the tour, Terry-Thomas ensured Patlanski was sent back to Britain to enable him to continue his affair.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=19}} On his return to Britain, he continued with his solo variety act, while also acting as the head of the cabaret section of ENSA at the [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane]],{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=29}} where he clashed regularly with his counterparts running the drama sections, [[Seymour Hicks|Sir Seymour Hicks]] and [[Lilian Braithwaite]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=15}} Terry-Thomas aimed to produce "good shows, sophisticated, impeccable and highly polished",{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=22}} which included the violinist Eugene Pini playing light classical music, and the Gainsborough Girls chorus line.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=15}}

{{multiple image 
| align = left
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| image1 = Terry-Thomas' blue plaque.JPG
| width1 = 200
| caption1 = [[Blue plaque]] at Terry-Thomas's house at 11 Queens Gate Mews, Kensington
| alt1=blue plaque commemorating Terry-Thomas
| image2 = Terry-Thomas' ex-house, London.JPG
| width2 = 200
| alt2=exterior of cream painted mews house, with blue plaque on front wall
| caption2 = Terry-Thomas's [[Mews|mews house]], London}}

In April 1942 Terry-Thomas received his [[Conscription in the United Kingdom|call-up]] papers; he later wrote that "it would have seemed rather rude and ungrateful to refuse";{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=23}} as a result, he left ENSA and reported to the [[Royal Corps of Signals]] training depot in [[Ossett]], West Riding of Yorkshire.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=30}} Within two weeks of his arrival he hired [[Ossett Town Hall]] and staged a concert, which included a freshly written sketch about his feet, which had been suffering in his army boots.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=44}} After basic training he was promoted to the rank of [[corporal]] and applied for a [[Officer (armed forces)|commission]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=16}} He was turned down because training had caused a [[Peptic ulcer|duodenal ulcer]], and his hearing was still problematic;{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=31–32}} as a result he was downgraded from A1 to B1 fitness at the start of 1943.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=32}}

Terry-Thomas continued to appear in cabaret and variety shows while in the army, including at the Astoria Cinema in [[York]], where he was seen by George Black.{{efn|Black was the son of the impresario [[George Black (producer)|George Black Snr]], who had revived the fortunes of the [[London Palladium]] and founded [[Crazy Gang (comedy group)|The Crazy Gang]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=32}}}} Black established the entertainment troupe, [[Stars in Battledress]], which was composed of entertainers who were serving in the forces, and he invited Terry-Thomas to join.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=49}} In February 1943 he appeared in his first Stars in Battledress show at London's [[Olympia (London)|Olympia]], where he introduced the sketch "Technical Hitch". This involved him portraying a harassed BBC announcer introducing records that are missing. In order to cover up for the absent records he would use his vocal range of four and a half octaves{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=19}} to mimic the singers; he included "impersonations of Britain's clipped crooner [[Noël Coward]], the African-American bass-baritone [[Paul Robeson]], the Peruvian songbird [[Yma Sumac]], the Austrian tenor [[Richard Tauber]] and&nbsp;... the entire [[Luton Girls Choir]]".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=33}} The show went on a national tour, with the stand-up comedian [[Charlie Chester]] as compere, during which Terry-Thomas refined and polished his act and finished as "one of the most prominent and influential members of Stars in Battledress".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=34}}

Terry-Thomas, along with his Stars in Battledress unit, travelled through Britain and Europe on a tour that lasted several months.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=34}} After the tour, and with his [[Demobilisation of the British Armed Forces after the Second World War|demobilisation]] approaching, he took [[Leave of absence|compassionate leave]] to have free time while still receiving army pay. During his absence he went on a tour of the UK organised by George Black, accompanied on the piano by a former colonel, Harry Sutcliffe.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=36–37}} Terry-Thomas finished the war as a [[sergeant]],{{efn|He was promoted on 4 September 1944.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=254}}}} and was finally demobbed on 1 April 1946.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=54}}

===Early post-war work: 1946–1955===
The ENSA and Stars in Battledress tours of Britain and Europe had raised Terry-Thomas's profile and, by October 1946, he was appearing alongside [[Sid Field]] in ''Piccadilly Hayride'' at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]], London.{{sfn|Hope-Hawkins|Nicholls|2004}} The show was described by Graham McCann as "the West End's biggest money-spinner for years".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=40}} Terry-Thomas compered the show as well as appearing in some of the sketches, including his own "Technical Hitch" routine.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=20}} In 1959 he described the effect of ''Piccadilly Hayride'' on his career, saying "This show made me overnight. I'd arrived".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=55}} [[Ivor Brown]], writing in ''[[The Observer]]'', remarked on the "glorious rag of BBC modes, moods and intonations by Mr. Terry Thomas, a grand discovery".<ref name="Obs: Pic Hay" /> Within three weeks of starting his run, Terry-Thomas was invited to appear at the [[Royal Command Performance]] on 4 November 1946 at the [[London Palladium]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=42}}

''Piccadilly Hayride'' ran for 778&nbsp;performances and ended on 17 January 1948. The show was seen by over a million people and earned £350,000 at the box office.{{efn|£350,000 in 1946 equates to approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|350000|1946}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}} pounds.{{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}}}} In conjunction with ''Piccadilly Hayride'', Terry-Thomas undertook a number of other additional one-off appearances in cabaret and private functions.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=21}} He also appeared in editions of ''[[Variety Bandbox]]'' and ''[[Workers' Playtime (radio programme)|Workers' Playtime]]'' on [[BBC Radio]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=31}} His ever-evolving act consisted of imitations, including that of his friend, the musician [[Leslie Hutchinson]] (known as "Hutch");{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=41}} sketches, including "Technical Hitch";{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=52}} urbane monologues,{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=21}} and "languid [[Shaggy dog story|shaggy dog stories]]".{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=20}} At the end of his run with ''Piccadilly Hayride'', Terry-Thomas took a three-week break to recover from nervous exhaustion and a recurrence of his peptic ulcer. He went back to cabaret and acted as a compere at the London Palladium before making his radio breakthrough on 12 October 1948 with his own series on the [[BBC Home Service]]. Consisting of a "mixture of sketches, solo routines, musical interludes and a range of popular and topical star guests",{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=47}} ''[[To Town with Terry]]'' was broadcast weekly and ran for 24&nbsp;episodes until 28 March 1949.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=199–200}} He was disappointed with the series, saying "I was never totally satisfied with [it]&nbsp;... The perfectionist in me always made me aware of anything that was less than first class".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=29}} He also appeared in his first post-war film, ''[[A Date with a Dream]]'', in 1949, alongside his wife.<ref name="BFI: Date with a Dream" />{{sfn|Wisdom|2011|p=146}}

{{Quote box|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|quote=How do you ''view''? Are you ''frightfully'' well? You ''are''? Oh, good ''show''!|align=left|source=Terry-Thomas's opening lines on<br />''How Do You View?''{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=51}}|width=200px|salign=right}}
On 26 October 1949 Terry-Thomas wrote and starred in a new series on the [[BBC Television Service]], ''[[How Do You View?]]'', noted for being the first comedy series on British television.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=51}}{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=52}}{{sfn|Barfe|2008|pp=60–61}} The programme was based around an on-screen persona of Terry-Thomas as "a glamorous, mischievous and discreetly cash-strapped man-about-town", introducing a series of sketches in which he appeared{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=55}} alongside [[Peter Butterworth]] as his chauffeur; [[Janet Brown]] (Butterworth's real-life wife); [[Avril Angers]]; H.C. Walton as the family retainer, Moulting; and [[Diana Dors]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=54}} The programme was [[Live television|broadcast live]] and often included Terry-Thomas walking through control rooms and corridors of the BBC's [[Lime Grove Studios|Lime Grove]] and [[Alexandra Palace]] studios.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=54}}{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=59}} The author and historian [[Mark Lewisohn]] described the series as being "inventive&nbsp;... truly televisual and not just a radio programme in costume".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=333}} The series ran until 21 December 1949;{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=57}} a second series followed between April and May 1950, with [[Sid Colin]] taking over the scripting duties and Terry-Thomas providing additional material.<ref name="BFI: How Do You View" /> By the third series, which was broadcast between November 1950 and February 1951, the audience reached four million viewers.<ref name="Everybody's" /> In total there were five series of ''How Do You View?''; the final episode was broadcast on 11 June 1952.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=57}} Writing about Terry-Thomas on television, [[Wilfred Greatorex]] observed that "he has&nbsp;... physical attributes that make him a gift to visual entertainment: a large, rather gaunt face, pre-fabricated for close-ups; the notorious space of one-third of an inch between his two most prominent top teeth; a mouth that is full of expression. Add to these pictoral {{sic}} advantages his eight-inch cigarette holder and [[Eddie Cantor]] eyes".<ref name="RT: Greatorex" />

[[File:Terry-Thomas, May 1951.jpg|thumb|Terry-Thomas in May 1951]]
In between filming ''How Do You View?'', Terry-Thomas continued performing on radio as well as in cabaret, in Britain and increasingly the US.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=57}} In October and November 1949 he appeared at the [[The Palmer House Hilton|Palmer House]] Night Club, Chicago; in June 1951 he appeared at The Wedgwood Room, [[Waldorf Astoria New York|Waldorf Astoria Hotel]], New York,{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=63 & 195–96}} and between 22 December 1951 and 29 February 1952 he returned to the London Palladium for 109&nbsp;performances in ''Humpty Dumpty''.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=196}}{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=22}} In September 1952 he travelled to the [[Federation of Malaya]] to entertain British troops in a series of concert parties, before returning to the UK to appear in the ''[[Royal Variety Performance]]'' in November. He finished the year in [[Union of South Africa|South Africa]], as Honourable Idle Jack in ''[[Dick Whittington and His Cat|Dick Whittington]]'', which finished in January 1953;{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=68 & 196}} he considered the pantomime to be "so tatty and unrehearsed it was pathetic".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=37}}

In June 1953 Terry-Thomas broadcast the pilot episode of the radio show, ''[[Top of the Town]]''; the show was successful and the BBC commissioned a series of 16&nbsp;episodes, which ran between November 1953 and February 1954.{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=37–39}} In between recording sessions, he appeared at the London Palladium in the revue ''Fun and the Fair'', with [[George Formby]] and the [[Billy Cotton|Billy Cotton band]], from October 1953.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=196}} ''Fun and the Fair'' was unsuccessful at the box office and closed on 19 December 1953, after 138&nbsp;performances. Terry-Thomas then reprised his role of Idle Jack for a run of performances in the Granada theatres of [[Sutton, London|Sutton]] and [[Woolwich]], and the Finsbury Park Empire, which ran to the end of January 1954.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=24}} That year, he separated from Patlanski following an increase in domestic tension and the plethora of affairs in which they had both indulged. Patlanski moved out of the shared home, and the couple lived separate lives; the press did not report the separation until 1957.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=79}}

Terry-Thomas spent the 1954 summer season performing at the [[Winter Gardens, Blackpool#Pavilion Theatre|Winter Gardens Pavilion]], [[Blackpool]] before starring in a second series of ''Top of the Town'', which ran from October 1954 to February 1955.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=196 & 204}} At the end of the series he appeared as Hubert Crone in the play ''Room for Two'', which had a UK tour prior to a run at the [[Prince of Wales Theatre]], London. The last stop on the UK tour was at the [[Brighton Hippodrome]], where Terry-Thomas broke his arm on stage; he returned to the show five days later when the tour reached London.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=25}} He later joked that "the audience roared with laughter when I fell and made horrible faces, so much so that I considered breaking the other arm for an encore".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=107}} The London run was not a success and the show closed after 48&nbsp;performances.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=69 & 196}}

===British film years: 1956–1961===
[[File:Terry-Thomas in Mad World Trailer.jpg|thumb|Terry-Thomas in ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'', 1963]]
In February 1956 Terry-Thomas appeared on ''[[Desert Island Discs]]'', and chose two songs from his "Technical Hitch" routine as part of his selection.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=42}}{{efn|His full selection was [[George Enescu]]'s "Ciocarlia"&nbsp;– [[Grigoraș Dinicu]] and his orchestra; "[[Getting to Know You (song)|Getting to Know You]]"&nbsp;– [[Gertrude Lawrence]]; "[[St. Louis Blues (song)|St. Louis Blues]]"&nbsp;– [[Paul Robeson]]; "Cloudburst"&nbsp;– [[Don Lang (musician)|Don Lang]]; "[[Danse des petits cygnes]]"&nbsp;– [[Philharmonia Orchestra]], conducted by [[Robert Irving (conductor)|Robert Irving]]; "Heidenröslein"&nbsp;– [[Richard Tauber]], accompanied by [[Percy Kahn]]; [[Enrique Granados]]'s "Andaluza" from ''Danzas españolas''&nbsp;– [[Andrés Segovia]]; and "Zampa Overture"&nbsp;– [[London Philharmonic Orchestra]], conducted by [[Basil Cameron]]. His luxury item was a saddle.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=43}}}} Later that year he appeared in his first major film roles: Charles Boughtflower in ''[[The Green Man (film)|The Green Man]]'', and Major Hitchcock, "a charlatan military officer on the take", in ''[[Private's Progress]]'', directed by the [[Boulting brothers]].{{sfn|Mayer|2003|p=355}} Terry-Thomas appeared in the latter film only briefly, with a total screen time of about ten minutes, but his biographer Graham McCann thought the actor "came close to stealing the show from the central character", Windrush, played by [[Ian Carmichael]]. Terry-Thomas's depiction of the character was not how he wished to play it: his desired choice was that of a "silly-ass" [[sergeant major]], but the role was written as a strict, alcohol and prescription drug-dependent Army officer.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=74}} He was initially disappointed with the role, and turned it down but, after being persuaded to accept it by his agent, he embraced its possibilities.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=90}} One of his lines, delivered in his clipped upper class voice, was "You're an absolute shower", which became a catchphrase for him.{{sfn|Hope-Hawkins|Nicholls|2004}} The Boulting brothers were so impressed with Terry-Thomas's performance that they signed him up to a five-film deal.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=75}}

The first of the five films was ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'', in which Terry-Thomas played the [[spiv]] Alfred Green, a performance which was based on Sid Field's characterisation in ''Piccadilly Hayride''.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=75}} Roy Boulting later recounted that one short scene with Terry-Thomas, [[Richard Attenborough]] and Ian Carmichael took 107&nbsp;takes because of Terry-Thomas's unfamiliarity with filming techniques; he initially struggled to [[Prompter (theatre)|hit his marks]], or give his line and move on while still acting. Filming the scene took two days and Boulting described it as a "unique experience for him, and had a wonderful after-effect".{{sfn|Heroes of Comedy|1995}} Following ''Brothers in Law'' he was cast as Romney Carlton-Ricketts in ''[[Blue Murder at St Trinian's]]'' by producers [[Frank Launder]] and [[Sidney Gilliat]],{{sfn|Pettigrew|1982|p=189}} before again appearing for the Boulting brothers in the cameo role of a local policeman in ''[[Happy Is the Bride]]''.{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=105–06}} Terry-Thomas starred in two further films in 1957. The first was as Bertrand Welch in ''[[Lucky Jim (1957 film)|Lucky Jim]]'', an adaptation of the [[Lucky Jim|novel of the same name]] by [[Kingsley Amis]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=97–98}} Although Amis thought Terry-Thomas had been "totally miscast as Bertrand, the posturing painter and leading shit" of the book,{{sfn|Amis|1991|p=177}} the critic for ''[[The Guardian|The Manchester Guardian]]'' considered Terry-Thomas as being "the nearest to a complete success" in the film, in a portrayal that "suggests possibilities for more serious roles".<ref name="Guard: Lucky Jim" /> His final part of 1957 was Lord Henry Mayley in ''[[The Naked Truth (1957 film)|The Naked Truth]]''; this brought him together with [[Peter Sellers]] for the first time; the two of them appeared frequently together over the next few years, in scenes in which Graham McCann considered that each actor's performance "highlight[ed] what was special about the other".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=81}} During one scene Terry-Thomas was dumped in a near-freezing lake, and his health was affected for some time afterwards.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=87}}

[[File:Peter Sellers at home in Belgravia, London, 1973.jpg|thumb|left|[[Peter Sellers]], who appeared with Terry-Thomas in four films between 1957 and 1959]]
In 1958 Terry-Thomas received the first of his two film award nominations, the [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Award]] for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role|"Best British Actor in 1959"]] for the part of Ivan in the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] film ''[[Tom Thumb (film)|tom thumb]]''.<ref name="BAFTA: tom thumb" /> He later described the film as his second favourite; he appeared opposite Sellers for much of his screen time, and later said that "my part was perfect, but Peter's was bloody awful. He wasn't difficult about it, but he knew it".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=93}} Terry-Thomas was still suffering with poor health following the filming of ''The Naked Truth'' when he suffered an attack of [[lumbago]]; filming went on for 85&nbsp;days during 1957–58, and he took painkillers to enable him to continue. The role was physically demanding, and required him to ride a horse, run long distances and fight a [[duel]]. He said he fought and ran "just as [he] had seen Douglas Fairbanks Snr do in ''[[The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)|The Mark of Zorro]]''".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=94}} Towards the end of filming, Terry-Thomas went to a Christmas party at the [[London Trocadero|Trocadero]], where he drank champagne{{efn|One glass of [[Champagne Krug|Krug]], 1947 vintage.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=151}} He also drank two brandies and soda.<ref name="Guard: driving" />}} and took [[codeine]] tablets, and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of being [[drunk and disorderly]]. He considered the arresting policemen to have been rude, and "their attitude made me extremely angry and when I get angry&nbsp;... I just go completely off my nut".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=152}} The case came to court on 14 March 1958 and his legal team from [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] provided a medical report which showed Terry-Thomas had been on a course of prescription painkillers due to a gruelling filming schedule; along with inconsistencies in the arresting policemen's notes, the case proved inconclusive and was dismissed.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=89}} For much of the rest of 1958, Terry-Thomas appeared on stage at the London Palladium in ''Large as Life'', alongside [[Harry Secombe]], [[Eric Sykes]] and [[Hattie Jacques]]. He played one of [[the Three Musketeers]] in one sketch and had another turn called "Filling the Gap"; the show ran for a total of 380&nbsp;performances between May and December 1958.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=197}}<ref name="LaL Programme" /> He also released his first record, ''Strictly T-T'', a collection of comic songs and sketches.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=106}}

In 1959 Terry-Thomas published his first autobiography, ''Filling the Gap'', named after his spot in ''Large as Life'';{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=26}} he explained that "everything that has been printed about me is lies. I'm not suggesting the writers were lying, I was".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|loc=Inside cover}} During the year he also appeared in two further Boultings brothers' films in their series of institutional satires, having appeared in the previous three.<ref name="BFI: Boultings" />{{efn|The series in full covered the British Army, in ''Private's Progress'' (1956); the legal system, in ''Brothers in Law'' (1957); universities, in ''Lucky Jim'' (1957); the Foreign Office, in ''Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'' (1959) and British industrial relations, in ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959).<ref name="BFI: C-B ot FO" />}} The first, in which he was joined again by Sellers,<ref name="BFI: C-B ot FO" /> was ''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'', in which he played Cadogan de Vere Carlton-Browne, a character he described as being "rubble from the nostrils up",{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=94}} "a certain type of Englishman, the Englishman who reads ''[[The Times]]'' and no other newspaper. A brolly carrier. A squash player. A bowler hat wearer. White collar, stiff, of course".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=61}} Film writer Andrew Spicer thought Terry-Thomas's role "was the quintessential upper-class 'silly-ass', a sad relic of a vanished world".<ref name="BFI: Spicer" /> The film was initially chosen as Britain's entry for the 1959 [[Moscow International Film Festival]] until the Foreign Office petitioned the British Film Producers' Association for it to be withdrawn, considering that the Russians might consider the film to accurately portray British diplomatic behaviour.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=113}}

[[File:Terry-Thomas in How to murder your wife.jpg|thumb|Terry-Thomas in ''[[How to Murder Your Wife]]'', 1965—his favourite film to make]]
Terry-Thomas's final film with the Boulting brothers was ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'', a post-war follow-up to ''Private's Progress'' with Terry-Thomas reprising the role of Major Hitchcock in an industrial setting, as the "tetchily incompetent" personnel manager.<ref name="BFI: Jack" /> Many of the other cast members of ''Private's Progress'' also returned, including Attenborough, Carmichael and [[Dennis Price]]; they were joined by Peter Sellers, who took most of the plaudits from the critics, although [[Stanley Kauffmann]], writing in ''[[The New Republic]]'' also delighted in Terry-Thomas's "finesse" and "extraordinary skill".{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=113}} The ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' retrospectively considered ''I'm All Right Jack'' and ''Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'' to have been Terry-Thomas's best works.<ref name="LAT: Obit" /> His final film of 1959 was as William Delany Gordon in ''[[Too Many Crooks]]''. [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' thought Terry-Thomas provided "some of the fieriest conniptions to be seen on the contemporary screen", going on to say the actor's "skill is exercised in demonstrating how magnificently and completely a mad-cap comedian can completely blow his top. His eyes flash, his lips curl, his sibilants whistle and he glares like a maniac".<ref name="NYT: 2 many crooks" /> Filming took place during the daytime; in the evenings he appeared at the London Palladium, something he found trying on his nervous system.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=95}}

In 1960 Terry-Thomas appeared as Raymond Delauney in ''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'', a film his biographer, Robert Ross, called "the definitive screen presentation of his frightfully well-mannered, well-read and well-educated lounge lizard: T-T the man as T-T the film star".{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=115–16}} He again appeared opposite Ian Carmichael, and they were joined by [[Alastair Sim]] and [[Janette Scott]]. Michael Brooke, writing for the [[British Film Institute]], thought Terry-Thomas was "outstanding as a classic British bounder".<ref name="BFI: Scoundrels" /> [[CNN]] listed the performance among the top ten British villains, stating, "generally found twirling his cigarette holder while charming the ladies — at least, when not swindling, cheating or behaving like an absolute rotter."<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/25/top10.britishvillains/ "The Screening Room's Top 10 British Villains"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080224183735/http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/10/25/top10.britishvillains/ |date=24 February 2008 }}, CNN. Retrieved 7 October 2020.</ref> Later the same year he appeared in ''[[Make Mine Mink]]'' as Major Albert Rayne, a veteran of the Second World War who forms a gang of [[mink coat]] thieves with his female co-lodgers.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=125}} When he made an appearance at a screening of the film in [[Dalston]], north-east London, he was presented with a white mink waistcoat by a local furrier.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=31}}

In 1961 Terry-Thomas played Archibald Bannister in ''[[A Matter of WHO]]'', which he described as "my first (fairly) serious role".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=46}} He was joined in the film by his cousin's son [[Richard Briers]],<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9877607/Richard-Briers.html Obituary: Richard Briers, ''The Daily Telegraph'', 18 February 2013]. Retrieved 26 May 2019</ref> with Terry-Thomas noting that he provided "no nepotic help" in getting Briers the part.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=46}}{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=147}} The film was not well received by the critics; an internal BBC memo described that in the UK the film was "murdered by the critics", although it was "something of a success" in America.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=129}} By this time Terry-Thomas had decided to stop being a stand-up comedian and compere and instead concentrate solely on making films. He stopped appearing on television and radio shows of his own, declaring "it was the cinema for me and me for the cinema!"{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=119}} Having accumulated considerable experience by appearing in British films, he decided to try Hollywood, and moved to America.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=75}}

===Breaking into Hollywood: 1961–1965===
Terry-Thomas spent part of 1961 in America, filming the role of Professor Bruce Patterson in ''[[Bachelor Flat]]''—his first Hollywood role{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=100}}—before flying to [[Gibraltar]] to film ''[[Operation Snatch]]'', in which he teamed up with [[Lionel Jeffries]].{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=101}} By the end of 1961 Terry-Thomas was appearing on radio, such as the December broadcast of ''[[The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show|The Bing Crosby Show]]'' and in guest spots on American television shows; he was frequently the subject of US newspaper interviews.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=100 & 217}} In 1962 ''Bachelor Flat'' and ''Operation Snatch'' were both released,<ref name="BFI: T-T filmography" /> and were followed by two more films: a large-budget biopic from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer called ''[[The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm]]'', in which Terry-Thomas shared his scenes with the American comedian [[Buddy Hackett]],{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=106}} and ''[[Kill or Cure (1962 film)|Kill or Cure]]'', in which he appeared with Sykes, a friend since they worked together in ''Large as Life''.{{sfn|Secombe|1996|p=36}}

On 1 February 1962 Terry-Thomas and Pat Patlanski divorced, having spent the previous eight years estranged. He had by then split from his mistress of the previous few years, [[Lorrae Desmond]], who returned to Australia shortly afterwards and married a surgeon; Terry-Thomas resumed his bachelor lifestyle. The break-up with Desmond caused him great upset, and he sought solace with Belinda Cunningham, a 21-year-old whom he had met on holiday in [[Majorca]] two years previously.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=125}}{{efn|Belinda Cunningham was born in [[Lincolnshire]] in 1941 and was the daughter of Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey Cunningham. She was working in Majorca when she first met Terry-Thomas and they remained in close contact when they each returned home to England. Geoffrey opposed the relationship and made many efforts to separate his daughter from the actor, including securing her a job as a personal assistant in Singapore, which she did not take.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=125–26}} }} The couple began a romance, and married in August 1963 at [[Halstead]] Registry Office near [[Colchester]], Essex. The following year she gave birth to their first son—Timothy Hoar—at the [[Princess Beatrice Hospital]] in London.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=127}}{{efn|Although named Timothy at birth, he was often called Tiger by his parents.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=127}}}}

[[File:T-T in the Bing Crosby Show, 1961.jpg|left|thumb|Publicity shot of Terry-Thomas for ''[[The Bing Crosby – Rosemary Clooney Show|The Bing Crosby Show]]'', 1961]]
In 1962 Terry-Thomas was offered the role of Lt-Colonel J. Algernon Hawthorne in ''[[It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World]]'', and turned down the opportunity before leaving for the UK. By the time his flight arrived in London he had changed his mind, so he telephoned producer [[Stanley Kramer]] from the airport to signal his acceptance, and "popped back on a plane to be fitted for the part" the same day.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=103}} He was not comfortable with many of the other actors on set, later commenting that "I was the only non-American, and I found it exhausting and embarrassing because they never relaxed. They were always 'on'."{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=76}} One of the American stars was [[Spencer Tracy]], whom Terry-Thomas considered "an extra-special man"; Tracy and [[Buster Keaton]]—who also appeared in the film—were described by Terry-Thomas as "the only two people who ever produced in me this awe of greatness".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=188}}

Later in 1963 he picked up his second film nomination, the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor&nbsp;– Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Golden Globe for Best Comedy Actor]] for his portrayal of Spender in ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]''.<ref name="GG: Mouse" />{{efn|The award eventually went to [[Alberto Sordi]] for his performance in ''[[To Bed or Not to Bed|To Bed]]'', also known as ''Il diavolo''.<ref name="GG: Mouse" />}} He also tried his hand at production, with three 15-minute travelogues: ''Terry-Thomas in Tuscany'', ''Terry-Thomas in the South of France'' and ''Terry-Thomas in Northern Ireland''.<ref name="BFI: T-T in Tuscany" />{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=234}} He did not enjoy the producer's role, complaining that "for some extraordinary reason that I could never understand, everybody was always out to do the producer of any film whoever he was. I had to be on the watch the whole time".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=65}} He worked consistently during 1963, appearing in television programmes on both sides of the Atlantic; these included ''Terry-Thomas'', a one-off variety show on [[BBC One|BBC Television]] in July that included [[Donald Sutherland]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=106}}{{efn|Other appearances included ''[[What's My Line?#United Kingdom|What's My Line?]]'' in April; ''The British At Play'' in August (both on BBC television); ''The Judy Garland Show'' on [[CBS]]; and ''[[Burke's Law (1963 TV series)|Burke's Law]]'' on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] (both in October).{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=217–18}}}}

In 1964 Terry-Thomas started filming the role of Charles Furbank in ''[[How to Murder Your Wife]]'', a part which brought him £100,000,{{efn|Approximately £{{formatnum:{{Inflation|UK|100000|1965}}}} in {{inflation/year|UK}}.{{inflation-fn|UK|df=yes}}}} his largest fee to that point.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=111}} He said it was his favourite to make, "because I felt that I did a very good job".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=105}} He enjoyed working with [[Jack Lemmon]], the film's star, partly because Lemmon would play jazz and sing while the scenes were being lit:{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=122}} the two became friends and Terry-Thomas was invited to Lemmon's wedding.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=143}} Throughout the rest of the year Terry-Thomas continued to appear on US television, again in ''Burke's Law'', but also on ''[[What's My Line?]]'' and ''An Hour with Robert Goulet'', both on [[CBS]];{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=218}} he also released another record, ''Terry-Thomas Discovers America'', a collection of songs and sketches,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=106}} described by ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' as "a ''funny'', ''funny'' comedy masterpiece".<ref name=Billboard /> His earlier record, ''Strictly T-T'', was also released in the US.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=106}}

Alongside ''How to Murder Your Wife'', there were two further releases for Terry-Thomas in 1965: ''[[Strange Bedfellows (1965 film)|Strange Bedfellows]]'', in which he played the part of a mortician, and ''[[Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines]]''.<ref name="BFI: T-T filmography" /> In the latter, he played Sir Percy Ware-Armitage, a character the film historian Andrew Spicer calls "a cartoon version" of his usual persona in a "bloated mid-Atlantic comed[y]".{{sfn|Spicer|2003|p=121}} In the film, Terry-Thomas appeared again with Sykes, an experience Sykes later described as magical.{{sfn|Sykes|2003|p=168}} The roles of Ware-Armitage and his sidekick were written especially for Terry-Thomas and Sykes at the behest of the director [[Ken Annakin]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=271}}

===European cinema: 1966–1970===
{{Quote box|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|quote=My work was done so quickly, I never even knew the title of the films or met the stars. Many's the time I have finished one picture on a Saturday and been flying somewhere on a Sunday to start shooting on the Monday&nbsp;... Rome one week, Paris the next, Brazil the week after. It was madness.|source=Terry-Thomas on his "foreign productions"{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=109}}|width=200px|salign=right}}
By the mid-1960s Terry-Thomas was tiring of the Hollywood lifestyle,{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|pp=121, 123 & 125–26}} and, during the latter half of the 1960s, he worked with European filmmakers, returning occasionally to the US when he was filming there.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=124}} In one of his French-produced films, ''[[La Grande Vadrouille]]'', he played Sir Reginald, a stranded [[Royal Air Force]] pilot travelling through [[Military Administration in France (Nazi Germany)|occupied France]] with characters played by [[Bourvil]] and [[Louis de Funès]]. The film, released in 1966, held the record for highest box-office takings in France until 2004,{{sfn|Morrison|Compagnon|2010|p=37}} and it remains "one of the most popular films with television audiences in France".{{sfn|Everett|2005|p=41}} Terry-Thomas undertook a number of roles with the [[Cinema of Italy|Italian cinema industry]]. For one of the Italian-produced films, the 1967 [[farce]] ''[[Arabella (1967 film)|Arabella]]'', he played four parts and used "the help of wigs, moustaches and lashings of Max Factor" to help achieve the different characterisations,{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=115}} which were all with the Italian actress [[Virna Lisi]].<ref name="BFI: Arabella" />{{efn|Terry-Thomas described the roles as "a neurotic hotel manager in a fuzzy black wig, pince-nez and a pale green face. A ginger-headed army general with a red face, ginger moustache and a monocle. A bland bank manager. And a blond-haired Italian count".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=115}}}}{{efn|During the years 1966 to 1969 Terry-Thomas's European film output included:<br />
'''France'''
* ''[[La Grande Vadrouille]]'' (1966);<ref name="BFI: Vadrouille" /> ''Le Mur de l'Atlantique'' (1969)<ref name="BFI: l'Atlantique" />
'''Italy'''
* ''[[Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo]]'' (1966);<ref name="BFI: Donne del Mondo" /> ''Top Crack'' (1967);<ref name="BFI: Top Crack" /> ''[[Arabella (1967 film)|Arabella]]'' (1967);<ref name="BFI: Arabella" /> ''[[How to Kill 400 Duponts|Arriva Dorellik]]'' (1967);<ref name="BFI: Arriva Dorellik" /> ''[[Danger: Diabolik]]'' (1968);<ref name="BFI: Diabolik" /> ''[[Seven Times Seven]]'' (1968);<ref name="BFI: 7 Volte 7" /> ''[[Uno Scacco Tutto Matto]]'' (1968);<ref name="BFI: Scacco Tutto Matto" /> ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust!]]'' (1969) an Italian/French/British production;<ref name="BFI: Scalcinate Carriole" /> ''[[Una Su Tredici]]'' (1969)<ref name="BFI: Una Su Tredici" />

'''Britain'''
* ''[[The Sandwich Man (1966 film)|The Sandwich Man]]'' (1966);<ref name="BFI: Sandwich Man" /> ''[[Our Man in Marrakesh]]'' (1966)&nbsp;– a British/American production;<ref name="BFI: Marrakesh" /> ''[[Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon]]'' (1967);<ref name="BFI: JV's Rocket" /> ''[[Arthur? Arthur!]]'' (1969)<ref name="BFI: Arthur" /> }}

Although the European films allowed him to travel and gave him a constant source of income, he received bigger fees from his less-frequent engagements in US films,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=124}} which he continued to appear in, joking that he "knew the fat cheques in the pipe-line were endless".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=156}} One of the bigger fees came with [[Gene Kelly]]'s 1967 film ''[[A Guide for the Married Man]]''; he was disappointed by Kelly's direction, later saying "I found him a very prudish director, not as imaginative or experimental as I would have liked".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=112}} Terry-Thomas had more time for the actress with whom he shared his short scene, [[Jayne Mansfield]], commenting that "I found her rather intelligent to talk to and felt quite shattered when I read about the gruesome car accident that killed her".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=113}} An actress he had difficulties in working with was [[Doris Day]]: in the 1968 film ''[[Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?]]'', which was produced by her husband [[Martin Melcher]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=124}} Day would instruct Terry-Thomas how he should act in a scene (he would "listen&nbsp;... politely, then do it my own way, as if the conversation had never taken place").{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=114}} She would also launch into improvisations while filming; director [[Hy Averback]] would mimic a scissor action behind her back to signal to Terry-Thomas that the material would be duly cut from the final print.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=114}} The result was a film that Geoff Mayer called "limp",{{sfn|Mayer|2003|p=355}} and Christopher Young described as "such an uneven movie that misses so many opportunities for real comedy".{{sfn|Young|1977|p=246}}

[[File:Terry-Thomas & Doris Day in Where Were You When the Lights Went Out.jpg|thumb|left|Terry-Thomas and [[Doris Day]] in ''[[Where Were You When the Lights Went Out?]]'' (1968)]]
In 1967 Terry-Thomas met his long-time friend [[Denholm Elliott]] in Bel Air and the pair talked about Elliott's new villa in [[Santa Eulària des Riu]] on the Spanish island of [[Ibiza]]. Terry-Thomas was intrigued by the possibility of a Mediterranean retreat and visited the island on the way to sing in the television special ''[[Monte Carlo: C'est La Rose]]'' (1968), a musical tour of [[Monte Carlo]] hosted by [[Grace Kelly|Princess Grace of Monaco]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Telleen|first=Carla|date=24 February 1968|title=TV radio|volume=179|page=30|work=The Dispatch|url=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=20 January 1968|title=Princess Grace to offer musical tour of Monaco|volume=91|page=23|work=Dayton Daily News|url=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Cochrum|first=Glenn|date=6 March 1968|title=Second 'Cousteau' Special scheduled|volume=91|page=19|work=The Paducah Sun|url=}}</ref>{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=133–34}}{{efn|The programme was later broadcast on 6 March 1968 on the American [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] network.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=220}}}} Although he initially struggled to find the right plot of ground for the right price, he eventually settled on an appropriate location; declaring he was "allergic to architects", he designed the house himself.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=163}} His former wife Pat moved to the nearby island of [[Majorca]], and Terry-Thomas's relationship with her became warm and friendly; Patlanski also had a firm friendship with Terry-Thomas's wife.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=141}}

In between films Terry-Thomas appeared on television on both sides of the Atlantic. In the US in March–April 1967 he was in "The Five Daughters Affair", a two-part story in the TV series ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'', and on 22 May he appeared on ''[[The Red Skelton Hour]]''.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=219}} On British television, in an episode of the ''[[Comedy Playhouse]]'' called "The Old Campaigner", he played James Franklin-Jones, a salesman for a plastics company who was continually searching for love affairs while travelling on business. This character was "yet another variation on his rakish cad persona", according to Mark Lewisohn.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=510}} The episode was well-received, and a six-part series was commissioned that ran over December 1968 and January 1969.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=124}} Although the series performed well in the ratings, a second series was not commissioned.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=150}} In between the pilot and the series of ''The Old Campaigner'', in April 1968, Terry-Thomas appeared on the British [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] network in a one-off variety special, ''The Big Show'', which combined musical numbers and his urbane monologues. Robert Ross commented that Terry-Thomas "seemed to delight in resurrecting his vintage sophisticated patter after years in movies&nbsp;... the top raconteur was back where he belonged".{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=77}} In 1969 he again teamed up with Eric Sykes and director [[Ken Annakin]] for a joint Italian, French and British production ''[[Monte Carlo or Bust!]]''. The film was "the only copper-bottomed sequel to&nbsp;... ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines''", according to Richard Ross.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=169}} Terry-Thomas played Sir Cuthbert Ware-Armitage, the "thoroughly bad egg son of flying ace Sir Percy Ware-Armitage", his role in ''Those Magnificent Men''.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=169}} Terry-Thomas secured four other roles in minor films that year, including ''[[Arthur? Arthur!]]'' (which he joked had "never been shown anywhere—as far as I know!"),{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=163}} as well as on television in the UK, US and Australia.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=221–22}}{{efn|These programmes included ''[[This is Tom Jones]]'' and ''The Liberace Show'' in the UK; ''[[The Hollywood Palace]]'' and ''The Peapicker in Piccadilly'' in the US and ''Music Hall'' in Australia.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=221–22}}}}

The 1970s began well for Terry-Thomas; television appearances in the UK and US were augmented by filming for ''[[The Abominable Dr. Phibes]]'',{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=153}} which became what author Bruce Hallenbeck called a "camp classic",{{sfn|Hallenbeck|2009|p=95}} despite being described by ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' critic [[David Pirie]], as "the worst horror film made in England since 1945";{{sfn|Pirie|2008|p=165}} the film was released in 1971.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=173}} On 1 August 1970 Terry-Thomas made his second appearance on ''Desert Island Discs'';{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=153}} his luxury item was a case of brandy, chosen because it lasted longer than champagne.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=44}}{{efn|His full selection was "[[Honeysuckle Rose (song)|Honeysuckle Rose]]"&nbsp;– [[Django Reinhardt]] and [[Stéphane Grappelli]]; "[[Where or When]]"&nbsp;– [[Leslie Hutchinson|Hutch]]; "Heidenröslein"&nbsp;– [[Richard Tauber]]; "Spanish Dance"&nbsp;– [[Andrés Segovia]]; "Zampa Overture"&nbsp;– w. [[Antonio (dancer)|Antonio]] dancing; "Alice is at it Again"&nbsp;– [[Noël Coward]]; "A New-Fangled Tango"&nbsp;– [[Lena Horne]]; and a mazurka from ''[[Les Sylphides]]'' by [[Frédéric Chopin]].{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=44}}}}

===Dealing with Parkinson's: 1971–1983===
[[File:Red Skelton Terry-Thomas Red Skelton Show 1968.JPG|thumb|right|Terry-Thomas (right) and [[Red Skelton]] in ''[[The Red Skelton Show]]'' (1968)]]
While appearing in ''Don't Just Lie There, Say Something!'' at the [[The Metro Theatre|Metro Theatre]], [[Sydney]] in 1971, Terry-Thomas felt unwell and visited a doctor, who noticed his patient's left hand was shaking slightly. The doctor suggested he visit a specialist on his return to the UK, who diagnosed him with [[Parkinson's disease]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=156–57}} Fearing the condition would affect offers of work, Terry-Thomas did not make the news public, but as the symptoms began to manifest themselves in tremors, a shuffling gait, stooped posture and affected speech, he made the news known—partly to stop rumours of on-set drunkenness.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=191}}

Terry-Thomas continued to work as much as possible, although—as the film historian Geoff Mayer pointed out—the situation "reduced his film career to supporting roles and cameos".{{sfn|Mayer|2003|p=356}} The lucrative voice-over role of Sir Hiss in the 1973 [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney]] film ''[[Robin Hood (1973 film)|Robin Hood]]'' was one notable part,{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=160}} while others were less well-known, such as ''[[The Vault of Horror (film)|The Vault of Horror]]'', a film described by Richard Ross as a "cornball terror", in which he starred with [[Curd Jürgens]], [[Tom Baker]] and Denholm Elliott.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=177}} He also continued to appear on television shows in both the US and UK, as well as advertisements, including appearing with [[June Whitfield]] for [[Birds Eye]] [[fish finger]]s, a series of [[vermouth]] advertisements filmed in Italy, and an award-winning series for [[Benson & Hedges]] cigarettes, with Eric Sykes.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=79}}

During the 1970s he starred in a series of low-budget British films, including two in 1975, ''[[Spanish Fly (1975 film)|Spanish Fly]]''—called a "gruesome smutfest" by the writer [[Christopher Fowler]]{{sfn|Fowler|2013|p=95}}—and ''[[The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones]]'', described by the ''Film Review Digest'' as a "cheap, crude, sexed-up rehash" of the other film adaptations of [[Henry Fielding]]'s [[The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling|source novel]].{{sfn|Film Review Digest|1976}}

{{Quote box|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|quote=Some days it's worse than others. It's infuriating. One minute I can be behaving in a perfectly normal manner; the next I have become a shaking mass of humanity.|align=left|source=Terry-Thomas describing "perfidious Parkinson's"{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=193}}|width=200px|salign=right}}

In 1977 he starred in ''[[The Last Remake of Beau Geste]]'' and ''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'', the latter starring [[Peter Cook]] and [[Dudley Moore]] as [[Sherlock Holmes|Holmes]] and [[Dr. Watson|Watson]]; Terry-Thomas thought "it was the most outrageous film I ever appeared in&nbsp;... there was no magic&nbsp;... it was bad!"{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=193}} By then he had exhibited [[hypokinesia|a decrease in bodily movement]], a sign of how serious his condition had become.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=173}} His distinctive voice had developed a softer tone and his posture was contorted. Between 1978 and 1980, he spent much time with medical consultants.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=175}} Despite this he was offered a few engagements and was voted the most recognisable Englishman among Americans in a poll which also featured [[Laurence Olivier]], [[Robert Morley]] and [[Wilfrid Hyde-White]]. As a result, he secured a lucrative advertising contract with the [[Ford Motor Company]]. [[Derek Jarman]] offered Terry-Thomas a role in his 1979 film ''[[The Tempest (1979 film)|The Tempest]]'', but the actor was forced to pull out because of his deteriorating health.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=176}}

Terry-Thomas undertook his final film role in 1980 in ''Febbre a 40!'', a German-Italian co-production that was "nondescript and barely screened", according to Robert Ross,{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=187}} and did not even have a theatrical release in its two domestic markets.<ref name="BFI: Febbre a 40" /> He continued his involvement in the film industry, where he funded three films during the early 1980s (noted by Ross to be "destined from the outset for B-picture status or straight-to-video exposure");{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=187}} he commented that "I have made a loss of one hundred per cent".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=67}} In 1982, with his condition worsening, Terry-Thomas appeared in two episodes of the BBC series ''The Human Brain'', which examined his condition; his frank interview brought much public awareness of the disease and raised £32,000 for the [[Parkinson's Disease Society]]. Privately, he was becoming more depressed; his London flat had been sold to provide badly needed funds, and his work offers were decreasing.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=177}}

===Final years and death: 1983–1990===
By 1983, with his medical bills at £40,000 a year and no longer able to work, Terry-Thomas's financial resources were dwindling. He and his wife sold their dream house and moved into the small cottage in Spain once owned by his former wife Pat Patlanski,{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=180}} which she left to him in her will on her death in June that year.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=178}} Shortly afterwards he worked with [[ghostwriter]] Terry Daum on an autobiography, ''Terry-Thomas Tells Tales''.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=198}} Although the first draft was completed by late summer 1984,{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=207}} Terry-Thomas refused to release the manuscript and continued making alterations, but never completed his copyediting: the book was finally published after his death.{{sfn|Ross|2002|p=193}}

By 1984 Terry-Thomas was increasingly depressed by his condition and when he was interviewed that year, he admitted that "one doctor said I've got about four more years to live. God forbid! I shall probably blow my brains out first".<ref name="D Exp: suicide" /> In 1987 the couple could no longer afford to live in Spain, so moved back to London. They lived in a series of rented properties before ending up in a three-room, unfurnished charity flat, where they lived with financial assistance from the Actors' Benevolent Fund.<ref name="D Exp: forgotten cad" />{{sfn|Ross|2002|pp=181–82}} [[Richard Briers]] was one of his first visitors at the flat, and was shocked by the change he saw: "Sitting there, motionless, he was just a mere shadow. A crippled, crushed, shadow. It was really bloody awful."<ref name="D Exp: forgotten cad" />

On 9 April 1989 the actor [[Jack Douglas (actor)|Jack Douglas]] and Richard Hope-Hawkins organised a benefit concert for Terry-Thomas, after discovering he was living in virtual obscurity, poverty and ill health.{{sfn|McCann|2009|pp=185 & 187}} The gala, held at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, ran for five hours, and featured 120&nbsp;artists with [[Phil Collins]] topping the bill and [[Michael Caine]] as the gala chairman. The show raised over £75,000 for Terry-Thomas and [[Parkinson's UK]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=188}} The funds from the charity concert allowed Terry-Thomas to move out of his charity flat and into Busbridge Hall nursing home in [[Godalming]], Surrey.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=188}} He died there on 8 January 1990, at the age of 78. The funeral service was held at [[Busbridge Church|St. John the Baptist Church]], [[Busbridge]], where the theme from ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines'' was played; he was cremated at [[Guildford|Guildford Crematorium]].{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=190}}

==Screen persona and technique==
Although there were exceptions, Terry-Thomas's screen characters were generally similar; Geoff Mayer wrote that "although there would be variations, he would remain the 'rotter', a pretentious, elitist, seedy, sometimes lecherous cad with an eye for quick money and the easy life".{{sfn|Mayer|2003|p=355}} Eric Sykes, with whom Terry-Thomas shared a number of screen moments, said it was "always the same character and always funny".{{sfn|Sykes|2003|p=168}} Andrew Spicer, writing for the British Film Institute, called him "the definitive postwar cad or rotter".<ref name="BFI: Spicer" /> Terry-Thomas himself agreed with the view he presented, writing in the 1980s that "T-T with his permanent air of caddish disdain&nbsp;... bounder&nbsp;... aristocratic rogue&nbsp;... upper-class English twit&nbsp;... genuine English eccentric&nbsp;... one of the last real gentlemen&nbsp;... wet, genteel Englishman&nbsp;... high-bred idiot&nbsp;... cheeky blighter&nbsp;... camel-haired cad&nbsp;... amiable buffoon&nbsp;... pompous Englishman&nbsp;... twentieth-century dandy&nbsp;... stinker&nbsp;... king of the cads&nbsp;... All those descriptions added up to my image as Terry-Thomas".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=1}}

{{Quote box|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|align=right|quote=What will, and what will not, make people laugh is a mystery and mine's a terrible trade. The best course is to accept it without too much analysis.|source=Terry-Thomas on being a comedian{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|1959|p=42}}|width=200px|salign=right}}
Terry-Thomas identified himself as a comedy actor, but regarded himself "first and foremost, as a comedian with a built-in ability to inject humour into situations".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=69}} He worked hard at the humour element, especially during his days in cabaret and revue; he wrote that he "spent an enormous amount of time studying how to write humour and reading books on the philosophical approach to it, but it didn't get me very far. I decided that humour was like a good watch. It would go well if left to do its job but the moment one started poking around, it went wonky".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|pp=69–70}} While working on his television series ''How do you View?'', he would change lines around to ensure the scene worked well, even if he gave the best lines to others;{{sfn|Heroes of Comedy|1995}} it was a quality which was appreciated by a number of others, including Jack Lemmon, who appeared with Terry-Thomas in ''How to Murder Your Wife''. Lemmon commented that "like most really good professionals he was generous to fellow actors. He worked with you, not at you".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=112}}

Before starting filming or making an entrance on stage, Terry-Thomas had a routine he would undertake: "my own technique to get myself going was&nbsp;... to jump in the air and execute a few dance steps".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=122}} His approach for much of his film work was to underplay many of his reactions. Filming a scene in a cinema in ''Private's Progress'', a close-up was needed showing his character "registering shock, fury, indignation and anything else I could stuff in"; he "just looked into the camera and kept my mind blank. It's a trick I've used often since. In this way, the audience does the work".{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=91}} Terry-Thomas said "I like to do my own stunts",{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|pp=99–100}} which he did for films such as ''A Matter of WHO'' and ''Bachelor Flat''. This included some dangerous work; for example, during ''Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines'', he ran along the roof of a moving train.{{sfn|Terry-Thomas|Daum|1990|p=106}}

==Legacy and reputation==
[[File:Terry-Thomas, 1961.jpg|thumb|right|Terry-Thomas in 1961, showing his [[Diastema|dental diastema]] which later provided the basis for naming a widening of the [[Scapholunate ligament|scapholunate space]] ("[[Terry-Thomas sign]]") in a traumatic wrist injury.{{sfn|Yochum|Rowe|2005|p=914}}]]
Following Terry-Thomas's death, Lionel Jeffries called him "the last of the great gentlemen of the cinema",<ref name="WP: Death news" /> while the director [[Michael Winner]] commented that "no matter what your position was in relation to his, as the star he was always terribly nice. He was the kindest man and he enjoyed life so much".<ref name="PA: T-T Death" /> Reviewing his career in ''The Guardian'', Adrian Turner considered that "we took him for granted and he was ideal for his time. Not to put too serious a point on it, his portrayal of crass stupidity and blatant deviousness struck a chord with British audiences during the fifties as they experienced the clumsy dismemberment of the Empire and the 'never had it so good' ethos of the Macmillan era. During the sixties he became a glorious anachronism, much in demand in America, who saw in him the irrelevant pageantry of Britain";<ref name="Guard: Obit" /> he also said Terry-Thomas was "a national treasure".<ref name="Guard: Obit" /> Gilbert Adair, writing in ''[[The Independent]]'', considered that "for three decades, and in literally scores of films, he personified the Englishman as amiable bounder";<ref name="Indie: Obit" /> Adair wrote that "the characterisation he was to assume represented the very essence of patrician, double-barrelled caddishness".<ref name="Indie: Obit" /> Terry-Thomas's friend Jack Lemmon called him "a consummate professional&nbsp;... he was a gentleman, a delight to be with personally, let alone professionally, and above all as an actor he had one of the qualities that I admire so much—he made it look simple".{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=112}}

Terry-Thomas's image of an English cad was used by others. The personification started in the 1960s when the voice actor [[Ivan Owen]], who had worked alongside Terry-Thomas in "Stars in Battledress",{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=36}} based the voice for [[Basil Brush]] on that of Terry-Thomas, in a characterisation which also copied Terry-Thomas's "penchant for bad, self-satisfied, golf-club-bore jokes".<ref name="D. Tel: I Owen" /> The 1960s also witnessed the fictional cartoon character [[Dick Dastardly]] in two [[Hanna-Barbera]] cartoon series (''[[Wacky Races (1968 TV series)|Wacky Races]]'' and ''[[Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines]]''), who was inspired by Terry-Thomas.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=122}}

Other actors have used Terry-Thomas's persona as an inspiration for their characters: [[Dustin Hoffman]] acknowledged that he based his interpretation of [[Captain Hook]] in ''[[Hook (film)|Hook]]'' on him; [[Rupert Everett]] disclosed that when he provided the voice for [[List of Shrek characters#Prince Charming|Prince Charming]] in ''[[Shrek 2]]'' Terry-Thomas "was vocally my role model while I was doing it";{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=249}} and [[Paul Whitehouse]]'s character, the 13th Duke of Wybourne, from ''[[The Fast Show]]'' was also modelled on Terry-Thomas's on-screen persona.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=7}} [[Mark Ruffalo]] listed Terry-Thomas as one of the inspirations for his performance as Duncan Wedderburn in ''[[Poor Things (film)|Poor Things]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/emma-stone-mark-ruffalo-yorgos-lanthimos-making-poor-things-1235761791/|title="Every Day I Was Like, 'What Am I Doing?'": The Making of 'Poor Things'|publisher=The Hollywood Reporter|date=20 December 2023|access-date=21 December 2023}}</ref>

Terry-Thomas's popularity continued after his death. In February 1999 the [[National Film Theatre]] ran a season of his films;<ref name="Indie: return of the cad" /> an NFT spokesman described how attendees turned up "in evening dress, with false moustaches and carrying cigarettes in long holders&nbsp;... everyone has been trying to steal the cardboard cutouts of Terry&nbsp;... We've never had a response like it. To be honest, we are rather unprepared. Nobody expected Terry-Thomas Fever".<ref name="EveSt: crazy" />

Some of the innovations Terry-Thomas brought into his earlier television programmes were later copied by others; ''How Do You View?'' provided the "prologue" format of ''[[Up Pompeii!]]'',{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=59}} and was the first to use regular BBC announcers as foils in comic sketches—a practice continued later, particularly with the shows of [[Morecambe and Wise]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|1998|p=333}} Terry-Thomas's anecdotes, stringing several stories together, later inspired [[Ronnie Corbett]] in his monologue spot in his series ''[[The Two Ronnies]]''.{{sfn|McCann|2009|p=7}} In 2014, BBC Radio 4 broadcast ''Memories of a Cad'', a comedy drama by [[Roy Smiles]] about the relationship between Terry-Thomas and Richard Briers, played by [[Martin Jarvis (actor)|Martin Jarvis]] and [[Alistair McGowan]] respectively.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vkjsm|title=Afternoon Drama: Memories of a Cad|publisher=BBC Radio 4|date=30 December 2014|access-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225054820/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04vkjsm|archive-date=25 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography and other works==
{{main|Terry-Thomas on screen, radio, stage and record}}

==Notes and references==
===Notes===
{{notelist|30em}}

===References===
{{reflist|
| colwidth =
| refs =
                               <!-- Websites -->

<ref name="BFI: T-T filmography">
{{cite web|title=Filmography: Terry-Thomas|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/1814?view=credit|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903010915/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/1814?view=credit|archive-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Febbre a 40">
{{cite web|title=Febbre a 40!|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/158117|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905084223/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/158117|archive-date=5 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Vadrouille">
{{cite web|title=La Grande Vadrouille|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/35164|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825233617/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/35164|archive-date=25 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: l'Atlantique">
{{cite web|title=Le Mur de l'Atlantique|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/43348|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905084216/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/43348|archive-date=5 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Diabolik">
{{cite web|title=Diabolik|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/31269|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905032007/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/31269|archive-date=5 September 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Arriva Dorellik">
{{cite web|title=Arriva Dorellik|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/137553|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905084236/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/137553|archive-date=5 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Arabella">
{{cite web|title=Arabella|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/136316|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110905023441/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/136316|archive-date=5 September 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Top Crack">
{{cite web|title=Top Crack|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/372504|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903190435/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/372504|archive-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Donne del Mondo">
{{cite web|title=Se Tutte le Donne del Mondo|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/372504|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903190435/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/372504|archive-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Marrakesh">
{{cite web|title=Our Man in Marrakesh|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/45450|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825185923/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/45450|archive-date=25 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Sandwich Man">
{{cite web|title=The Sandwich Man|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/49370|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024151726/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/49370|archive-date=24 October 2012|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: JV's Rocket">
{{cite web|title=Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/38534|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110815214857/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/38534|archive-date=15 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Arthur">
{{cite web|title=Arthur? Arthur!|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/137776|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019080101/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/137776|archive-date=19 October 2012|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: 7 Volte 7">
{{cite web|title=Sette Volte Sette|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/343770|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824190733/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/343770|archive-date=24 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Scacco Tutto Matto">
{{cite web|title=Uno Scacco Tutto Matto|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/338986|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903192604/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/338986|archive-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Scalcinate Carriole">
{{cite web|title=Quei Temerari Sulle Loro Pazze, Scatenate, Scalcinate Carriole|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/338986|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903192604/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/338986|archive-date=3 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Una Su Tredici">
{{cite web|title=Una Su Tredici|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/380705|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808121720/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/380705|archive-date=8 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: T-T in Tuscany">
{{cite web|title=Terry-Thomas in Tuscany|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/556648|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=6 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905084221/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/556648|archive-date=5 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="GG: Mouse">
{{cite web|title=The 21st Annual Golden Globe Awards (1964)|url=http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1963|work=Golden Globe Awards|publisher=[[Hollywood Foreign Press Association]]|access-date=17 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130414233741/http://cdn.goldenglobes.org/browse/year/1963|archive-date=14 April 2013}}</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Scoundrels">
{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=Michael|title=School for Scoundrels (1959)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/487382/|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=12 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130213060426/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/487382/|archive-date=13 February 2013|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Spicer">
{{cite web|last=Spicer|first=Andrew|title=Terry-Thomas (1911–1990)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/461962/|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=17 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922015843/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/461962/|archive-date=22 September 2012|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Henry 8">
{{cite web|title=The Private Life of Henry VIII|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/47190|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=11 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110901203827/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/47190|archive-date=1 September 2011|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: How Do You View">
{{cite web|title=How Do You View|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/822311|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=19 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090916044019/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/822311|archive-date=16 September 2009|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Date with a Dream">
{{cite web|title=Cast: A Date with a Dream|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/11358?view=cast|work=Film & TV Database|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=3 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302042149/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/11358?view=cast|archive-date=2 March 2014|url-status=dead}}
</ref>

<ref name="BAFTA: tom thumb">
{{cite web|title=Film: British Actor in 1959|work=BAFTA Awards Database|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1959/film/british-actor|access-date=26 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102215115/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1959/film/british-actor|archive-date=2 January 2014|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Boultings">
{{cite web|last=McFarlane|first=Brian|title=Boulting Brothers|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/446435/|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=9 May 2013|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101119071128/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/446435/|archive-date=19 November 2010|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: C-B ot FO">
{{cite web|last=Whitehead|first=Tony|title=Carlton-Browne of the F.O. (1959)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/444355/index.html|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=9 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020210945/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/444355/index.html|archive-date=20 October 2013|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="BFI: Jack">
{{cite web|last=Whitehead|first=Tony|title=I'm All Right Jack (1959)|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/441166/index.html|work=[[Screenonline]]|publisher=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=10 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130416004319/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/441166/index.html|archive-date=16 April 2013|url-status=live}}
</ref>

                               <!-- News & Journals-->
<ref name="D Exp: suicide">
{{cite news|title=Suffering Makes me Want to Die|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=18 January 1984|author=Terry-Thomas|location=London|page=12}}</ref>

<ref name="D Exp: forgotten cad">
{{cite news|title=The Forgotten Cad of Comedy|newspaper=[[Daily Express]]|date=2 August 2007|last=Edge|first=Simon|location=London|page=33}}</ref>

<ref name="EveSt: crazy">
{{cite news|title=Crazy for Terry|newspaper=[[London Evening Standard|Evening Standard]]|date=12 March 1999|location=London|page=12}}</ref>

<ref name="Indie: return of the cad">
{{cite news|last=Quinn|first=Anthony|title=The Five Best Films|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=27 February 1999|location=London|page=25}}</ref>

<ref name="WP: Death news">
{{cite news|title=Gap-Toothed Comic Actor Terry-Thomas Dead at 78|date=8 January 1990|agency=[[Associated Press]]|location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="PA: T-T Death">
{{cite news|last=Scully|first=Rob|title=Lovable Cad Terry-Thomas Dies at 78|date=8 January 1990|agency=[[Press Association]]}}</ref>

<ref name=Billboard>
{{cite magazine|title=Enter the Wonderful World of Entertainment|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=8 August 1964|volume=76|issue=32|page=22}}</ref>

<ref name="LaL Programme">
Souvenir programme ''Large as Life'' (1958) London: Tribe Bros.</ref>

<ref name="Obs: Pic Hay">
{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Ivor|title=Theatre and Life: Field and Frost|newspaper=[[The Observer]]|date=13 October 1946|author-link=Ivor Brown|location=London|page=2}}</ref>

<ref name="Everybody's">
{{cite journal|last=Bishop|first=Edward|title=Look—a Lord!|journal=[[Everybody's Weekly]]|date=26 April 1952|pages=22–23|location=London}}</ref>

<ref name="Guard: Lucky Jim">
{{cite news|title=''Lucky Jim'' as a British Comedy|newspaper=[[The Guardian|The Manchester Guardian]]|date=20 August 1957|location=Manchester|page=5}}</ref>

<ref name="RT: Greatorex">
{{cite magazine|last=Greatorex|first=Wilfred|title=Terry-Thomas—Specialist in Fine-Grain Comedy|magazine=[[Radio Times]]|date=14 September 1951|page=47|author-link=Wilfred Greatorex|publisher=[[BBC]]}}</ref>

<ref name="Guard: driving">
{{cite news|title=Terry-Thomas Cleared|newspaper=[[The Guardian|The Manchester Guardian]]|date=15 March 1958|location=Manchester|page=9}}</ref>

<ref name="LAT: Obit">
{{cite news|title=Terry-Thomas, Gap-Toothed Comedy Actor, Dies at 78|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=9 January 1990|location=Los Angeles|page=20}}</ref>

<ref name="NYT: 2 many crooks">
{{cite news|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|title=Screen: British Comedy; Terry-Thomas Stars in ''Too Many Crooks''|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=25 April 1959|author-link=Bosley Crowther|location=New York|page=14}}</ref>

<ref name="D. Tel: I Owen">
{{cite news|title=Obituary: Ivan Owen|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1371002/Ivan-Owen.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=20 October 2000|access-date=3 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203134601/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1371002/Ivan-Owen.html|archive-date=3 December 2017|url-status=live}}
</ref>

<ref name="Guard: Obit">
{{cite news|last=Turner|first=Adrian|title=Preserving a particular kind of English cad, vowel-perfect: Obituary of Terry-Thomas|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=9 January 1990|location=London|page=39}}</ref>

<ref name="Indie: Obit">
{{cite news|last=Adair|first=Gilbert|title=Obituary: Terry-Thomas|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=9 January 1990|author-link=Gilbert Adair|location=London|page=13}}</ref>

}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book|last=Amis|first=Kingsley|author-link=Kingsley Amis|title=Memoirs|year=1991|publisher=[[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson]]|location=London|isbn=0-09-174533-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Banham|first=Martin|title=The Cambridge Guide to Theatre|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8qMTPAPFGXUC|year=1995|publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]]|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-521-43437-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Barfe|first=Louis|author-link=Louis Barfe|title=Turned Out Nice Again: The Story of British Light Entertainment|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XHbFLkrXezMC|year=2008|publisher=[[Atlantic Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-84887-757-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Everett|first=Wendy Ellen|title=European identity in cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9g2xinzu9AC&pg=PP1|year=2005|publisher=Intellect Books|location=Bristol|isbn=978-1-84150-916-7}}
* {{cite book|title=Film Review Digest|volume=2|year=1976|publisher=Kraus-Thomson Organization|location=Millwood, NY|ref={{sfnRef|Film Review Digest|1976}}}}
* {{cite book|last=Fowler|first=Christopher|author-link=Christopher Fowler|title=Film Freak|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L8pdtRyINk8C&pg=PA4|year=2013|publisher=[[Transworld Publishers]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-4481-5459-3}}
* {{cite book|last=Hallenbeck|first=Bruce G.|title=Comedy-horror Films: A Chronological History, 1914–2008|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2AIgAef-bAcC&pg=PP1|year=2009|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]|location=Jefferson, NC|isbn=978-0-7864-5378-8}}
* {{cite book|last1=Hayes|first1=Nicky|last2=Hill|first2=Jeff|title='Millions Like Us'?: British Culture in the Second World War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nDv-1ZeAV_AC&pg=PP1|year=1999|publisher=[[Liverpool University Press]]|location=Liverpool|isbn=978-0-85323-763-1}}
* {{Cite episode|title=[[Heroes of Comedy]]: Terry-Thomas|series=Heroes of Comedy|network=[[Channel 4]]|location=London|date=17 November 1995|series-no=1|number=5|ref={{sfnRef|Heroes of Comedy|1995}}}}
* {{cite ODNB|last1=Hope-Hawkins|first1=Richard|last2=Nicholls|first2=C. S.|title=Stevens, Thomas Terry Hoar (Terry-Thomas) (1911–1990)|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/39948|access-date=11 March 2012|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/39948|year=2004}} 
* {{cite book|last=Lewisohn|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Lewisohn|title=Radio Times Guide to TV Comedy|year=1998|publisher=[[BBC Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-563-36977-6}}
* {{cite book|last=McCann|first=Graham|author-link=Graham McCann|title=Bounder! The Biography of Terry-Thomas|year=2009|publisher=[[Aurum Press]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-84513-441-9}}
* {{cite book|last=Mayer|first=Geoff|title=Guide to British Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7FOX_OWDyHEC&pg=PP1|year=2003|publisher=[[Greenwood Press]]|location=Westport, CT|isbn=978-0-313-30307-4}}
* {{cite book|last1=Morrison|first1=Donald|last2=Compagnon|first2=Antoine|title=The Death of French Culture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X8bFP2v_GcoC&pg=PP1|year=2010|publisher=[[Polity (publisher)|Polity]]|location=Cambridge|isbn=978-0-7456-4994-8}}
* {{Cite book|last=Pettigrew|first=Terence|title=British Film Character Actors: Great Names and Memorable Moments|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z3Wl9qRevrEC&pg=PP1|year=1982|publisher=[[David & Charles]]|location=Newton Abbot|isbn=0-7153-8270-5}}
* {{cite book|last=Pirie|first=David|author-link=David Pirie|title=A New Heritage of Horror: the English Gothic Cinema|year=2008|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-84511-481-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Ross|first=Robert|title=The Complete Terry-Thomas|year=2002|publisher=Reynolds & Hearn|location=London|isbn=978-1-903111-29-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Secombe|first=Harry|author-link=Harry Secombe|title=Strawberries and Cheam|year=1996|publisher=[[Robson Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-230-53252-6}}
* {{cite book|last=Spicer|first=Andrew|title=Typical Men: The Representation of Masculinity in Popular British Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y87qYiZcnocC|year=2003|publisher=[[I.B. Tauris]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-86064-931-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Sykes|first=Eric|author-link=Eric Sykes|title=Eric Sykes' Comedy Heroes|year=2003|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|location=London|isbn=978-0-7535-0966-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Terry-Thomas|title=Filling the Gap|year=1959|publisher=Max Parrish & Co|location=London|oclc=6187836}}
* {{cite book|last1=Terry-Thomas|last2=Daum|first2=Terry|title=Terry-Thomas Tells Tales|year=1990|publisher=Robson Books|location=London|isbn=978-0-86051-662-0}}
* {{cite book|last=Wisdom|first=Norman|author-link=Norman Wisdom|title=My Turn: An Autobiography|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yU1cKVAOGyUC&pg=PP1|year=2011|publisher=[[Random House]]|location=London|isbn=978-1-4464-7273-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Yochum|first1=Terry R.|last2=Rowe|first2=Lindsay J.|title=Essentials of Skeletal Radiology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YmQ3GGGjDhMC|year=2005|publisher=[[Lippincott Williams & Wilkins]]|location=Baltimore, MD|isbn=978-0-7817-3946-7}}
* {{cite book|last=Young|first=Christopher|title=The Films of Doris Day|year=1977|publisher=[[Citadel Press]]|location=New York, NY|isbn=978-0-8065-0583-1}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{sister project links|commons=category:Terry-Thomas|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|n=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|species=no|d=Q711129|q=no}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160618174136/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b9ef160dc Terry-Thomas] at the [[British Film Institute]]
* {{Screenonline name|id=461962|name=Terry-Thomas}}
* {{IMDb name}}
* {{TCMDb name}}
* [http://www.britishpathe.com/search/query/TerryThomas Terry-Thomas] on [[Pathé News]]

{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Biography|Comedy|England|London}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Terry-Thomas}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English comedians]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Barnet]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Comedians from the London Borough of Barnet]]
[[Category:Deaths from Parkinson's disease in England]]
[[Category:English expatriate male actors in the United States]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male stage actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male voice actors]]
[[Category:English male comedians]]
[[Category:Male actors from London]]
[[Category:Military personnel from the London Borough of Barnet]]
[[Category:People educated at Ardingly College]]
[[Category:People from Finchley]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous actors]]
[[Category:Pseudonymous comedians]]
[[Category:Royal Corps of Signals soldiers]]