Character Driven: The Untold Story of a Comic Genius

Leonard Rossiter: Character DrivenThe untold story of a comic geniusGuy AdamsWhether he was playing seedy landlord Rupert Rigsby in Rising Damp or frustrated suburban dreamer Reggie Perrin, Leonard Rossiter gave us performances so iconic that they achieve timelessness. Now, for the first time, Character Driven offers an in-depth account of Rossiter's life and work. Through interviews with his daughter, widow, lover and friends and colleagues, it will bring to life the man behind the threadbare cardigan and manic grimace.The book explores all of Rossiter's roles, revealing a man whose single-mindedness and belief in his own abilities not only resulted in brilliant performances, but could rub people up the wrong way too. We meet Rossiter the private man -- an accomplished sportsman, a devoted father and a loyal friend, yet someone who is alleged to have been rather less than perfect in matters of the heart.Exhaustive, affectionate, honest -- and long overdue, Character Driven will finally give a personality to the man behind some of the greatest comic performances of the twentieth century.