Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English character actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades.
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Early radio
Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father was a tailor. Shaps was a child broadcaster at the London School of Broadcasting, providing voices for radio commercials from the age of 12. He was educated at Central Foundation Boys' School, then took an office job with the London Ambulance Service. Following service as a warrant officer in the Royal Army Educational Corps during World War II, he was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) where he was given the Shakespeare Prizeand then worked for two years as an announcer, producer and scriptwriter for Radio Netherlands. His short stature and round face then led to a steady flow of character roles in film and television in a career spanning nearly 50 years.
