Stanley James Carroll Beck (21 February 1929 – 6 August 1973) was an English actor best remembered for his role as Private Joe Walker, the cockney spiv in the popular BBC sitcom Dad's Army which ran from 1968 to 1977. In a cast comprising mainly older actors, James was one of two younger members. Nevertheless, he was the first of the cast to die, aged 44, as a result of pancreatitis.
Jimmy was born in Islington, North London and attended Popham Road Primary School. His childhood was tough, with his father frequently unemployed and his mother making artificial flowers to provide a small income.
After a stint at art college and a period of National Service in the army, Jimmy took up acting. Early acting roles included Shylock the Jew in The Merchant of Venice in 1963, for which he earned positive reviews. Moving to London, he decided to concentrate on television, and one role was as a policeman in an episode of Coronation Street involving a train crash. He also appeared in an uncredited role as a policeman in Gideon's Way in 1965, and became a regularly-seen face in TV drama, with one-off roles in series like The Troubleshooters.
By 1968 he was offered the role of Private Walker in Dad's Army, a role originally written by Jimmy Perry for himself. His performance as the thorn in Captain Mainwaring's side was perfect for Dad's Army. While proving popular in this, his best-loved role, Jimmy still yearned for the challenge of other roles.
Always in demand, he continued to work on TV programmes such as A Family at War and Romany Jones, in which he played the lead character Bert Jones. He also recorded an unbroadcast remake of an early Hancock's Half Hour programme in which he played opposite Arthur Lowe.
By 1973, Jimmy had already recorded five series of Dad's Army and was working on the sixth, as well as working on the radio series of the show. Location filming for series six was completed when, whilst opening a fete in aid of Guide Dogs for the Blind, he suddenly felt ill. He returned home and within an hour was rushed to hospital. He died three weeks later. His death was a great shock to his fellow cast members, as well as Jimmy Perry and David Croft, who had looked forward to his return to the show. The Walker character was briefly mentioned in series seven but did not appear in studio scenes (shot many weeks after location filming) and never returned to the television version of Dad's Army. His character was written out off-screen and he was never referred to in subsequent episodes.
In the radio adaptations of Dad's Army, Graham Stark stood in until Larry Martyn gave his portrayal of Walker for subsequent shows. In 1976 John Bardon played Walker in the stage production.
Obituary from The Times 7th August 1973
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