John Louis Mansi

John Louis Mansi (born John Patrick Adams; 8 November 1926 – 6 August 2010[3]) was a British television and film actor whose career spanned the years from the early 1950s to the early 1990s.

John Louis Mansi
Mansi playing von Smallhausen in 'Allo 'Allo
Born
John Patrick Adams

(1926-11-08)8 November 1926
London, United Kingdom
Died6 August 2010(2010-08-06) (aged 83)[1]
Berwick, East Sussex, United Kingdom[2]
Resting placeBexhill Cemetery
Other namesLouis Mansi
OccupationActor

Born in London to an Italian father and an Irish mother, he served in the merchant navy and the RAF during World War II. Upon becoming an actor, he chose his father's surname as his stage name, later adopting the name Louis after Louie Dumbrowski, the character played by Bernard Gorcey in The Bowery Boys film series, whom his friends claimed he resembled.

He was best known for his role as Engelbert von Smallhausen (although in the BBC books he is named as Bobby Cedric von Smallhausen) in the popular BBC sitcom 'Allo 'Allo! in seasons 2 to 9. He also appeared in Department S (as "Maxime" in the episode "The Treasure of the Costa del Sol", 1969), the Ripping Yarns story "Across the Andes By Frog", and the Hammer House of Horror story "The Thirteenth Reunion". His film appearances have included The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), the Beatles' film Help! (1965), the original version of The Italian Job (1969), Tales from the Crypt (1972), and the Dick Emery film Ooh... You Are Awful (1972).

After 'Allo 'Allo! ended in 1992, he retired from acting. He was often credited as Louis Mansi in his roles. For six years he suffered from Parkinson's disease and in May 2010 was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. His interests included reading, letter writing, animal welfare and watching DVDs/videos of past favourite series/films.

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1952Secret PeopleMember of Paris Committee
1952Hammer the ToffThe ItalianUncredited
1963The Small World of Sammy LeeLou's assistantUncredited
1963Heavens Above!Man Buying GroceriesUncredited
1965Joey BoyTonyUncredited
1965Help!Priest / ThugUncredited
1967Just like a Woman
1969The Italian JobComputer Room Official
1972Tales from the Crypt2nd Blind Man(segment 5 "Blind Alleys"), Uncredited
1972Ooh... You Are AwfulMancini
1977Ripping Yarns1st nativeEpisode: "Across the Andes by Frog"
1988Hard RoadKelly's Father
1989Play Me SomethingBirdwatcher
gollark: I mean, sort of.
gollark: You can still *edit* it.
gollark: With physical access there's not much you can't do.
gollark: I mean, you can unplug a computer's disk and hook it to a USB/SATA adapter, usually.
gollark: Yes, it's pretty realistic.

References
  1. "Adams, John Patrick". telegraph.co.uk. London. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
  2. "'Allo 'Allo actor is laid to rest at Bexhill Cemetery". Bexhill-on-Sea Observer. Bexhill-on-Sea. 20 August 2010.
  3. Gaughan, Gavin (1 September 2010). "John Louis Mansi obituary". The Guardian. London.



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