Background and career
Ronald Balfour Corbett (4 December 1930 – 31 March 2016) was a Scottish comedian and actor. He had a long association with Ronnie Barker in the BBC Television comedy sketch show The Two Ronnies (1971–87), becoming known for his meandering chair monologues, and starred in sitcoms such as No – That's Me Over Here! (1967–70), Now Look Here (1971–73), and Sorry! (1981–88). Corbett began his acting career after moving from Edinburgh to London; he had early roles in the TV series Crackerjack and The Saint. He achieved prominence and began performing with Ronnie Barker in David Frost's satirical comedy programme The Frost Report (1966–67), and appeared in the films You're Only Young Twice (1952), Rockets Galore! (1958), Casino Royale (1967), Some Will, Some Won't (1970), and No Sex Please, We're British (1973).
Corbett was born on 4 December 1930 at The Royal Maternity Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of William Balfour Corbett (1898–1974), a master baker, and his London-born wife, Annie Elizabeth Corbett (née Main; 1900–1991). He had a brother about six years younger, Allan, and a sister about ten years younger, Margaret. Corbett's grandfather was principal organist at St Andrew’s Church of Scotland in the early 20th century and features in church histories of the time. Corbett was educated at James Gillespie's Boys School and the Royal High School in the city. After leaving school he decided he wanted to be an actor while performing in amateur theatricals at a church youth club. His first job, however, was with the Ministry of Agriculture. Corbett did his national service with the Royal Air Force, during which he was the shortest commissioned officer in the British Forces. Having enlisted as aircraftman 2nd class Service No 2446942, he received a commission into the secretarial branch of the RAF as a pilot officer (national service) on 25 May 1950. He transferred to the RAF Reserve (National Service List) on 28 October 1951, thereby ending his period of active service. He was promoted to flying officer on 6 September 1952.
Following national service, Corbett moved to London to start his acting career. At 5 ft 1 in (1.55 m) tall, Corbett was suited to playing roles younger than his years. References to his height frequently cropped up in his self-deprecating humour. In one of his earliest stage appearances, he was billed as "Ronald Corbett" at Cromer in Take it Easy in 1956, with Graham Stark. He appeared in Crackerjack as a regular in its early days, one episode with Winifred Atwell. He had a walk-on in an early episode of the 1960s series The Saint (as "Ronald Corbett") and appeared in films including You're Only Young Twice (1952), Rockets Galore! (1957), Casino Royale (1967), Some Will, Some Won't (1970) and the film version of the farce No Sex Please, We're British (1973). Corbett starred in the first London production of the musical The Boys from Syracuse (as Dromio of Syracuse) in 1963 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, alongside Bob Monkhouse. In 1965 he was in cabaret at Winston's, Danny La Rue's Mayfair nightclub. David Frost saw him and asked him to appear in The Frost Report. Corbett was in the West End, playing Will Scarlett in Lionel Bart's Robin Hood musical Twang!!. It failed, leaving Corbett free to accept. It was while working at Danny La Rue's nightclub that Corbett met Anne Hart, whom he was to marry that year. The marriage lasted 49 years, until his death.
In 1966, Corbett appeared in "Cinderella" as one of the "Ugly sisters"; the other being played by Stanley Baxter. Also in the pantomime was Lonnie Donegan, who played "Buttons". According to "The Stage", this was Corbett's first lead role on the Scottish stage.
Corbett first worked with Ronnie Barker in The Frost Report (1966–67). The writers and cast were mostly Oxbridge graduates from the Footlights tradition. Corbett said he and Barker were drawn together as two grammar school or state secondary school boys, who had not gone to university. The show was a mixture of satirical monologues, sketches and music. Corbett and Barker were beginning to be thought of as a pair. They appeared with John Cleese in one of the most repeated comedy sketches in British television: the Class sketch. Corbett's height provided a key cue for both the visual humour and satirical value of the sketch, as he "looked up" to both Cleese and Barker's characters, and he got the pay-off line: "I get a pain in the back of my neck." Continuing under Frost, Corbett starred in No – That's Me Over Here!, a sitcom written by Frost Report writers Barry Cryer, Graham Chapman and Eric Idle (ITV 1967–70). Cryer and Chapman wrote two follow-ups: Now Look Here (BBC 1971–73) and The Prince of Denmark (BBC 1974). Corbett also appeared in Frost on Sunday (ITV 1968) and hosted The Corbett Follies (ITV 1969). Frost was also the promoter of Corbett's 1970 novelty single "It's All Going Up Up Up", a satire on inflation. In 1974 Corbett released another single Fanny, written by Roger Cook and Herbie Flowers on the Decca label. He performed the song on an edition of Top of the Pops broadcast November 14, but it failed to reach the UK singles chart. Corbett was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in April 1970 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while appearing on the Frost on Sunday programme.
Corbett's BBC television comedy show with Ronnie Barker, The Two Ronnies, ran from 1971 to 1987. Barker and Corbett performed sketches and musical numbers. Corbett presented a monologue. Sitting in a large easy chair (emphasising his small size), and usually wearing a Lyle & Scott golfing V-neck sweater, he would stretch telling a simple joke over several minutes, often allowing himself to appear to lose his train of thought.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
