Norman Painting

Norman George Painting OBE was a British actor, broadcaster and writer. He played Phil Archer in the BBC Radiosoap opera The Archers from the pilot episodes aired on the BBC Midlands Home Service in summer 1950, after the series went national on the Light Programme onJanuary 1951, until his death in 2009, when he was the longestserving member of the cast. His last episode, recorded two days before he died, was broadcast onNovember 2009. The character lived on until Phil was found dead in his armchair in March 2010. According to Guinness World Records, Painting held the world record for an actor playing a continuous role, a total of 59 years.

Painting was born in Leamington Spa, the son of a railway signalman. He was educated at Leamington College and King Edward VI School, Nuneaton, but left school agedto work in a library. He was found to be medically unfit for military service in the Second World War, and studied English at the University of Birmingham instead, graduating with a firstclass degree. He did postgraduate research at Christ Church, Oxford, and then became a tutor in AngloSaxon at Exeter College, Oxford.

Source: Wikipedia