Brian Rix

At 92 years old, Brian Rix has this physical status:

Baron Rix, Richard Baron Rix, (27 January 1924-to-date), was a British actor-manager who starred in a string of long-running farces on the London stage, including Dry Rot, Simple Spymen, and One for the Pot.

He was named as the joint highest paid actor on the BBC after a one-night TV series on the BBC.

He spent time with his wife Else Gray and sister Sheila Mercier, who became Emmerdale Farm's matriarch. Rix, among other things, became a advocate for disability causes after his first child was born with Down syndrome.

He joined the House of Lords as a crossbencher in 1992 and served as President of Mencap from 1998 to his death.

Early years

Rix was born in Cottingham, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire's youngest child. Herbert Rix's father, and Herbert's two brothers, operated the shipping company Robert Rix in Hull, which was established by his grandfather. Rix was always keen on cricket but he had only aspired to play for Yorkshire as a child. When he was 16 (and after the Marylebone Cricket Club's (MCC), the Stage and the Lord's Taverners, he did play for Hull Cricket Club). His aspirations changed when he was being educated at Bootham School, York.

Sheila's elder sister Sheila began acting in his youth, and Rix himself had the same desire to perform on stage. Both four Rix children were keen on the theatre because of their mother, Fanny, who ran an amateur dramatic society and was the lead soprano in the local operatic society. All her children appeared in the plays, and two of them, Brian and Sheila, became professional actors. Sheila Mercier, as she became known, appeared in the Yorkshire TV soap opera Emmerdale Farm for more than 20 years, while her brother was involved in the Whitehall farces in the 1950s and 1960s.

Rix was a professional actor when he was 18, but he was on deferment from service with the Royal Air Force with Donald Wolfit's Shakespeare Company. In Twelfth Night at the St James' Theatre in London, he appeared as Sebastian after only four months as a professional actor. His deferment was postponed and he gained his first weekly repertory with the White Rose Players at the opera house in Harrogate. He rose to the Royal Air Force, eventually ending up as a volunteer Bevin Boy, working down the coal mines near Doncaster.

Rix returned to theater in 1947 as an actor-manager, a career he will continue to pursue for the next 30 years. He worked with repertory companies in Ilkley, Bridlington, and Margate, and when he returned to Bridlington in 1949, he discovered the play that was supposed to bring him to attention – Reluctant Heroes, which was later adapted for a film version. He became engaged to Elsy Gray, an actor in his company, in the same year, and the couple married six months later. They were together, both locally and professionally, for 64 years until her death in February 2013, when they appeared together in several of the television farces, a radio series, and three of the theatre performances.

The newlyweds toured together with Reluctant Heroes in 1950, until Rix managed to convince the Whitehall Theatre's leadership that this army farce was the right idea to follow the long-running Worm's Eye View. It was a good decision, because Rix's shows lasted for the next 16 years before he transferred to the Garrick Theatre, smashing many West End records along the way. His farces for BBC Television began at the Whitehall, enlarging Rix and Gray's profile as well as that of the Whitehall Theatre.

Rix on the BBC aired more than 90 one-night television farces in the next 18 years. These were often displayed at Christmas or other bank holidays, with viewing figures often topping 15 million. Rix, alongside Robert Morley, was the first-paid actor (along with Robert Morley) to appear on BBC Television in the early 1960s. Rix appeared in these TV series alongside the regulars from his theatre company, including Dora Bryan, Joan Sims, Ian Carmichael, John Le Mesurier, Patrick Cargill, Fabia Drake, Sheila Hancock, Thora Hird, and Francis Matthews. However, only a handful of the televised farces are included in the BBC archive, although they did include a few of the televised farces. Rix also appeared in 11 films, and though he felt they were less suited to his character as a farceur, they did have some box-office success.

Colin Morris, the first Whitehall farce, was known for his dramatic television documentaries. During the four-year run of Reluctant Heroes at the Whitehall, Rix also sent out national tours of the show, mainly with John Slater playing the dread Sergeant Bell and playing to packed houses. To give you a glimpse of how it's popular, Rix was playing at the Whitehall, three tours on the road, and the film on release. In both film and on the four-year run at the Whitehall, Rix himself played Gormless north-country recruit Horace Gregory, where his fame for missing his trousers started. He lost them at least 12,000 times in the course of 26 years as a performer in the farces, but not in the TV plays;

John Chapman, Rix's understudy, appeared in Act 3 for a long time in the dressing room, and he was still waiting for a long wait. He started his first draft of the play that was supposed to follow Heroes in order to occupy his attention. Dry Rot, which was later filmed, was produced in 1954 with John Slater, Basil Lord, and Rix himself in the cast and appeared for nearly four years. When Dry Rot went on tour with John Slater as the lead, he was joined by two young actors, Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton.

Both were involved in Rix's next project, Simple Spymen (again by John Chapman), and had time to draft One for the Pot, which came after Simple Spymen. In all, seven playwrights were born by the Whitehall farces: Colin Morris, John Chapman, Ray Cooney, Clive Exton, Raymond/Charles Dyer, and Philip Levene. Christopher Bond, John Cleese, and Barry Took were among the many writers of note who worked for Rix on television.

After the opening of the fifth Whitehall farce's Chase Me Comrade, Ronald Bryden (in the United Statesman) wrote about Rix and his company in 1964, he wrote about him.

Despite being lauded by Harold Hobson in The Sunday Times as "the greatest master of farce in my theatre-going lifetime" and many other accolades from critics and audiences alike, no theatrical awards were ever given out. Rix was always philosophical about his lack of fame, accepting it as the fate of so many low comedians before him. However, Rix and his company set the new London Farce team to break the longest running farce crew. In 1961, he gave everyone in the audience who had seen Simple Spymen a glass of champagne. Many of Rix's most well-known actors performed in one of his shows, on stage, on television, and films, were served, and it was to celebrate the Whitehall Theatre team's passing the record held by the Aldwych Theatre Company. The Aldwych farces lasted for ten years, seven months, and four days, while Rix went on for another 16 years. Rix also had a long and fruitful relationship with the show designer and Rhoda Gray (Els' sister), who created the stage and TV sets for almost all of Rix's productions. The Whitehall was particularly small and cramped, and Rhoda's plans overcame the most difficult obstacles.

After the Whitehall Theatre's lease ended, Rix transferred to the Garrick Theatre in 1967. He had the opportunity to try his repertoire scheme on the big stage. This was a similar vision to the way plays were performed at the National Theatre, which is several productions per week, giving the actors the opportunity to perform a variety of roles – or even have a night or two offstage. Rix tried three farces – Stand By Your Bedouin, Uproar in the House, and Let Sleeping Wives Lie – but Rix was forced to keep Let Sleeping Wives Lie on at the Garrick and transfer Uproar in the Whitehall, with Nicholas Parsons playing Rix in the role. Stand By Your Bedouin went into storage. Let Sleeping Wives Lie enjoy a second two years as the lead roles, Leslie Crowther, Elslie Farr, Andrew Sachs, and Rix appeared in the film. Rona Anderson took over Gray's role in the first year.

It ended with Let Sleeping Wives Lie at the Garrick before going on for a brief tour before opening in Weston-super-Mare for the summer season. Rix lasted for four weeks before being recalled and playing the last six weeks. In the meantime, the cast of Rix's upcoming West End production rehearsed in London by train every day, rehearsing in London in the late afternoon for their evening performance. She's Done It Again opened at the Garrick to the best reviews Rix had ever enjoyed, but it was the shortest run of any of his productions to date. Rix could never explain the play's short run, because the Garrick's tour was a sell-out tour. The play, funny as it was, may have been somewhat old-fashioned, as it was adapted by Michael Pertwee from a pre-war farce Nap Hand by Vernon Sylvaine and based on the birth of Dionne quintuplets.

Don't Just Lie There, Say Something, Rix's next play, which also by Pertwee, was Don't Just Lie There. Alfred Marks (followed by Moray Watson) plays the libidinous government minister. The reviews were not as good as the previous production, but audiences kept coming and they went for two years at the Garrick before then enjoying another fruitful tour. Rix, who had never loved touring, is now resentful to the endless nights away from home, and was thrilled when the show was turned first into a television series for HTV, Men of Affairs (with Warren Mitchell as the minister) and then into a film (starring Leslie Phillips and Joanna Lumley). Robinson Crusoe's début in 1973-1974 during Three-Day Week, was followed by a relatively uneven pantomime season.

After night, Rix, who had been on stage night, was getting sick of going to bed, and he began to consider retiring from the stage. However, he appeared in two more farces, A Bit Between the Teeth (with Jimmy Logan and Terence Alexander) at the Cambridge Theatre and then, with Terence Alexander and Jane Downs, back at the Whitehall Fringe Benefits. Rix appeared in the West End for nearly 26 years, on January 8, 1977, he gave his last appearance to a packed audience at the Whitehall Theatre.

Rix joined Cooney-Marsh Ltd, a theatre-owning and production firm operated by Ray Cooney, Laurie Marsh, and Rix himself after retiring from performing. Joanne Benjamin, the former stage manager and now PA, was in charge of obtaining performances for several West End theatres, including the Shaftesbury, the Duke of York's, the Ambassadors, and the recently renovated Astoria, starring P. J. Proby, Shakin' Stevens and Tim Whitnall. Rix and his partners were also responsible for re-opening the Billy Rose Theatre in New York, renaming it the Trafalgar and opening with a big hit starring Tom Conti. Although he wrote this article, Let's Go!! illustrated (with his daughter, Louisa) the BBC Television series Let's Go. This was the first British program to be specifically designed for people with a learning disability, and it ran from 1978 to 1982.

Rix was on the other side of the footlights, and he became the Secretary-General of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults in 1980 (shortly to become the Royal Society, later Mencap). He returned to performing and television in later years, starring Shakespeare on BBC Radio 2, directing a play with Cannon and Ball, playing his favorite big band jazz on Radio 2, and one with his wife that explored theatrical history and his own extraordinary experiences of life.

Rix served as chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain's Drama Panel from 1986 to 1993. He served as an active member of the Arts Council Disability Committee, raising the profile and perceived importance of arts and disability issues in Arts Council decision-making. He was both vivacious and progressive in these roles.

When Rix was elected, the Drama Committee was male-dominated, but by 1993, the female successor unbalanced it once more, favoring men. He made a big change in funding priorities, including theatre for young people and those with limited or regional building-based theatre companies, as well as new writing projects.

Because of his strategy, he was able to crack through bureaucratic constraints. Rix's first budget-setting exercise for the Drama Panel (when inflation uplift was less than inflation uplift), committee members and other members of the Arts Council had intended to finance Tara Arts, but no one had been able to obtain the funds required. Rix, on the other hand, boasted that the best national companies were still standing, that the money was not only to fund Tara but also allowed new small-scale expansions, and that this was confirmed by Panel and Council. His term of office was marked by his readiness to take on the company. Rix's seven-year term as a promoter of drama companies and theatre workers meant that, even in a period of Thatcherite public-funding tightening, no theatre building for which he was liable was closed, although the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds was able to open (succeeding the Leeds Playhouse) with a vastly increased capacity. In the meantime, the number of touring companies, which had been decreasing before his arrival, has increased from 22 to 33.

The Council decided that the Drama budget should be disproportionately reduced in the face of across-the-board reductions to the Council's budget and the funds being distributed to other less popular art styles in 1993. Rix was left alone and resigned as a matter of principle in the absence of specialist arts officers at the meeting. This prompted a scathing public reaction and shocked senior Council representatives into admitting that their decision was wrong. The disproportionate cut was rescinded after a campaign, led behind scenes by his Drama Director Ian Brown, and publicly by Drama Panel members.

When Rix and his partner, Elspet, were involved in learning disabilities in December 1951, the first of their four children was born. Shelley's daughter, who was also diagnosed with Down syndrome, was diagnosed with Down syndrome. There was no budget for the children affected and there was no education. Patients were admitted to their own devices for hours at a time in a Victorian era run-down hospital. The Rixes were determined to fix the situation and became involved with charities that were campaigning on the issue. Rix, the first Chairman of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults, was one of these positions, later known as Mencap. Rix, who worked as a fundraiser in the field, eventually led to him applying for Mencap and then becoming chairman in 1988 after he resigned in 1987. He became president in 1998, and the office he held until he died.

Rix, who first served as a crossbencher in 1992, has campaigned ceaselessly on any bill that affects people with a learning disability. He was one of the most regular attendees in the House of Commons, and each year brought numerous amendments to legislation, mainly those concerned with health, socioeconomic, and education. He found the length of time it takes to update regulations to be very frustrating. On a timely basis, Rix introduced a private member's bill in 1994, ensuring that local authorities would provide short-term breaks for carers and cared-for alike. The bill was swiftly passed through the Lords, but it was not quite possible to get a first reading in the House of Commons.

When New Labour took over the government in 1997, Rix attempted again, but no success. Short-term breaks were allowed in an Education Bill introduced by Rix's then Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, Ed Balls, 12 years after his private member's bill. The fullness of his participation can be seen by taking a look at some of other laws that were changed in the same year as the Education Bill (2006). His amendments to the Childcare Bill extended the mandatory childcare service for children with a disability from 16 to 18 years old, but people with a learning disability were able to vote freely thanks to changes to the Electoral Administration Bill.

Under Margaret Thatcher, Rix discovered in the mid-1990s that the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) had been amended. If widows and widowers died first, the original bill made sure that widows and widowers would receive the full SERPS pension increase to their state pension. The amount received was reduced as a result of the reform in legislation. Rix's campaign was to recover the original payment, and after a number of years of arguing the point with the New Labour Government, he succeeded.

Among his many pursuits, he was co-chairman (with Tom Clarke) of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability (RTR) Foundation, which gives small grants to organizations that support people with a learning disability; and president of the Normansfield and Richmond Foundation. He was also a regular supporter of the University of East London Rix Centre, which develops and disseminates tools and information for multi-media advocacy to improve the lives of people with a learning disability. Rix also served as the first chairman of the Arts Council Monitoring Committee on Arts and Disabilities, as well as establishing and chairing the non-profit Libertas, which produced scores of audio guides for disabled people at museums, historical buildings, and other places of concern. This charity's subpoena was unrelated due to subpoena legislation in which he was instrumental.

He served as chairman and president of Friends of Normansfield, chairman and founder of the Royal Human Handicap Foundation, Dr. David Towell of the King's Fund, and patron of RAIBC – the charity that supports radio amateurs with disabilities. Rix also protested against smoking; despite being a smoker for ten years, Rix stopped smoking on Boxing Day in 1950, when he lost his voice during a matinee of Reluctant Heroes. He was a founding member of Action on Smoking and Wellbeing later in life.

Else Gray, a 1950s actor, married her actress Elsa Gray. The couple had four children, Jamie Rix, the producer and children's writer, Jonathan Rix (Professor of Participation and Learning Support at the Open University), actor Louisa Rix, and Shelley Rix. Shelley was born with Down's syndrome and her father began to raise the issue of learning disabilities by publicizing. Shelley died in Hounslow, Greater London, in July 2005. Elsa Gray died on February 18, 2013.

Rix turned a radio ham until the age of 13 and became a life vice president of the Radio Society of Great Britain in 1979. His call sign was G2DQU. He served as president of the Friends of Richmond Park. He began his cricket love as a member of the MCC and Yorkshire CCC in 1970. Rix appeared on this Is Your Life twice, first in October 1961, when Andrews surprised him at a friend's house in Surrey, and again in April 1977, when Andrews surprised him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He was also a castaway on Desert Island Discs on two occasions. On May 16, 1960, Roy Plomley was the first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening. On March 1, 2009, he made his second appearance with Kirsty Young.

Rix declared himself terminally ill in August 2016 and called for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia for those suffering from severe pain. This was a big change from his previous position as Rix voted against the Assisted Dying Bill in 2006. He died on August 20, 2016 at Denville Hall in Northwood, London.

In 1977, Rix was selected Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and knighted in 1986 for his service to charity. On his 68th birthday, he was created a life peer, Baron Rix of Whitehall in the City of Westminster and Hornsea, Yorkshire. He served as Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1987 to 1997, and was the first chancellor of the University of East London from 1997 to 2012. He was then the chancellor emeritus.

He was granted ten honorary degrees by the following universities: Hull (MA 1981), Open (MA 1983), Essex (MSc 1984), Exeter (LL.D. Bradford (DU 2000), Kingston (DLitt 2012), East London (D.A. The Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych) are among the five fellowships available in 2013, as well as the Honorary College Fellowship at Myerscough College.

He has also been recognized for numerous awards, including: The Evian Health Award (1988), The Royal National Institute for Deaf People Campaigner of the Year Award (1990), The Spectator Campaigner of the Year Award (1999), The Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service – British Neuroscience Association (2001) and the ePolitix Charity Champions Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).

Personal life

Elss Gray, a British actress, married him in 1949. The couple had four children, Jamie Rix, author and children's author, Jonathan Rix, (Professor of Participation and Learning Support at the Open University), actress Louisa Rix and Shelley Rix. Shelley was born with Down's syndrome, and her father began to use his public profile to increase knowledge and understanding of learning disabilities. Shelley died in Hounslow, Greater London, in July 2005. Else Gray died on February 18, 2013.

At the age of 13, Rix became a life vice president of the Radio Society of Great Britain in 1979. His call sign was G2DQU. He served as president of the Friends of Richmond Park as well. He started playing cricket as a member of the MCC and Yorkshire CCC in 1970 and was President of the Lord's Taverners. Rix appeared on This Is Your Life twice, first in October 1961 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at a friend's Surrey house, and again in April 1977 when Andrews surprised him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He appeared on Desert Island Discs on two occasions. The first film involving Roy Plomley occurred on May 16, 1960, which was also the first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening. On March 1, 2009, he made his second appearance with Kirsty Young.

Rix declared himself terminally ill in August 2016 and called for voluntary euthanasia for those suffering from severe pain. This was a drastic change from his previous work as Rix voted against the Assisted Dying Bill in 2006. He died on August 20, 2016 at Denville Hall in Northwood, London.

In the 1977 Birthday Honours, Rix was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and knighted in 1986 for his contributions to charities. Baron Rix of Whitehall, a life peer, was born in the City of Westminster and Hornsea in Yorkshire on his 68th birthday, January 27th. He served as Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1987 to 1997, and he was the first chancellor of the University of East London from 1997 to 2012. He was subsequently the chancellor emeritus.

He was awarded ten honorary degrees by the following universities: Hull (MA 1981), Open (MA 1983), Essex (MSc 1987), Exeter (LL.D. 1997), Bradford (DU 2000), Kingston (DLitt 2012), East London (D.A.) Five fellowships have been awarded, including the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), as well as a an Honorary College Fellowship of Myerscough College.

He has also received numerous accolades, including: The Evian Health Award (1988), The Royal National Institute for Deaf People Campaigner of the Year Award (1990), The Spectator Campaigner of the Year Award (1999), The Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service (2000) (2001), and the ePolitix Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).

Source

Later management career

Rix joined Cooney-Marsh Ltd, a theatre-owning and production company, run by Ray Cooney, Laurie Marsh, and Rix himself after retiring from performing. Joanne Benjamin, former stage manager and now PA, was responsible for obtaining performances for a number of West End theatres, including the Shaftesbury, Duke of York's, the Ambassadors, and the recently renovated Astoria, starring P. J. Proby, Shakin' Stevens and Tim Whitnall. Rix and his companions were also responsible for re-opening the Billy Rose Theatre in New York, renaming it the Trafalgar and opening with a big hit starring Tom Conti. Whilst in this article, he also introduced (with his daughter, Louisa) the BBC Television series Let's Go. This was the first British program to be developed specifically for people with a learning disability, and it ran from 1978 to 1982.

Rix was discovered to be on the other side of the footlights, and in 1980 he became the Secretary General of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (shortly to become the Royal Society, later Mencap). He returned to performing and performing on stage in later years, appearing on BBC Radio as a revival of Dry Rot, directing a piece of classical music on Radio 2, and one with his wife that explored historical context and his own personal experiences of life.

Rix served as chairman of the Arts Council of Great Britain's Drama Committee from 1986 to 1993. He was also a member of the Arts Council Disability Committee, increasing the profile and perceived importance of arts and disabilities in Arts Council decision-making. He was able to be both dynamic and progressive in these roles.

The Drama Committee was male-dominated when Rix was elected, but gender parity on the committee by 1993 was apparent, with his female successor unbalanced it once more in favour of males. He made a significant change in funding priorities, including theatre for young people and those from national and regional building-based theatre companies, as well as new writing projects.

Since he was able to crack through bureaucratic constraints, he was able to crack through bureaucratic barriers. Before Rix's first budget-setting exercise (when the maximum amount available to all businesses was less than inflation uplift), board members and other members of the Arts Council had intended to fund the British-Asian theatre company Tara Arts, but no one was able to find the funds needed. Rix, on the other hand, had already stated that the top national companies were still standing, so not only were releasing funds to finance Tara but also allowed for new small-scale developments, but then saw that this was communicated through a committee and Council. His tenure as Prime Minister was based on his readiness to face the institution. Rix's seven-year tenure as a tireless promoter of drama companies and theatre workers meant that no theatre building for which he was bound was closed, even though the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds was able to open (succeeding the Leeds Playhouse) with a vastly expanded capacity even in a period of Thatcherite public-funding tightening period was achieved, despite a stretch of responsibility. In the meantime, the number of touring companies, which had been decreasing before his arrival, has risen from 22 to 33.

The Council decided that the Drama budget should be drastically reduced in the face of across-the-board cuts to the Council's budget and the funds going to other less popular art forms in 1993. Rix was left alone and resigned as a matter of principle in the absence of professional arts officers at the meeting. This triggered a negative public reaction and shocked senior Council members into acknowledging that their decision was wrong. The disproportionate cut was rescinded after a campaign, which led to scenes by his Drama Director Ian Brown and publicly by Drama Panel members.

When Rix and his wife, Elspet, were involved in the field of learning disability in December 1951, the first of their four children was born. Shelley's daughter was born with Down syndrome. There was no budgetary assistance for the children affected, as well as a lack of education. Patients were admitted to the hospital for hours at a time in a Victorian-era run-down hospital. The Rixes were determined to remedy the situation and became involved with charities assisting the victims. Rix was the first Chairman of the National Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (NIH) in the early 1960s, later known as Mencap. Rix began looking for the position as a fundraiser in the field and then as a chairman in 1988, owing to his personal experience and his prior participation. He assumed president in 1998, occupying the position he occupied until he died.

Rix, who appeared in the House of Lords as a crossbencher in 1992, campaigned ceaselessly against any legislation that affects people with a learning disability. He was one of the most frequent attendees in the House and introduced numerous new amendments to legislation every year, mainly those relating to health, social care, and education. He found the length of time it takes to reform regulations to be incredibly frustrating. On a more recent basis, Rix introduced a private member's bill in 1994 to ensure that local authorities would have short-term breaks for carers and cared-for alike. The bill was largely accepted by the Lords, but it wasn't possible to get a first reading in the House of Commons.

Rix tried again after New Labour took over the executive in 1997, but to no avail. Short-term breaks were sneaked into an Education Bill by the then Secretary of State for Education, Schools, and Families, Ed Balls, 12 years after Rix's private member's bill. The degree of his participation can be determined by looking at other legislation that was introduced in the same year as the Education Bill (2006). His amendments to the Childcare Act extending compulsory care for children with a disability from 16 to 18 years old, while Electoral Administration Bill voters may not vote freely.

Under Margaret Thatcher, Rix discovered in the mid-1990s that the rules concerning State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) had been updated. If widows and widowers' spouses died first, the original bill guaranteed that widows and widowers would receive the full SERPS addition to their state pension. The amount received was reduced as a result of the reform of legislation. Rix campaigned to recover the original payment, and after a number of years of arguing the point with the New Labour Government, he gained.

Among his many roles, he served as the co-chairman (with Tom Clarke ) of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Learning Disability; chairman of the Rix Thompson Rothenberg (RTR) Foundation, which gives small grants to organizations supporting people with a learning disability; and president of the Normansfield and Richmond Foundation, among other things. He was also a regular supporter of the University of East London's Rix Centre, which produces and disseminates tools and training for multi-media advocacy to improve the lives of people with a learning disability. Rix also served as the first chairman of the Arts Council Monitoring Committee on Arts and Disability, as well as establishing and chairing the charity Libertas, which produced scores of audio guides for disabled people at museums, historical buildings, and other places of concern. The subpoena of this charity, as he was instrumental in making this charity ineffective.

He was chairman and president of Friends of Normansfield, chairman and founder of the Roy Kinnear Memorial Trust, was president of the Independent Council for People with a Mental Handicap, as well as RAIBC, the charitable organisation that supports radio amateurs with disabilities. Rix also protested against smoking; he had been smoking for ten years; Rix gave up smoking on Boxing Day in 1950 when he lost his voice during a matinee of Reluctant Heroes. He became a founding member of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), which made him a passionate non-smoker and a founding member of Action on Smoking and Health.

In 1949, he married Elsa Gray, a playwright. The couple had four children, Jamie Rix, author and children's author, Jonathan Rix (Professor of Participation and Learning Support at the Open University), actress Louisa Rix and Shelley Rix. Shelley was born with Down's syndrome, and her father began to raise awareness and appreciation of learning disabilities by using his public image. Shelley died in Hounslow, Greater London, in July 2005. Elss Gray died on February 18, 2013.

Rix became a life vice president of the Radio Society of Great Britain in 1979, when he became a radio ham at the age of 13. His call sign was G2DQU. He was also president of the Friends of Richmond Park. He began playing cricket as a member of the MCC and Yorkshire CCC in 1970. Rix appeared on This Is Your Life twice, first at a friend's house in Surrey in October 1961 and again in April 1977, when Andrews surprised him at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. He appeared on Desert Island Discs twice. The first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening was Roy Plomley on May 16, 1960, which was also the first time a castaway was caught on film and broadcast the following evening. On March 1, 2009, he made his second appearance with Kirsty Young.

Rix declared himself terminally ill in August 2016 and called for the legalization of voluntary euthanasia for those suffering from acute pain. Rix voted against the Assisted Dying Bill in 2006. He died on August 20, 2016 at Denville Hall in Northwood, London.

In the 1977 Birthday Honours, Rix was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and knighted in 1986 for his service to charity. Baron Rix of Whitehall was born in Westminster and Hornsea, Yorkshire, on his 68th birthday, on January 27, 1992. He served as Vice Lord Lieutenant of Greater London from 1987 to 1997, and was the first chancellor of the University of East London from 1997 to 2012. He became the chancellor emeritus later this year.

He received ten honorary degrees from the following universities: Hull (MA 1981), Open (MA 1983), Essex (MA 1984), Nottingham (LL.D. 1997) Bradford (DU 2000), Kingston (DLitt 2012), East London (D.A.). Five fellowships were awarded by the Royal Society of Medicine (FRSM) and the Royal College of Psychiatrists (FRCPsych), as well as an Honorary College Fellowship at Myerscough College.

He has also been recognized for numerous awards, including: The Evian Health Award (1988), The Royal National Institute for Deaf People Campaigner of the Year (1990), The Spectator Campaigner of the Year Award (1999), The Yorkshire Society's Lifetime Achievement Award (2001), The Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service – The British Neuroscience Association (2001), and the ePolitix Charity Champions Lifetime Achievement Award (2004).

Source