Actorul irlandez Wilfrid Brambell s-a născut la 22 martie 1912, in Dublin. Era fiul unei soliste de opera si al unui lucrător intr-o fabrica de bere.
A jucat teatru inca din copilarie, alături de trupele ambulante din primul război mondial. Ca adult a fost reporter la publicația The Times, apoi a jucat la Teatrul Abbey, in cele din urma a devenit actor profesionist la Teatrul Gate din Dublin, apoi a participat la turnee in Marea Britanie cu diferite spectacole in timpul celui de-al doilea razboi mondial. La Londra debuta in 1950, in 1965 juca pe Broadway in spectacolul Kelly.
Era homosexual dar in 1948 s-a casatorit cu Molly Josephine, de care a divorțat in 1955, după ce ea a avut un copil cu un chiriaș.
Pe marele ecran a debutat in 1947, cu roluri minore in filme ca Odd Man Aut sau Eyes That Kill, apoi in Another Shore (1948), Dry Rot (1956), The Salvage Gang (1958), Serious Charge (1959), The Sinister Man (1961), Flame in the Streets (1961), What a Whopper (1961), The Boys (1962), In Search of the Castaways (1962), The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963), Go Kart Go (1964), The Three Lives of Thomasina (1964), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Crooks in Cloisters (1964), San Ferry Ann (1965), Mano di velluto (1966), Lionheart (1968), Matthew Hopkins: Witchfinder General (1968), Infanzia, vocazione e prime esperienze di Giacomo Casanova, veneziano (1969), Carry on Again Doctor (1969), Some Will, Some Won't (1970), Steptoe and Son Ride Again (1973), High Rise Donkey (1980), The Island of Adventure (1982), The Terence Davies Trilogy (1983), Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (1984).
A jucat si in seriale Tv ca The Quatermass Experiment (1953), The Black Brigand (1956), Sword of Freedom (1957), The Adventures of Sir Lancelot (1957), The Adventures of Aggie (1957), The Buccaneers (1957), BBC Sunday-Night Theatre (1952-1958), Murder Bag (1958), Our Mutual Friend (1958-1959), The History of Mr Polly (1959), The Larkins (1960), ITV Television Playhouse (1959-1960), Arthur's Treasured Volumes (1960), Saturday Playhouse (1960), The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's (1961), They Met in a City (1961), The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre (1961), Armchair Theatre (1964), A Christmas Night with the Stars (1967), According to Dora (1969), According to Dora (1970), Rembrandt (1971), Steptoe and Son (1962-1974), All Creatures Great and Small (1978), Citizen Smith (1979), The Little World of Don Camillo (1981), Spooky (1983), etc.
Wilfrid Brambell a înregistrat LP-ul Time Marches On, despre Beatles, a jucat in filmul muzical A Hard Day's Night, alaturi de Beatles, a cantat pe coloana sonora a filmului The Canterbury Tales.
Wilfrid Brambell a murit la 18 Ianuarie 1985, in Westminster, Londra.
