Edwards was born in Barnes, Surrey, the son of Reginald Walter Kenrick Edwards, professor of mathematics. at King's College London, and Phyllis Katherine Cowan, from New Zealand. He was the eighth of nine children an… See more

Edwards served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, was commissioned in April 1942, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and ended the war as a flight lieutenant. He served with No. 271 Sq… See more

Edwards was a feature of London theatre in post-war years, debuting at London's Windmill Theatre in 1946 and on BBC radio the same year. His early variety act, where he first used the name Professor Jimmy Edwards, w… See more