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Brinsworth House
Brinsworth House is a residential and nursing retirement home for theatre and entertainment professionals in Staines Road, Twickenham, west London, England. The house is owned and run by the Royal Variety Charity and has 36 bedrooms, six living rooms, a library, an in-house bar and stage, and a staff of 64. It is set in of land. History Brinsworth House was built in 1850; it opened as a retirement home in 1911. The theatre architect Frank Matcham, in 1912, designed a wing at the house free of charge in aid of the fund. Work commenced in June and was completed in October. The house is owned and maintained by the Royal Variety Charity, which was founded in 1908 to care for members of, what was at that time, the variety and music hall profession. The charity and the house are funded by the Royal Variety Performance, by voluntary donations and, since 2007, by part-proceeds from phone voting from ITV Network's ''Britain's Got Talent''. Residents Previous celebrity residents ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Variety Charity
The Royal Variety Charity is a British charity based in Twickenham, London, England. It is dedicated to giving support to those who have professionally served the entertainment industry and find themselves sick, impoverished or elderly. The charity is believed to be one of the few charities in the UK that has an unbroken line of patronage from the reigning monarch since George V in the early twentieth century. King Charles III is the current sole life-patron of the charity. Established in 1908, the charity was originally called the Variety Artistes' Benevolent Fund, and then in 1971 the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund, and before being officially permitted in June 2015 to use the title the Royal Variety Charity. It provides residential and nursing care for elderly entertainers at its own care home, Brinsworth House in Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Fox
Roy Fox (October 25, 1901 – March 20, 1982) was an American-born British dance bandleader who was popular in Britain during the British dance band era. Early life and career Roy Fox was born in Denver, Colorado, United States. He and his musician sister Vera were raised in Hollywood, California, in a Salvation Army family. Roy began playing cornet when he was 11 years old, and by age 13 was performing in the ''Los Angeles Examiner'''s newsboys' band. Soon after he played bugle for a studio owned by Cecil B. DeMille. His first major association came at the age of 16, when he joined Abe Lyman's orchestra at the Sunset Inn in Santa Monica, where he played alongside Miff Mole, Gussie Mueller, Henry Halstead, and Gus Arnheim. He developed a soft style of playing there which earned him the nickname "The Whispering Cornetist". Fame as bandleader In 1920, he put together his own band, with whom he recorded in 1925. That same year he also scored a gig on radio broadcasting with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ronnie Ronalde
Ronald Charles Waldron (29 June 1923 – 13 January 2015), known professionally as Ronnie Ronalde, was a British music hall singer and siffleur. Ronalde was famous for his voice, whistling, yodelling, imitations of bird song and stage personality. His crystal clear yodelling gained him acceptance with connoisseurs of Alpine and Western music around the world. Biography Early life: the Silver Songsters Ronalde grew up in a poor but supportive Islington home, and found a talent for singing, whistling and bird impressions from early childhood. In these formative years, he entertained informally for pocket money, or with church and school choirs, developing his talents for stage performance. During a time in which he was training for accountancy, Ronalde was invited to become one of Arturo Steffani's Silver Songsters, aged 15. This 21-piece boys' choir was known for its complex vocal and visual arrangements of popular songs, with each boy usually going into other trades when o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Emily Perry (English Actress)
Patricia Emily Perry (28 June 1907 – 19 February 2008) was an English actress and dancer. Born in Torquay, Devon, she was best known for her recurring role as Madge Allsop, Dame Edna Everage's long-suffering, silent "bridesmaid" from Palmerston North, New Zealand. Early life and career According to one obituary, Perry first appeared on stage at the Theatre Royal, Birmingham, at the age of four. Her father, who was an accountant, was reportedly shocked by her desire to become an actress, although he nevertheless paid her tuition fees at dance school and even permitted her to use the family home for her first audition. Perry subsequently appeared as a singer, dancer and actress in pantomime and music halls. She played the role of Susan in ''The Desert Song'' for twelve years, and also toured in ''The Student Prince'' and ''The Belle of New York''. During the Second World War, she performed with ENSA. Around 1960, she founded a children's dancing school, ''The Patricia Perry Ac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richmond And Twickenham Times
The ''Richmond and Twickenham Times'' is a weekly local newspaper that was established in 1873 and is published on Fridays. It covers the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south-west London and surrounding areas. It is delivered free to 35,232 homes in the borough, with (as at 2012) another 634 copies picked up free, and 2,663 copies sold for 55p. History The ''Richmond and Twickenham Times'' was established in 1873 by 26-year-old Edward King who ran the paper for 21 years until he was declared insane in 1894. From 1896 it was owned by the Dimbleby family. Richard Dimbleby was managing editor and editor-in-chief from 1946. After his death in 1965, his son David Dimbleby took over. The paper was sold by the Dimblebys to Newsquest in 2001. In April 2003 when he retired, Malcolm Richards was the country's longest serving newspaper editor, having filled the role for 27 years. The ''Richmond and Twickenham Times'' went tabloid in January 2008. The newspaper was based at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alf Pearson
Bob and Alf Pearson were an English musical variety double act, consisting of brothers Robert Alexander Pearson (15 August 1907 – 30 December 1985) and Alfred Vernon Pearson (15 June 1910 – 7 July 2012), who were mainly known for their singing of songs as a duo in close-harmony. Their career together lasted over 50 years, spanning stage, radio, television and gramophone records. During the 1930s, they became one of the most popular acts in Britain, and had sold over a million records by 1936. Their fame continued into the post-war period, when they regularly appeared on the BBC Radio show ''Ray's a Laugh'' with comedian Ted Ray. Introducing themselves with their signature tune, "My Brother and I", audiences heard the brothers performing well-known songs, with Bob accompanying on piano. Ray would ask, "Why, it's a little girl, what's your name?" with Bob replying, "Jennifer", followed by a comedy routine. Bob's turn as 'Jennifer' became closely associated with their act. Ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mick McManus (wrestler)
Mick McManus (born William George Matthews; 11 January 1920 – 22 May 2013) was an English professional wrestler. The role he played was noted as a heel European wrestler and often went by the nicknames "The Man You Love to Hate", "Rugged South London Tough Guy" and "The Dulwich Destroyer". Early life McManus was born in Camberwell, south London. After leaving school he worked in a drawing office and then for a firm of printers. He began training as a wrestler, and during the Second World War helped teach Royal Air Force personnel in the sport. His first professional performance took place in 1945, while on a posting to Australia. Wrestling career McManus was one of the most notorious heels in British wrestling history. Like Mark Rocco and Kendo Nagasaki, he bent the rules as far as they could go without being disqualified, much to the fury of the crowd. He was also well known for using short range forearm jabs in matches. He became famous for his trademark black trunks ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kathy Kirby
Kathy Kirby (born Catherine Ethel O'Rourke; 20 October 1938 – 19 May 2011) was an English singer, reportedly the highest-paid female singer of her generation. She is best known for her cover version of Doris Day's " Secret Love" and for representing the United Kingdom in the 1965 Eurovision Song Contest where she finished in second place. Her popularity peaked in the 1960s, when she was one of the best-known and most-recognised personalities in British show business. Early life Kirby was born in Ilford, Essex, later part of Greater London, the eldest of three children of Irish parents. Her mother Eileen brought them up alone after their father left early in their childhood. Kirby grew up on Tomswood Hill, Barkingside, in Ilford, and attended the Ursuline Convent School where she sang in the choir. Career Kirby's vocal talent became apparent early in life, and she took singing lessons with a view to becoming an opera singer. She became a professional singer after meeting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pearl Carr And Teddy Johnson
Pearl Lavinia Carr (2 November 1921 – 16 February 2020) and Edward Victor "Teddy" Johnson (4 September 1919 – 6 June 2018) were English husband-and-wife entertainers who gained their highest profile during the 1950s and early 1960s. Early days Carr was born in Exmouth, Devon, and Johnson was born in Surbiton, Surrey. They were both successful solo singers before their marriage in 1955. Carr's mother, who had worked on the variety stage, taught her to sing and dance. She worked in a C.B. Cochran show and later joined the Three in Harmony singing group, which appeared in the revue ''Best Bib And Tucker'' starring Tommy Trinder at the London Palladium in November, 1942. During 1944, she toured with Phil Green and his Basin Street Orchestra and then she became a singer with various RAF Bands led by Leslie Douglas in 1945. Moving on to 1948 and 1949, she sang with Cyril Stapleton and his Orchestra as they toured the various dance halls in the UK. She became the lead singer of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thora Hird
Dame Thora Hird (28 May 1911 – 15 March 2003) was an English actress and comedian, presenter and writer. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 film and television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution. A three-time winner of the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress, she won for '' Talking Heads: A Cream Cracker Under the Settee'' (1988), '' Talking Heads: Waiting for the Telegram'' (1998) and '' Lost for Words'' (1999). Her film credits included ''The Love Match'' (1955), '' The Entertainer'' (1960), '' A Kind of Loving'' (1962) and ''The Nightcomers'' (1971). Early life and career Hird was born on 28 May 1911 in the Lancashire seaside town of Morecambe to James Henry Hird and Jane Mary (née Mayor). Her family background was largely theatrical: her mother had been an actress, while her father managed a number of entertainment venues in Morecambe, including the Royalty Theatre, where Hird made her first appearance, and th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Captain Birdseye
Captain Birdseye, also known as Captain Iglo, is the advertising mascot for the Birds Eye (known as Iglo in parts of Europe) frozen food brand founded by Clarence Birdseye. Appearing in numerous television and billboard commercials, he has been played or modeled by various actors and is generally depicted as a clean living, older sailor with a white beard, dressed in merchant naval uniform and a white polo neck sweater and with a seafaring accent. History The mascot is a reference to the brand's extensive and well-known range of frozen seafood products, of which fish fingers is probably the most-widely known. Because the Birds Eye brand is marketed to families, many of the advertising campaigns feature Captain Birdseye as having a 'crew' composed mostly of children in the preteen to teenage age groups, encouraging brand loyalty from children and emphasizing to parents the convenience of serving the company's products. An advertising campaign in the UK in 2005 features Captain Bi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hewer
John Hewer (13 January 1922 – 16 March 2008) was an English actor and business manager who became familiar with audiences for playing Captain Birdseye in ads for Birds Eye. Biography Hewer was born in Leyton, Essex, the son of an engine driver. He attended Leyton High School following which he worked for the Social Services Department for London County Council (LCC) dealing with people who had problems paying their rent. During World War II when he served as a navigator in the Fleet Air Arm, with which he travelled to Vancouver and the Caribbean and witnessed the result of the Hiroshima bombing. During the war Hewer performed with a group that entertained other service personnel.John Hewer: Icon of TV advertisements - '' |
