Leonard Weir (born 1928 in Preston, Melbourne, Victoria) is an Australian

lyric tenor A tenor is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The low extreme for tenors is widel ...

best known for his performances in stage musicals in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, particularly in the role of Freddy Eynsford-Hill in the original London production of ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

'' along with

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

and

Rex Harrison Sir Reginald Carey "Rex" Harrison (5 March 1908 – 2 June 1990) was an English actor. Harrison began his career on the stage in 1924. He made his West End debut in 1936 appearing in the Terence Rattigan play ''French Without Tears'', in what ...

. He replaced

John Michael King John Michael King (May 13, 1926 – August 17, 2008) was an American actor most often associated with his roles in musical theatre. Biography The son of actor Dennis King, John Michael King was born in New York City. He made his Broadway ...

who played Freddy in the original

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

production of the play. Weir made a cameo appearance in the 1959

Sid James Sidney James (born Solomon Joel Cohen; 8 May 1913 – 26 April 1976) was a British actor and comedian whose career encompassed radio, television, stage and screen. He was best known for numerous roles in the Carry On film series. Born to a mid ...

comedy film, ''

Make Mine a Million ''Make Mine a Million'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Lance Comfort, starring Arthur Askey, Sid James, and Bernard Cribbins. The film parodies the stuffiness of the 1950s BBC and the effect of television advertising in the era. It wa ...

.'' He appeared on UK television on ''

Jack Hylton Jack Hylton (born John Greenhalgh Hilton; 2 July 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an English pianist, composer, band leader and impresario. Hylton rose to prominence during the British dance band era, being referred as the "British King of Jazz" a ...

's Monday Show'' in 1958. From 1969-1970 he made several appearances in Australian television on

GTV-9 GTV is a commercial television station in Melbourne, Australia, owned by the Nine Network. The station is currently based at studios at 717 Bourke Street, Docklands. History GTV-9 was amongst the first television stations to begin regular ...

's popular variety show, ''

In Melbourne Tonight ''In Melbourne Tonight'', also known as ''IMT'', was a highly popular nightly Logie award-winning Australian variety television show produced at GTV-9 Melbourne from 6 May 1957 to 1970. Overview Graham Kennedy was the show's main host and sta ...

''. Weir was a finalist in the 1952 Sun Aria competition. Weir married Beverley Clare on 23 April 1953 at Scots Church, Collins Street, Melbourne. The couple met when Weir was engaged to sing at her sister's wedding. In 1954 they went to London where he studied with the Italian tenor Dino Borgioli for four years while working as a clerk at Australia House. Beverly also studied with Borgioli and obtained singing engagements in England. Weir joined the Sadler's Wells Opera Company for its production of The Merry Widow (starring fellow Australian June Bronhill). They returned to Australia in 1964. Weir has two children. His son,

Nick Weir Nicholas David Weir (born 20 November 1964) is an English people, English entertainer and presenter. He was the second presenter of ''Catchphrase (UK game show), Catchphrase'' and is currently the Senior Vice President of Entertainment for Royal C ...

, was the host of several game-shows, before becoming a cruise ship entertainment manager.

References

External links

* British male stage actors Living people 1928 births Musicians from Melbourne People from Preston, Victoria Singers from Melbourne {{UK-stage-actor-stub