Max David Bacon (1 March 1904, London, England – 3 December 1969, London, England) was a British actor, comedian and musician (drummer and occasional vocalist in

Ambrose Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

's band). Although he was British-born, his comedic style centred on his pseudo-European,

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...

accent and in his straight-faced mispronunciation of words.

Biography

Bacon's father came from a leather-working family to London from

Katowice Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...

, then in Galicia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In London, his father worked as a basket-weaver. Before becoming a

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

, Bacon was a drummer in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s. He was taught by the vocalist and drummer Harry Bentley. After a couple of years at the Florida Club with Ronnie Munro's band he began a long association with

's Orchestra, with whom he recorded as drummer and occasionally as Yiddish vocalist. In the late 1930s he had become well known enough to tour the halls in his own right and as part of a touring unit known as the Ambrose Octet with

Evelyn Dall Evelyn Dall (born Evelyn Mildred Fuss; January 8, 1918 – March 10, 2010) was an American singer and actress. Career Born in The Bronx, New York City as Evelyn Mildred Fuss, she took her stage name from the surname of two grandchildren of P ...

, among others. He lived in his later years at The White House, a hotel near Great Portland Street, London, now known as the Melia White House, in Albany Street. He never married.

Partial filmography

* ''

Soft Lights and Sweet Music ''Soft Lights and Sweet Music'' is a 1936 British musical film directed by Herbert Smith and starring Bert Ambrose, Evelyn Dall and Harry Tate. It was made by British Lion at Beaconsfield Studios. The film is a musical revue showcasing a selec ...

'' (1936) - Himself * ''

Calling All Stars Calling All Stars may refer to: *Calling All Stars (1934 musical), a 1934 Broadway musical *Calling All Stars (1937 musical) ''Calling All Stars'' is a 1937 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Smith and starring Arthur Askey, Evely ...

'' (1937) - Himself * '' Kicking the Moon Around'' (1938) - Gus * ''

King Arthur Was a Gentleman ''King Arthur Was a Gentleman'' is a 1942 British, black-and-white, comedy, musical film, directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Arthur Askey. It was produced by Edward Black and Maurice Ostrer for Gainsborough Pictures. Synopsis Set during W ...

'' (1942) - Maxie * '' Miss London Ltd.'' (1943) - Romero * ''

Bees in Paradise ''Bees in Paradise'' is a 1944 British musical comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Arthur Askey, Anne Shelton and Peter Graves. It was produced by Edward Black at Gainsborough Pictures. Co-written by director Val Guest and comic Mar ...

'' (1944) - Max Adler * ''

Give Us the Moon ''Give Us the Moon'' is a 1944 British comedy film directed and written by Val Guest and starring Vic Oliver, Margaret Lockwood and Peter Graves. Plot Made in 1943-44, the film is set in a future peacetime Britain, after the end of World War ...

'' (1944) - Jacobus * '' Cuckoo College'' (1949, TV Movie) - English Master * ''

The Gambler and the Lady ''The Gambler and the Lady'' is a 1952 British crime film directed by Patrick Jenkins and Sam Newfield and starring Dane Clark, Kathleen Byron and Naomi Chance. It was made by Hammer Films. Plot An American gambler, Forster (Clark), aspires to ...

'' (1952) - Maxie * ''

Take a Powder ''Take a Powder'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Lionel Tomlinson and starring Julian Vedey, Max Bacon and Isabel George.Chibnall & McFarlane p.126 A B film, it was made at Brighton Studios. The plot is set against the backdrop of the ...

'' (1953) - Maxie * ''

The Diary of Anne Frank ''The Diary of a Young Girl'', also known as ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', is a book of the writings from the Dutch-language diary kept by Anne Frank while she was in hiding for two years with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherl ...

'' (London theatre production 1955) * '' Together Again'' (1957, TV Series) * ''

Musical Playhouse Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

'' (1959, TV Series) - Bookmaker * ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'' (1959, TV Series) - Cobbler * ''

The Crowning Touch ''The Crowning Touch'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by David Eady and starring Ted Ray, Irene Handl and Greta Gynt. Plot The "Crowning Touch" of the title is a fancy ladies hat. It has been ordered and specially set aside at a posh Br ...

'' (1959) - Bemberger * '' No Hiding Place'' (1959, TV Series) - Charlie Locke * '' Educating Archie'' (1959, TV Series) * ''

The Entertainer An entertainer is a person who entertains (singer, actor, comedian, etc.) The Entertainer may refer to: Music Songs * "The Entertainer" (rag), a 1902 classic piano rag written by Scott Joplin *"The Entertainer", rearrangement of the Joplin rag by ...

'' (1960) - Charlie Klein * ''

The Rag Trade ''The Rag Trade'' is a British television sitcom broadcast by the BBC between 1961 and 1963 and by LWT between 1977 and 1978. Although a comedy, it shed light on gender, politics and the "class war" on the factory floor. The scripts were writ ...

'' (1961, TV Series) - Mr. Conway * '' Play It Cool'' (1962) - Lotus Proprietor * '' Ghost Squad'' (1963, TV Series) - Sam * '' Love Story'' (1963, TV Series) - Mr Rosen * ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...

'' (1964, TV Series) - Nagle * '' The Eyes of Annie Jones'' (1964) - Publican Hoskins * ''

Crooks in Cloisters ''Crooks in Cloisters'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Ronald Fraser as 'Little Walter', the leader of a gang of forgers, including Barbara Windsor as 'Bikini', Bernard Cribbins as 'Squirts', Melvyn Hayes ...

'' (1964) - Bookmaker * '' Gideon's Way'' (1964, TV Series) - Bookie Thompson * ''

Theatre 625 ''Theatre 625'' is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and ...

'' (1965-1966, TV Series) - Green / Herbert Fink * '' The Sandwich Man'' (1966) - Chef * '' Privilege'' (1967) - Julie Jordan * '' The Whisperers'' (1967) - Mr. Fish * '' The Wednesday Play'' (1967, TV Series) - Coldshead * ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

'' (1968) - Orchestra Leader * ''

The Nine Ages of Nakedness ''The Nine Ages of Nakedness'' is a 1969 British sex film, directed by Harrison Marks, and also starring Marks as himself and several of his (fictional) ancestors.Simon Sheridan, ''Keeping the British End Up: Four Decades of Saucy Cinema'', Tit ...

'' (1969) - Yossel (segment "The Egyptians") * ''

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads th ...

'' (1969, TV Series) - Aaronson * ''Along the Way'' (1972) - (final film role)

References

External links

*
Bacon at The Dance Band Encyclopedia
1904 births 1969 deaths English male film actors Male actors from London 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians English drummers {{UK-film-actor-stub