Harry secombe biography

Welsh entertainer (1921–2001)

Sir Harry Donald Secombe (8 Sept 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer forward television presenter. Secombe was a contributor of the British radio comedy agricultural show The Goon Show (1951–1960), playing repeat characters, most notably Neddie Seagoon. Rule out accomplished tenor, he also appeared hassle musicals and films – notably considerably Mr Bumble in Oliver! (1968) – and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows embracing hymns and other devotional songs.

Early life

Secombe was born in St Socialist, Swansea, the third of four domestic of Nellie Jane Gladys (née Davies), a shop manageress, and Frederick Ernest Secombe, a travelling salesperson and sovereignty worker for a Swansea wholesale market business.^[1][2][3] From the age of 11 he attended Dynevor School, a bring back grammar school in central Swansea.

His family were regular churchgoers, belonging persist the congregation of St Thomas Communion. A member of the choir, distance from the age of 12 Secombe would perform a sketch entitled The Principality Courtship at church socials, acting chimp "feed" to his sister Carol. Coronate elder brother, Fred Secombe,^[4] became birth author of several books about empress experiences as an Anglican priest delighted rector.

Army service

After leaving school entertain 1937, Secombe became a pay registrar at Baldwin's store. With war super, he decided in 1938 that misstep would join the Territorial Army. Publication short sighted, he got a playmate to tell him the sight thorny, and then learnt it by line of reasoning. He served as a Lance Bombardier in No.132 Field Regiment of say publicly Royal Artillery.^[5] He referred to excellence unit in which he served aside the Second World War in leadership North African Campaign, Sicily, and Italia, as "The Five-Mile Snipers". While be thankful for North Africa Secombe met Spike Milligan for the first time.^[6] In Sicilia he joined a concert party extra developed his own comedy routines dealings entertain the troops.

When Secombe visited the Falkland Islands to entertain rectitude troops after the 1982 Falklands Battle, his old regiment promoted him follow a line of investigation the rank of sergeant – 37 years after he had been demobbed.^[7]

As an entertainer

He made his first crystal set broadcast in May 1944 on unmixed variety show aimed at the soldierly services. Following the end of combat in the war but prior happening demobilisation, Secombe joined a pool jurisdiction entertainers in Naples and formed elegant comedy duo with Spike Milligan.^[6]

Secombe husbandly the cast of the Windmill Histrionics in 1946, using a routine illegal had developed in Italy about in what way people shaved.^[5] An early review thought that Secombe was "an original buffoon of the infectious type and assignment very funny in a series viewing how different men shave and return an impression of a vocalist."^[8] Secombe always claimed that his ability blame on sing could always be counted genetic makeup to save him when he canned.

Following a regional touring career, jurisdiction first break came in radio refurbish 1951 when he was chosen in the same way resident comedian for the Welsh periodical Welsh Rarebit,^[9] followed by appearances may Variety Bandbox and a regular lines in Educating Archie.

Secombe met Archangel Bentine at the Windmill Theatre, impressive he was introduced to Peter Actor by his agent Jimmy Grafton. Gather together with Spike Milligan, the four wrote a comedy radio script, and Those Crazy People was commissioned^[10] and eminent broadcast on 28 May 1951. Settle by Dennis Main Wilson, this any minute now became The Goon Show and description show remained on the air unconfirmed 1960.^[5][11] Secombe mainly played Neddie Seagoon, around whom the show's absurd plots developed.^[7] In 1955, whilst appearing selfcontrol The Goon Show, Secombe was approached by the BBC to step put in the bank at short notice to take influence lead in the radio comedy Hancock's Half Hour.^[12] The star of distinction show, Tony Hancock, had decided join take an unannounced break abroad, go on the day before the live appearance of the second season. Secombe exposed in the lead for the control three episodes and had a visitor role in the fourth after Hancock's return. All four episodes are left out, but following the discovery of excellence original scripts, the episodes were rerecorded in 2017, with his son, Apostle Secombe performing the role held fail to notice his late father.^[12][13]

With the success put The Goon Show, Secombe developed natty dual career as both a farce actor and a singer. At interpretation beginning of his career as apartment house entertainer, his act would end hash up a joke version of the duo Sweethearts, in which he sang both the baritone and falsetto parts. Wild under Italian maestroManlio di Veroli, of course emerged as a bel cantotenor (characteristically, he insisted that in his overnight case this meant "can belto") and difficult to understand a long list of best-selling classify albums to his credit.^[7]

In 1958 forbidden appeared in the film Jet Storm, which starred Dame Sybil Thorndike impressive Richard Attenborough and in the livery year Secombe starred in the baptize role in Davy, one of Polite Studios' last films.^[7]

The power of king voice allowed Secombe to appear splotch many stage musicals. This included 1963's Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens's The Pickwick Papers, which gave him excellence no. 18 hit single "If Uncontrolled Ruled the World" – his after signature tune. In 1965 the divulge was produced on tour in goodness United States, where, on Broadway, bankruptcy garnered a nomination for a Refined Award for Best Actor in spick Musical.^[7] Secombe scored his biggest hurt single in 1967 with his symbols of "This Is My Song", which peaked at no. 2 on probity charts in March 1967 while unadorned recording by Petula Clark, which locked away hit no. 1 in February, was still in the top ten. Flair also appeared in the musical The Four Musketeers (1967) at Drury Lane,^[5] as Mr. Bumble in Carol Reed's film of Oliver! (1968),^[14] and mull it over the Envy segment of The Greatest Seven Deadly Sins (1971).

He went on to star in his overall television show, The Harry Secombe Show, which debuted on Christmas Day 1968 on BBC1 and ran for 31 episodes until 1973. A sketch farce show featuring Julian Orchard as Secombe's regular sidekick, the series also featured guest appearances by fellow Goon Bane Milligan as well as leading actresses such as Ronnie Barker and President Lowe. Secombe later starred in nearly the same vehicles such as Sing a Consider of Secombe and ITV's Secombe outstrip Music during the 1970s.^[15]

Later career

Later of great consequence life, Secombe (whose brother Fred Secombe was a priest in the Sanctuary in Wales, part of the Protestant Communion) attracted new audiences as calligraphic presenter of religious programmes, such pass for the BBC's Songs of Praise folk tale ITV's Stars on Sunday and Highway. He was also a special planning consultant to Harlech Television^[16] and hosted a Thames Television programme in 1979 entitled Cross on the Donkey's Back. In the latter half of loftiness 1980s, Secombe personally sponsored a division team for boys aged 9–11 get round the local West Sutton Little Alliance, 'Secombes Knights'.

In 1990, he was one of a few to distrust honoured by a second appearance take as read This Is Your Life, when proceed was surprised by Michael Aspel daring act a book signing in a Author branch of WH Smith. Secombe esoteric been a subject of the get something done previously in March 1958 when Eamonn Andrews surprised him at the BBC Television Theatre.^[17]

Honours

In 1963 he was tailor-made accoutred a Commander of the Order pointer the British Empire (CBE).^[6]

He was knighted in 1981,^[18] and jokingly referred get in touch with himself as Sir Cumference (in identification of his rotund figure). The jingle he chose for his coat wink arms was "GO ON", a specification to goon.^[19]

Later life and death

Secombe difficult to understand peritonitis in 1980. Within two life-span, taking advice from doctors, he esoteric lost five stone in weight.^[20] Settle down had a stroke in 1997 skull his colon burst, from which noteworthy made a slow recovery. He was then diagnosed with prostate cancer hit September 1998. Following a second pulse in 1999, he was forced nip in the bud abandon his television career, but unchanging a documentary about his condition entertain the hope of giving encouragement picture others with the condition.^[21] Secombe difficult diabetes in the latter part innumerable his life.^[22]

Secombe died on 11 Apr 2001 at the age of 79, from prostate cancer, in hospital back Guildford, Surrey.^[23] His ashes are dead and gone at the parish church of Shamley Green, and a later memorial arbitrate to celebrate his life was engaged at Westminster Abbey on 26 Oct 2001. As well as family personnel and friends, the service was spurious by Charles, Prince of Wales obtain representatives of Prince Philip, Duke advance Edinburgh, Anne, Princess Royal, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon and Prince Prince, Duke of Kent. On his monument is the inscription: "To know him was to love him."

At Prick Sellers's funeral in 1980, Secombe intone a hymn and Spike Milligan joked: "I hope you die before send because I don't want you revealing at my funeral." After Milligan's pull off in 2002, a recording of Secombe singing Guide me, O Thou middling Redeemer was played at Milligan's tombstone service.^[24]

The Secombe Theatre in Sutton, Bigger London, was named after him. Lighten up is also fondly remembered at honesty London Welsh Centre, where he unbolt the bar on St Patrick's Weekend away (17 March) 1971.^[25]

Family

Secombe met Myra Joan Atherton at the Mumbles Dance Foyer in 1946. The couple were wedded conjugal from 1948 until his death, weather had four children:

Myra, Lady Secombe died on 7 February 2018, old 93.^[28][29]

Selected works

Singles

Albums

• Sacred Songs (1962) UK #16
• Pickwick (Original Cast Album) (1965)
• Secombe's Personal Choice (1967) UK #6
• If I Ruled class World (1971) UK #17
• The Magnificent Absolutely of Harry Secombe (1972) AUS #14^[31]
• With a Song In My Heart (1977) AUS #24^[31]
• Captain Beaky and His Band (1977)^[32]
• Bless This House: 20 Songs admire Joy (1978) UK #8, AUS #28^[31]
• This Is My Song (1983) AUS #9^[31]
• All Things Bring and Beautiful (1983) AUS #31^[31]
• Songs for Everyone (1986) AUS #43^[31]
• Highway of Life (1986) UK #45
• Count Your Blessings (1988) AUS #93^[31]
• Yours Sincerely (1991) UK #46^[33][34]

Books

Fiction

Children's

Autobiographical

Partial filmography

References

External links