"greeting of ""How tickled I am!"" He interspersed the comedy with songs, both serious and humorous, and with his original speciality, ventriloquism. He also had several hit singles primarily as a ballad singer in the 1960s, and occasionally appeared in dramatic roles. He performed on radio and television, and popularised the characters of the Diddy Men. He was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. His stage career lasted for over 60 years, and he continued to perform, when his health permitted, until his death on 11 March 2018, at age 90. Kenneth Arthur"
"at the theatre, in 1965, with a residency lasting 42 weeks. Some of his subsequent material mocked the trial and tax in general. For a while, he introduced his act with the words, ""Good evening, my name is Kenneth Arthur Dodd; singer, photographic playboy and failed accountant!"" Dodd also made a joke that when income tax was introduced it was a mere 2p in every £1 earned, followed by the punchline ""I thought it still was!"" He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1982 New Year Honours for services to show business and"
"from 1877. Although best known as a comedian, Ken Dodd was a prolific recording artist throughout the 1960s and most of his music recordings were serious, not comic. His debut single ""Love is like a Violin"" reached No. 8 in 1960. Between that and ""Tears"" he released nine further singles, several of which charted (though none of them made the top 20). The single spent 24 weeks in total on the chart, with five of those at number 1. It sold over a million copies in the UK, becoming one of the biggest-selling singles in 1965, and was the third-biggest"
"Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927 – 11 March 2018) was an English comedian, singer and occasional actor. He was described as ""the last great music hall entertainer"", and was primarily known for his live stand-up performances. A lifelong resident of Knotty Ash in Liverpool, Dodd's career as an entertainer started in the mid-1950s. His performances included rapid and incessant delivery of often surreal jokes, and would run for several hours, frequently past midnight. His verbal and physical comedy was supplemented by his red, white and blue ""tickling stick"" prop, and often introduced by his characteristic upbeat"
"Ken Dodd"" and originally broadcast in 2002. He was made a Freeman of the City of Liverpool in 2001. In a 2005 poll of comedians and comedy insiders to find the 'Comedians' Comedian', Dodd was voted amongst the 'Top 50 Comedy Acts Ever', ranked as number 36. He was made an honorary fellow of Liverpool John Moores University in 1997. A statue depicting Dodd with his trademark ""Tickling Stick"" was unveiled in Liverpool Lime Street railway station in June 2009. It was temporarily removed in 2017 for renovation works. Dodd was inducted into the exclusive show business fraternity, the Grand"
"the TV series, ""Portrait of a Star"". In 1960 he became an in-vision television announcer for ABC TV (Associated British Corporation) based in Didsbury, Manchester and appeared with Ken Dodd in the TV series, ""Doddy's Music Box"", acquiring the nickname, 'Diddy'. Throughout the 1960s he hosted shows for the ITV franchises Tyne Tees, Anglia and Westward. He joined the then-new Thames Television as an announcer in 1968, subsequently hosting many shows for them including ""Miss TV Times"", ""TV Times Gala Awards"", ""The World Disco Dance Championships"", as well as many outside broadcasts, circus and sports shows. He appeared alongside comedians"
"from a brain tumour in 1977, at the age of 45. Shortly after her death, Dodd began a relationship with Anne Jones, which lasted from 1978 until his death. They first met in 1961 when Jones appeared in ""The Ken Dodd Christmas Show"" at the Manchester Opera House. Dodd married Jones on 9 March 2018, two days before his death. Dodd said that one of his biggest regrets in life was that he never had children. It was widely reported that he and Anne were unable to conceive naturally. During his 1989 trial details of his personal life surfaced in"
"charity and was knighted in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to entertainment and charity. The award was formally conferred by Prince William, Duke of Cambridge in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 2 March 2017. In 1993 Dodd won Top Variety Entertainer and was also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at ITV's British Comedy Awards. In 1994, Dodd appeared in the TV special ""An Audience with Ken Dodd"". The show was a success and introduced him to a younger audience. Dodd later became one of a select few to be given a second show, entitled ""Another Audience with"
"as Belle and Snow White. At Disneyland, she met her husband, Colin Follenweider, a Hollywood stunt-double. Dodd's first non-Disney role was as Sandy in a regional production of ""Grease"". She then took understudy roles in the Las Vegas productions of ""We Will Rock You"" and ""Hairspray"", before becoming a cast member of the musical ""Wicked"". Dodd made her ""Wicked"" debut on December 5, 2006, as part of the ensemble of show's first national touring company. She also understudied both Elphaba and Nessarose. Her first performance as Nessarose was at the matinee on March 25, 2007 in Miami, Florida; her first"
"by Bob Hope which made him decide he wanted to be a stand up comic. When he saw Ken Dodd live he thought he was so good it inspired him to try comedy himself. Brown later found work as an entertainer in working men's clubs during the 1960s, first as a drummer in the local group Pipeline along with his two cousins and a friend and later as a comedy act under the name ""Alcock & Brown"". Brown appeared on the UK television talent show ""New Faces"" in the 1970s, coming second to a country and western band. He failed"
"and obtained a machinist certificate. The first person to notice his talent for acting was his history teacher, who encouraged him to become an actor. In 1993 he enrolled in the Aleksander Zelwerowicz State Theatre Academy. In his second-year at the State Theatre Academy he was cast as Don Rodrigue in a television adaptation of ""Le Cid"" directed by Krystyna Janda. After graduating from the Academy in 1997 he could not find any acting job at first. He worked as a waiter, a bodyguard in a night club and took other casual jobs until he was offered a post at"
"cast as a Goldwyn Girl in Eddie Cantor's movie ""Whoopee!"", which was produced by Florenz Ziegfeld. Ziegfeld offered Dodd a part in his next Broadway musical, ""Smiles"". She joined the Ziegfeld Follies and moved to New York City, where she studied singing and dancing. While there, the blond actress was signed to a Paramount contract by Darryl F. Zanuck and returned to Los Angeles. Some confusion has led to Dodd's birthplace being listed as Des Moines, Iowa. Early in her career, Dodd applied for a passport in preparation for a trip to Europe, and was reported as saying she only"
"roles in an episode of television series ""The Alice"" (2006) and the movies ""My Country"" (2007) and ""Broken Sun"" (2008); by this time his career in film and television had lasted for over sixty years. In 2013, Dodd received the Jimmy Little Lifetime Achievement Award at the 19th Deadly Awards at the Sydney Opera House. Departing from tradition by presenting the award to someone who was not primarily a musician, the organisers described Dodd as ""an actor that created a pathway for others across the entire arts and music sectors to follow, at a time when typecasting stereotypes and discrimination"
"Blandford Forum Dorset, the son of a garage proprietor Douglas William Thomas, and the youngest of five children. In 1966 his family moved to Formby in Merseyside and, in 1967 to Scarborough, North Yorkshire. His first visit to a theatre was in 1967 to see ‘The Bachelors Show’ at The Futurist Theatre Scarborough. In 1970 he met Ken Dodd at The Futurist Theatre (after a show in which his wife-to-be was a Diddyman) and began a lifelong friendship with the entertainer. Dodd's early influence is credited by Thomas as his inspiration to start a career in show-business. Thomas penned a"
"and Recreation"", ""Weeds"" and ""Nip/Tuck"". He also appeared in the 1998 film, ""The Wedding Singer"", and the music video for Diddy's 2000 single, ""Bad Boy for Life."". He first got into show business through his friend, producer Robert Marcus. He volunteered to be a 'gofer' (production assistant) for Marcus' productions. Marcus wrote a book about how to be a production assistant and dedicated it to Dunn. He first got his start as an actor by taking roles as a background actor, and subsequently took classes for acting. He performed a number of roles in commercials and music videos. His first"
"Don Reed (comedian) Don Reed (born November 23, 1959) is an American actor, writer, producer, director and comedian. Reed grew up in Oakland, California and attended Fremont High School. Additionally he attended Chabot Junior College in Hayward, California before being recruited to UCLA for intercollegiate Speech & Debate competition where he became a National Champion in competitive events: Speech to Entertain, Poetry and Dramatic readings. In the fall of 1988, Don Reed was performing stand-up comedy at NACA and impressed a major Hollywood player so much he signed Reed for two episodes of a television spin-off of ""The Cosby Show"","
"and Tootie’s Durham Comedy Club. He also emceed The Comedy Spot programming series on Duke University campus 1992 and 1993 (produced by his friend by coincidentially same-first named Korean-American, Kendrick Jahng) opening for Margaret Cho, Jeff Dunham and others. His stand up work has led to several television appearances, including NBC's ""The Office"", HBO's ""Entourage"" and ""Curb Your Enthusiasm"". He made his film debut in Judd Apatow's ""Knocked Up"" as Dr. Kuni, which proved to be his breakout performance. From that point forward he was able to transition from medicine into a full-time career in the entertainment industry. Subsequently, he"
"advertising campaign. In addition, festival organisers hosted a number of fundraising events including a music quiz and a concert with folk and blues artists Cuckoo Oak and O.D Slope. As well as the events organised by the festival committee, local businesses were prompted to participate and many local pubs are arranging their own fringe events during the festival period, which received promotion on the official billing. It was announced at the Shifnal Carnival that comedian Ken Dodd was confirmed to open the festival with a stand up show on Tuesday 13 September. Dodd played in Shifnal as a favour to"
"his life, he moved with his family from McComb, Mississippi to Los Angeles, California, and in 1989 started appearing in television commercials for different companies. In 1989, at the age of eight, Norwood began auditioning for and appearing in television commercials; he played the foster son in ""The Sinbad Show"", from 1993 to 1994. This period in Norwood's life would shape his acting career. According to Bradley Torreano of AllMusic, ""his easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show, ""Moesha"", giving him a role on the UPN series as Dorian ""D-Money"", a role he played"
"childhood years in India, where his father, an officer in the British Army, served as a physician. Later his family moved to Devon and Todd attended Shrewsbury School. Upon leaving school, Todd trained for a potential military career at Sandhurst before beginning his acting training at the Italia Conti Academy in London. This change in career led to estrangement from his mother. When he learned at age 19 that she had committed suicide, he did not grieve long for her, he admitted in later life. He first appeared professionally as an actor at the Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park in"
"a teacher. Having become disillusioned with his teaching career, he was inspired to take up comedy full-time after seeing Ken Dodd perform a well-received show in front of 3,500 in Blackpool. He took his stage name from his wife's maiden name, Owen, adding the initial of his mother's, Brown. The advent of Granada TV’s ""The Comedians"" gave him the opportunity to appear on national television which ultimately helped persuade him to become a full-time entertainer. Television opportunities followed, and he made appearances in ""Last of the Summer Wine"" as a library attendant, and on Granada's ""The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social"
"where he worked for three years, eventually becoming the Managing Director. In 1984, he returned to Stanford, where he earned his MBA in 1986. Todd moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and worked at TriStar Television before starting his own development fund called Skyline Entertainment Partners (inspired by his rustic college and business school residence in La Honda outside Palo Alto). He soon joined Davis Entertainment as an independent producer, where he stayed for 13 years, founding Davis Entertainment Filmworks, the company's independent film division. Partnered with John Davis, the company was based at 20th Century Fox. While there, he"
"majoring in Practical Music. At a young age, he entered and won many singing competitions at local festivals. He later performed and won more singing competitions in middle school as part of a team with his friends prior to debuting with VIXX. Despite lacking experience in dance, Ken was able to pass his audition to Jellyfish Entertainment because of his singing where he trained for five months before debuting with VIXX. During this time Ken was one of ten trainees who were contestants in Mnet's survival reality show ""MyDOL"" and was chosen to be a part of the final line-up"
"Boardman and Jimmy Cricket and television executive Michael Grade. After the service, Dodd was laid to rest, alongside his mother and father, during a private burial service at Allerton Cemetery in Liverpool. Tickling sticks were placed on various statues around Liverpool in commemoration. At Liverpool Town Hall, St George's Hall, the Cunard Building and Liverpool Central Library, flags were lowered to pay respect. Ken Dodd had numerous television shows and specials over 60 years, including: Dodd also appeared in many other programmes, as an actor, performer, or as himself. Appearances include: Ken Dodd Sir Kenneth Arthur Dodd (8 November 1927"
"Lee Mead (the actor who won BBC One talent show ""Any Dream Will Do"" to gain the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) got his first professional job, working on a cruise ship, through a recruitment ad in the paper. Television presenter Ben Shephard auditioned for GMTV children's show Diggit following an advert in ""The Stage"". While he did not get the part, he met Andi Peters, who subsequently hired him for the Channel 4 youth strand T4. Before joining Take That, Gary Barlow applied for roles advertised in ""The Stage"" newspaper. Charles Dance landed his first"
"regular in the Shondaland drama, ""For the People"". Ben Rappaport Bennett Eli ""Ben"" Rappaport (born March 23, 1986) is an American actor. He played the role of Todd Dempsy in the NBC sitcom ""Outsourced"", which aired during the 2010–11 television season. The series marked Rappaport's debut acting role on screen. Rappaport was born in Arlington, Texas, and was active in the arts (painting and playing guitar) during his childhood. He was raised in the Jewish religion, and his Jewish identity is important to him. He attended Klein High School near Houston. Rappaport developed an interest in acting at the age"
"Year 2011, and it was shortlisted for the 2011 NSW Premier's Literary Awards, Community Relations Commission Award. Do attended St Aloysius' College in Milsons Point for his secondary education. When he was 14 he started a small business breeding tropical fish. While studying his first year of law at the University of Technology, Sydney, he owned a stall which sold American-Indian artifacts, which he later expanded to four franchised stores. Six months before finishing his combined Business Law degree, law firms offered him jobs which required 60 hours of work a week. He opted to take up stand-up comedy instead."
"of the banking and financial systems, restoration of the rights of attorneys general to defend consumers regarding certain banking practices, transparency of the Federal Reserve System, the improved treatment and housing assistance for military veterans, secure borders, and health care reform. His show business career started as a child actor in the CBS western television series, ""The Texan"" starring Rory Calhoun, and in the recurring role of a schoolboy on ABC's sitcom, ""The Donna Reed Show"". In addition to television appearances, he has acted in and produced such feature films as ""A Gun, A Car, A Blonde"", starring Billy Bob"
"from Laurel Highlands High School; he had studied piano for ten years before being accepted into the Shenandoah Conservatory, an arts college near Washington, D.C., where in 1987 he wrote his first musical, ""Starting Another Day"". Following this Nehls began an acting career which included playing in American National Tours as Seymour in ""Little Shop of Horrors""; Lord Jasper Tring in ""Me and My Girl""; Sonny the Gangster in ""City of Angels"", and Eddie Cantor in ""Ziegfeld: A Night at the Follies"" (1991). He originated the role of Don Wand in a Rock'n'Roll version of ""Beauty and the Beast"". In"
"of three young surfers featured in a September 1961 ""Life"" photo spread accompanying the article ""The Mad, Happy Surfers: A Way of Life on the Wavetops"". Nader began his acting career in 1963 with small roles in several of American International Pictures ""Beach Party"" films, then billed as ""Mike Nader"". He later appeared in the recurring role of Siddo in the 1965–66 TV series ""Gidget"", and had a small role in the 1968 film ""Blue"". Nader's first soap opera role was playing Kevin Thompson on ""As the World Turns"" from 1975 to 1978. In 1983, he appeared in the NBC"
"Simon Dodd Simon Dodd (born 7 June 1959) is an Australian comedy writer, author, playwright and feature writer. He is the recipient of ten Australian Writers' Guild AWGIE Awards as part of the writing team behind such successful TV series as ""Good News Week"" and ""The Glass House"". His list of credits includes popular Australian comedy TV shows from the late 1980s until today. He also wrote for Logies host Andrew Denton in 1999 and 2000. In 2014, he produced and directed his Absurdist comedy stage-play ""Plaything"" at the Factory Theatre for the Sydney Comedy Festival, garnering a number of"
"Somerset followed, and proved a stepping-stone to London. John Hoadly saw Dodd in ""The Jealous Wife"" and recommended him to David Garrick, who decided with James Lacy to engage him for Drury Lane Theatre. Dodd's first appearance at Drury Lane took place 3 October 1765 as Faddle in Edward Moore's comedy, ""The Foundling"". For 31 years, Dodd remained there. During this long period he played mainly beaux and coxcombs, regarded as a successor in that to Colley Cibber. He played also in low comedy, sang occasionally, and for benefits took on some serious characters, appearing on one occasion as Richard"
"role. Coombs holds a dual citizenship to both Canada and the United States. He continued to do theatre roles throughout high school at University Hill Secondary School and eventually enrolled in the acting program at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Coombs has appeared in productions at Bard on the Beach, an annual professional Shakespeare festival held in Vancouver; he has also appeared in the musical ""A Little Night Music"". His first starring role on television was as John Doe in the 2008 CBC comedy series ""jPod"", based on the novel of the same name by Douglas Coupland. Coombs"