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{{infobox radio station | name	BBC Radio 2 | image | area United Kingdom | branding | slogan Online, On Digital and on 88-91FM | airdate | frequency - | DAB: 12B | Freeview: 702 | Freesat: 702 | Sky: 0102 | Virgin Media: 902 | TalkTalk TV: 602 | UPC Ireland: 908 }}

| sister stations = | share = 14.9% | share as of = June 2011 | share source = | format = Hot AC, Indie Music, Infotainment | language = English | callsign_meaning = | owner = BBC | webcast = WMA | website = }}

BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres. Radio 2 broadcasts throughout the UK on FM between 88.1 and 90.2MHz from studios in Western House, adjacent to Broadcasting House in central London. Programmes are relayed on digital radio via DAB, Sky, Cable TV, IPTV, Freeview, Freesat and the Internet. The station's programming is broadcast on a network of FM transmitters of up to 250 kW, the strongest FM signals in the EU.

History

1967–1986

The station was launched at 05:30 on 30 September 1967, and evolved from the Light Programme, with some of the Light Programme's music shows transferring to the newly launched Radio 1. The first show had started at 05:30am (on the Light programme) but continued with ''Breakfast Special'' from Paul Hollingdale as Radio 1 split.

In early years, much programming and music was common to both stations, particularly on the shared FM frequency. Radio 1 was targeted at the audience of pirate radio stations whereas Radio 2 settled down as a middle-of-the-road station playing laid-back pop/rock, folk and country, jazz and big-band music, easy listening, light classics, and oldies, with significant amounts of comedy and sport. Notable broadcasters on Radio 2 in the 70s and 80s were Ray Moore on early breakfast, Terry Wogan on breakfast, replaced by Ken Bruce and later Derek Jameson; Jimmy Young and his lunchtime news and current affairs show; 'Diddy' David Hamilton on mid-afteroons, John Dunn at what became known as drivetime. Radio 2 became the first 24-hour radio station in the UK in 1979.

Frances Line: 1986–1996

The station's policy remained stable with only minor changes until April 1986 when Frances Line, head of music, repositioned the station. She would become Controller in 1990. An ageing Radio 1 audience which had grown up with the station was sticking with it into their 40s and beyond; Line repositioned Radio 2 to appeal exclusively to the over-fifties and introduced older presenters and based the playlist around nostalgia, easy listening and light music. As a result, David Hamilton quit the station at the end of 1986, claiming the music policy had become "geriatric"; Terry Wogan's replacement Derek Jameson also appealed to an older, down-market demographic. Although popular with its target audience, the policy alienated many younger listeners who had listened to both Radio 1 and Radio 2 and the station's audience fell. It took another hit when sports coverage moved to Radio 5 in August 1990. Another blow was struck by the rise of album-rock commercial stations (particularly Virgin Radio) and 'gold' spinoffs from Independent Local Radio stations playing classic pop and rock. With the station's audience in decline a change of emphasis was needed.

James Moir "The Nation's Favourite" — 1996 onwards

Line was replaced by James Moir in 1996. Moir repositioned Radio 2 with a largely AOR/contemporary playlist by day, aimed at a more mature audience than Radio 1 (which, post-Britpop, was again starting to focus on a young audience) but still embracing new music, and more specialist broadcasting by recognised genre experts in the evenings. Unlike the early-90s repositioning of Radio 1 in which the BBC lost many well-known names, many former Radio 1 presenters stayed with the BBC and moved across to Radio 2.

Radio 2 is now termed "the nation's favourite", a title the BBC formerly used for BBC Radio 1. It is the most listened-to station in the UK, its schedule filled with broadcasters such as: Sir Terry Wogan, Steve Wright, Chris Evans, Simon Mayo, Ken Bruce, Jeremy Vine, Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie, Janice Long, Johnnie Walker and Bob Harris.

As well as having most listeners nationally, it ranks first in many regions above local radio stations. BBC Radio 2 played to 27% of the available audience in 2006.

The current position

The station now has adult listeners, mainly aged 25 and above, although in recent years it has attracted more younger listeners. Its daytime playlist features music from the 1960s to various current chart hits, album and indie music. The station's appeal is broad and deep, with accessible daytime programmes and specialist programmes of particular types or eras of music. In 2009 Radio 2 again won the Music Week Award for National Radio Station of the Year, an award it has won for several consecutive years.

Weekday evenings feature specialist music, including jazz, folk music, blues, country and western, reggae, classic rock, showtunes and biographies and documentaries on musical artists and genres. This specialist programming typically runs from 19:00 to 20:00, and from 22:00 to midnight. Radio 2 hosts both the BBC Concert Orchestra and the BBC Big Band.

Brian Matthew's "Sounds of the Sixties" remains a regular fixture on the Saturday schedule, as does Johnnie Walker's "Sounds of the Seventies" on a Sunday.

On Sundays the schedule reverts closer to its old style, with a focus on easy listening, Jazz and Show music, with presenters like Clare Teal and David Jacobs and long-standing programmes like Sunday Half Hour.

Radio 2 does not broadcast complete works of classical music (the domain of Radio 3) or offer in-depth discussion or drama and although some book readings, comedy and arts coverage still remains on the station this is the remit of Radio 4. Jeremy Vine's weekday lunchtime show covers current and consumer affairs informally, a style pioneered by Jimmy Young. Until Radio 5 Live, Radio 2's medium wave frequencies carried the BBC's sports coverage. Radio 5 Live was positioned on Radio 2's mediumwave frequencies.

Like all BBC radio stations broadcasting to UK audiences, Radio 2 is funded by the television licence fee, and does not broadcast commercials.

BBC Radio 2's last closedown was at 02:02 on 27 January 1979. Sarah Kennedy (who later became a daily early-morning presenter from 1993 until her departure in August 2010) was at the Newsdesk after Brian Matthew finished "Round Midnight". From 02:00 to 05:00 the following night, listeners heard "You and the Night and the Music". Radio 2 has the longest period of continuous broadcasting of any national radio station in the UK.

The BBC Pips are broadcast at 07:00 and 08:00 on weekdays, then at 17:00.

BBC Radio 2 moved its studios from Broadcasting House to the adjacent Western House in 2005. Although the majority of programming comes from London, some shows are broadcast from other cities around the UK, including Birmingham and Manchester. For many years, the network's overnight presenters, such as Janice Long and Alex Lester, were based in Birmingham, but made the move to London in April 2008. Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie continue to present their show from Manchester.

In February 2007, Radio 2 recruited Jeff Smith, director of UK and International programming at Napster and a former head of music at Radio 1, as its new head of music. Smith joined the network on 26 March.

The licence-fee funding of Radio 2, alongside Radio 1, is often criticised by the commercial sector. In the first quarter of 2011, Radio 2 was part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings."

Programming

Monday–Friday

0000 – 0200: Janice Long

0200 – 0500: Alex Lester

0500 – 0630: Vanessa Feltz

0630 – 0930: Chris Evans (''The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'')

0930 – 1200: Ken Bruce

1200 – 1400: Jeremy Vine

1400 – 1700: Steve Wright (''Steve Wright in the Afternoon'')

1700 – 1900: Simon Mayo (''Simon Mayo Drivetime'')

1900 – 2000: Paul Jones (Mon) / Jamie Cullum (Tues) / Mike Harding (Wed) / Bob Harris (Thurs: ''Bob Harris Country'') / Desmond Carrington (Fri: ''The Music Goes Round'')

2000 – 2130: Jo Whiley (Mon-Wed)

2130 – 2200: Clare Teal (Mon: ''Big Band Special'' featuring the BBC Big Band) / Nigel Ogden (Tues: ''The Organist Entertains'') / Frank Renton (Wed: ''Listen to the Band'')

2200 – 2300: Documentary programming

2300 – 0000: Michael Parkinson (Mon: ''My Favourite Things'') / Mark Radcliffe (Tues: ''Mark Radcliffe's Music Club'') / Trevor Nelson (Wed: ''Trevor Nelson's Soul Show'') / David Rodigan (Thurs)

Thursday–Friday variation

2000 – 2200: ''Radio 2 In Concert'' (Thurs) / ''Friday Night is Music Night'' featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra (Fri)

2200 – 0000: ''The Radio 2 Arts Show with Claudia Winkleman'' (Fri)

Saturday

0000 – 0300: Huey Morgan

0300 – 0600: Richard Allinson

0600 – 0800: Zoë Ball

0800 – 1000: Brian Matthew (''Sounds of the 60s'')

1000 – 1300: Graham Norton

1300 – 1500: Tony Blackburn (''Pick of the Pops'')

1500 – 1800: Dermot O'Leary

1800 – 2000: Alan Carr (''Going out with Alan Carr'')

2000 – 2200: Paul Gambaccini (''America's Greatest Hits'')

2200 – 2300: Radio 2's Comedy Showcase

2300 – 0000: Steve Lamacq

Sunday

0000 – 0300: Bob Harris (''Bob Harris Sunday'')

0300 – 0600: Richard Allinson

0600 – 0900: Aled Jones (''Good Morning Sunday'')

0900 – 1100: Steve Wright (''Steve Wright's Love Songs'')

1100 – 1300: Michael Ball (''Michael Ball's Sunday Brunch'')

1300 – 1500: Elaine Paige (''Elaine Paige on Sunday'')

1500 – 1700: Johnnie Walker (''Sounds of the 70s'')

1700 – 1900: Paul O'Grady

1900 – 2030: Alan Titchmarsh (''Melodies for You'')

2030 – 2100: Brian D'Arcy (''Sunday Half Hour'')

2100 – 2200: Russell Davies

2200 – 2300: Clare Teal

2300 – 0000: David Jacobs (''The David Jacobs Collection'')

Stand-in presenters

Ryan Tubridy

Jane Hill

Matthew Bannister

Tim Smith

Lynn Parsons

Liza Tarbuck

Gideon Coe

Janey Lee Grace

Craig Charles

Patrick Kielty

Penny Smith

Andy Goldstein

Cerys Matthews

Richard Madeley

Shaun Keaveny

Rob Brydon

Nicki Chapman

Chris Tarrant

Gabby Logan

Lorraine Kelly

Jodie Prenger

Steve Jones

Nikki Bedi

News/travel/continuity staff

Jonny Saunders (sport)

Moira Stuart (newsreader)

Sally Boazman (travel)

Lynn Bowles (travel)

Alan Dedicoat (Head of Presentation)

Fran Godfrey (newsreader)

John Marsh (newsreader)

Charles Nove (newsreader)

Andrew Peach (newsreader)

Fenella Fudge (newsreader)

Rebecca Pike (business)

Bobbie Pryor (travel)

Tom Sandars (newsreader)

Andrea Simmons (newsreader)

Colin Berry (newsreader)

Chandrika Chevli (newsreader)

Ricky Salmon (newsreader)

Alan Smith (newsreader)

Miscellaneous voices

Carmen Squire (Pre recorded-announcements for programme publicity)

Past presenters

Jimmy Young (1973–2002)

John Dunn (1967–1998)

Alan Dell (1967–1995)

Gloria Hunniford (1981–1995)

Debbie Thrower (1995–1997)

Benny Green

David Hamilton (1975–1986)

Pete Murray (1967–1983)

Anne Robinson (1988–1993, stand-in for Jimmy Young in 1996)

Jim Lloyd: ''Folk on 2'' (1970–1997)

Ray Moore (1967–1988)

Graham Knight Weekend Breakfast (1988–1992)

Ed Stewart (1980–1984, 1991–2006)

Des Lynam (1970–1980, 1998–1999)

Katrina Leskanich (1998–2000)

Sybil Ruscoe (2003–2004)

Don Maclean (1990–2006)

Humphrey Lyttelton (1967–2008)

Nick Barraclough (1992–2007)

Michael Parkinson (1996–2007)

Canon Roger Royle (1991–2007)

Matthew Wright (2006–2008)

Russell Brand (2006–2008)

Bob Dylan (2007–2009)

Pete Mitchell (2006–2009)

Mo Dutta (1994–2009)

Malcolm Laycock (1995–2009)

Emma Forbes (2009–2010)

Suzi Quatro (2008–2010)

Jonathan Ross (1999–2010)

Sarah Kennedy (1976–2010)

Dale Winton (2000–2010)

Mark Lamarr (1998–2010)

Stuart Maconie (1998-2011) Returns in 2012.

Controllers

|}

Controversy

In April 1999 Radio 2 presenter Johnnie Walker was suspended from his drivetime show after allegations concerning a drug problem appeared in the Sunday tabloid, the ''News of the World''. Walker had been the victim of a tabloid exposé over his cocaine problem. Bosses later reinstated him after he was fined £2,000 for possession of cocaine.

The presenter Sarah Kennedy has sometimes attracted controversy. In May 1999 she gave a bizarre performance while standing in for Terry Wogan, blaming the incident on a lack of sleep the previous night. Her slurred speech throughout her show on 13 August 2007 also made the headlines. She blamed a sore throat and later took a month-long break. It was later reported that Kennedy was recovering from pneumonia, and she returned to work on 10 September. In October 2007 she was reprimanded after joking that she had almost run over a black pedestrian because she couldn't see him in the dark. The BBC later apologised for the comment. She was also "spoken to" by BBC bosses after praising Enoch Powell during a show in July 2009, describing him as "the best prime minister this country never had".

On 16 October 2008, an episode of the Russell Brand Show, co-hosted by fellow Radio 2 presenter Jonathan Ross was recorded for transmission at a later date. The show included Brand and Ross leaving four prank messages on actor Andrew Sachs's answerphone including offensive remarks about his granddaughter and use of foul language. The programme was subsequently broadcast on Saturday 18 October, partially censored, having passed the various pre-transmission checks from the programme's editors. Initially the programme only received a negligible number of complaints regarding Jonathan Ross' bad language; however, the incident was reported a week later by the Mail on Sunday and a public outcry soon ensued. The case was referred to both Ofcom and the BBC Trust and in the interim Ross and Brand were both suspended for 12 weeks from all BBC programmes pending investigation. Soon after these announcements Russell Brand announced his resignation from the BBC shortly followed by the controller at the time, Lesley Douglas. Jonathan Ross was suspended from the BBC without pay for 12 weeks.

In July 2009 long time presenter Malcolm Laycock announced his resignation live on air following a long running dispute over the content of his show, ''Sunday Night at 10'', and issues regarding his salary. He later criticised Radio 2 management for abandoning its older listeners and claimed to have been constructively dismissed by the station, although Radio 2 denied this was the case.

References

External links

Media UK's BBC Radio 2 site including scheduled programming

Radio Rewind's Radio 2 history

R2OK! the Radio 2 Preservation Society

Radio 2 Timeline/History

Listen BBC Radio Latest Bulletins Listen to Business Bulletin

2 * Category:Radio stations established in 1967 Category:1967 establishments in the United Kingdom Category:Adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom

ca:BBC Radio 2 de:BBC Radio 2 es:BBC Radio 2 fr:BBC Radio 2 gd:BBC Radio 2 gl:BBC Radio 2 it:BBC Radio 2 nl:BBC Radio 2 no:BBC Radio 2 pl:BBC Radio 2 pt:BBC Radio 2 ru:BBC Radio 2 simple:BBC Radio 2 fi:BBC Radio 2 sv:BBC Radio 2

Radio 2 may refer to:

BBC Radio 2, a British national music radio station

RTÉ 2fm, an Irish music radio station originally known as Radio 2

Radio 2 (Australia): an Australian radio station

Radio 2 (Belgium), a Belgian radio station

CBC Radio 2, a Canadian radio station

Radio 2 (Netherlands), a Dutch radio station

Rai Radio 2, an Italian radio station

CyBC Radio 2, Cyprus national radio

Radio Dos, a Costa Rican radio station

Radio 2, a UAE English music radio station covering Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the northern Emirates

fr:Radio 2 nl:Radio 2

name	Kylie Minogue
background	solo_singer
birth name	Kylie Ann Minogue
birth date	May 28, 1968
birth place	Melbourne, Australia
genre	Pop, synthpop, rock, dance, electronic
occupation	Singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, fashion designer, author, entrepreneur, philanthropist
years active	1979–present
label	PWL, Deconstruction, Parlophone
website	}}

Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE (; born 28 May 1968), is an Australian pop singer, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera ''Neighbours'', before commencing her career as a recording artist in 1987. Her first single, "Locomotion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian singles chart and became the highest selling single of the decade. This led to a contract with songwriters and producers Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Her debut album, ''Kylie'' (1988), and the single "I Should Be So Lucky", each reached number one in the United Kingdom, and over the next two years, her first 13 singles reached the British top ten. Her debut film, ''The Delinquents'' (1989) was a box-office hit in Australia and the UK despite negative reviews.

Initially presented as a "girl next door", Minogue attempted to convey a more mature style in her music and public image. Her singles were well received, but after four albums her record sales were declining, and she left Stock, Aitken & Waterman in 1992 to establish herself as an independent performer. Her next single, "Confide in Me", reached number one in Australia and was a hit in several European countries in 1994, and a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow", brought Minogue a greater degree of artistic credibility. Drawing inspiration from a range of musical styles and artists, Minogue took creative control over the songwriting for her next album, ''Impossible Princess'' (1997). It failed to attract strong reviews or sales in the UK, but was successful in Australia.

Minogue returned to prominence in 2000 with the single "Spinning Around" and the dance-oriented album ''Light Years'', and she performed during the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Her music videos showed a more sexually provocative and flirtatious personality and several hit singles followed. "Can't Get You Out of My Head" reached number one in more than 40 countries, and the album ''Fever'' (2001) was a hit in many countries, including the United States, a market in which Minogue had previously received little recognition. Minogue embarked on a concert tour but cancelled it when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After surgery and chemotherapy treatment, she resumed her career in 2006 with ''Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour''. Her tenth studio album ''X'' was released in 2007 and was followed by the ''KylieX2008'' tour. In 2009, she embarked upon her ''For You, For Me Tour'', her first concert tour of the United States and Canada, and the following year released her eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite''.

Minogue has achieved worldwide record sales of more than 68 million, and has received notable music awards, including multiple ARIA and Brit Awards and a Grammy Award. She has mounted several successful concert tours and received a Mo Award for "Australian Entertainer of the Year" for her live performances. She was awarded the Order of the British Empire "for services to music", and an Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2008. In 2011, I Should Be So Lucky was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry.

Life and career

1968–86: Early life and career beginnings

Kylie Ann Minogue was born 28 May 1968 in Melbourne, Australia, the eldest child of Ronald Charles Minogue, an accountant of Irish ancestry and Carol Ann (née Jones), a former dancer from Maesteg, Wales. Her sister, Dannii Minogue, is also a pop singer and is a judge on The X Factor, and her brother, Brendan, works as a news cameraman in Australia. The Minogue children were raised in Surrey Hills, Melbourne, and educated at Camberwell High School.

The Minogue sisters began their careers as children on Australian television. From the age of 11, Kylie appeared in small roles in soap operas such as ''The Sullivans'' and ''Skyways'', and in 1985 was cast in one of the lead roles in ''The Henderson Kids''. Interested in following a career in music, she made a demo tape for the producers of the weekly music programme ''Young Talent Time'', which featured Dannii as a regular performer. Kylie gave her first television singing performance on the show in 1985 but was not invited to join the cast. Dannii's success overshadowed Kylie's acting achievements, until Kylie was cast in the soap opera ''Neighbours'' in 1986, as Charlene Mitchell, a schoolgirl turned garage mechanic. ''Neighbours'' achieved popularity in the UK, and a story arc that created a romance between her character and the character played by Jason Donovan, culminated in a wedding episode in 1987 that attracted an audience of 20 million British viewers.

Her popularity in Australia was demonstrated when she became the first person to win four Logie Awards in one event, and the youngest recipient of the "Gold Logie" as the country's "Most Popular Television Performer", with the result determined by public vote.

1987–92: Stock, Aitken and Waterman and ''Kylie''

During a Fitzroy Football Club benefit concert with other ''Neighbours'' cast members, Minogue performed "I Got You Babe" as a duet with the actor John Waters, and "The Loco-Motion" as an encore, and was subsequently signed to a recording contract with Mushroom Records in 1987. Her first single, "The Loco-Motion", spent seven weeks at number one on the Australian music charts. It sold 200,000 copies, became the highest selling single of the 1980s, and Minogue received the ARIA Award for the year's highest selling single. Its success resulted in Minogue travelling to England with Mushroom Records executive Gary Ashley to work with Stock, Aitken & Waterman. They knew little of Minogue and had forgotten that she was arriving; as a result, they wrote "I Should Be So Lucky" while she waited outside the studio. The song reached number one in the UK, Australia, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Israel and Hong Kong. Minogue won her second consecutive ARIA Award for the year's highest selling single, and received a "Special Achievement Award". Her debut album, ''Kylie'', a collection of dance-oriented pop tunes spent more than a year on the British album charts, including several weeks at number one. The album went gold in the United States, and the single, "The Loco-Motion", reached number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, and number one on the Canadian Singles Chart. "It's No Secret", released only in the U.S., peaked at number 37 in early 1989, and "Turn It Into Love" was released as a single in Japan, where it reached number one.

In July 1988, "Got To Be Certain" became Minogue's third consecutive number one single on the Australian music charts, and later in the year she left ''Neighbours'' to focus on her music career. Jason Donovan commented "When viewers watched her on screen they no longer saw Charlene the local mechanic, they saw Kylie the pop star." A duet with Donovan, titled "Especially for You", sold almost one million copies in the UK in early 1989, but critic Kevin Killian wrote that the duet was "majestically awful ...[it] makes the Diana Ross, Lionel Richie 'Endless Love' sound like Mahler." She was sometimes referred to as "the Singing Budgie" by her detractors over the coming years, however Chris True's comment about the album ''Kylie'' for Allmusic suggests that Minogue's appeal transcended the limitations of her music, by noting that "her cuteness makes these rather vapid tracks bearable".

Her follow-up album ''Enjoy Yourself'' (1989) was a success in the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand, Asia and Australia, and contained several successful singles, including the British number one "Hand on Your Heart", but it failed throughout North America, and Minogue was dropped by her American record label Geffen Records. She embarked on her first concert tour, the Enjoy Yourself Tour, in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and Australia, where Melbourne's ''Herald Sun'' wrote that it was "time to ditch the snobbery and face facts—the kid's a star." In December 1989, Minogue was one of the featured vocalists on the remake of "Do They Know It's Christmas", and her debut film, ''The Delinquents'', premiered in London. It was poorly received by critics, and the ''Daily Mirror'' reviewed Minogue's performance with the comment that she "has as much acting charisma as cold porridge", but it proved popular with audiences; in the UK it grossed more than £200,000, and in Australia it was the fourth-highest grossing local film of 1989 and the highest grossing local film of 1990.

''Rhythm of Love'' (1990) presented a more sophisticated and adult style of dance music and also marked the first signs of Minogue's rebellion against her production team and the "girl-next-door" image. Determined to be accepted by a more mature audience, Minogue took control of her music videos, starting with "Better the Devil You Know", and presented herself as a sexually aware adult. Her relationship with Michael Hutchence was also seen as part of Minogue's departure from her earlier persona; Hutchence was quoted as saying that his hobby was "corrupting Kylie", and that the INXS song "Suicide Blonde" had been inspired by her. The singles from ''Rhythm of Love'' sold well in Europe and Australia and were popular in British nightclubs. Pete Waterman later reflected that "Better the Devil You Know" was a milestone in her career and said that it made her "the hottest, hippest dance act on the scene and nobody could knock it as it was the best dance record around at the time". "Shocked" became Minogue's thirteenth consecutive British top-10 single.

In May 1990, Minogue performed her band's arrangement of The Beatles's "Help!" before a crowd of 25,000 at the ''John Lennon: The Tribute Concert'' on the banks of the River Mersey in Liverpool. Yoko Ono and Sean Lennon offered Minogue their thanks for her support of The John Lennon Fund, while the media commented positively on her performance. ''The Sun'' wrote "The soap star wows the Scousers — Kylie Minogue deserved her applause". Her fourth album, ''Let's Get to It'' (1991), reached number 15 on the British album charts and was the first of her albums to fail to reach the Top 10; her fourteenth single "Word Is Out" was the first to miss the Top 10 singles chart, though subsequent singles "If You Were with Me Now" and "Give Me Just a Little More Time" reached number four and number two respectively. Minogue had fulfilled the requirements of her contract and elected not to renew it. She later expressed her opinion that she was stifled by Stock, Aitken and Waterman, and said, "I was very much a puppet in the beginning. I was blinkered by my record company. I was unable to look left or right."

A ''Greatest Hits'' album was released in 1992. It reached number one in the UK and number three in Australia, and the singles "What Kind of Fool (Heard All That Before)" and her cover version of Kool & The Gang's "Celebration" each reached the UK Top 20.

1993–98: Deconstruction, ''Kylie Minogue'' and ''Impossible Princess''

Minogue's subsequent signing with Deconstruction Records was highly touted in the music media as the beginning of a new phase in her career, but the eponymous ''Kylie Minogue'' (1994) received mixed reviews. It sold well in Europe and Australia, where the single "Confide in Me" spent four weeks at number one. She performed a striptease in the video for her next single, "Put Yourself in My Place", inspired by Jane Fonda in the film ''Barbarella''. This single and her next, "Where Is the Feeling?" each reached the British top 20, and the album peaked at number four, eventually selling 250,000 copies. During this period she made a guest appearance as herself, in an episode of the comedy ''The Vicar of Dibley''. The director Steven E. de Souza was intrigued by Minogue's cover photo in Australia's ''Who Magazine'' as one of "The 30 Most Beautiful People in the World", and offered her a role opposite Jean-Claude Van Damme in ''Street Fighter'' (1994). The film was a moderate success, earning USD$70 million in the U.S., but received poor reviews with ''The Washington Post'''s Richard Harrington calling Minogue "the worst actress in the English-speaking world". She co-starred with Pauly Shore and Stephen Baldwin in ''Bio-Dome'' (1996), but it was a failure, dismissed by ''Movie Magazine International'' as the "biggest waste of celluloid space". Minogue returned to Australia where she appeared in the short film, ''Hayride to Hell'' (1995), and then to the UK where she filmed a cameo role as herself in the film ''Diana & Me'' (1997).

Australian artist Nick Cave had been interested in working with Minogue since hearing "Better the Devil You Know", saying it contained "one of pop music's most violent and distressing lyrics" and "when Kylie Minogue sings these words, there is an innocence to her that makes the horror of this chilling lyric all the more compelling". They collaborated on "Where the Wild Roses Grow" (1995), a brooding ballad whose lyrics narrated a murder from the points of view of both the murderer (Cave), and his victim (Minogue). The video was inspired by John Everett Millais's painting ''Ophelia'' (1851–1852), and showed Minogue as the murdered woman, floating in a pond as a serpent swam over her body. The single received widespread attention in Europe, where it reached the top 10 in several countries, and acclaim in Australia where it reached number two on the singles chart, and won ARIA Awards for "Song of the Year" and "Best Pop Release". Following concert appearances with Cave, Minogue recited the lyrics to "I Should Be So Lucky" as poetry in London's Royal Albert Hall "Poetry Jam", at the suggestion of Cave, and later described it as a "most cathartic moment". She credited Cave with giving her the confidence to express herself artistically, saying: "He taught me to never veer too far from who I am, but to go further, try different things, and never lose sight of myself at the core. For me, the hard part was unleashing the core of myself and being totally truthful in my music." By 1997, Minogue was in a relationship with the French photographer Stéphane Sednaoui, who encouraged her to develop her creativity. Inspired by a mutual appreciation of Japanese culture, they created a visual combination of "geisha and manga superheroine" for the photographs taken for the album ''Impossible Princess'' and the video for "German Bold Italic", Minogue's collaboration with Towa Tei. Minogue drew inspiration from the music of artists such as Shirley Manson and Garbage, Björk, Tricky and U2, and Japanese pop musicians such as Pizzicato Five and Towa Tei.

''Impossible Princess'' featured collaborations with musicians such as James Dean Bradfield and Sean Moore of the Manic Street Preachers. Mostly a dance album, its style was not represented by its first single "Some Kind of Bliss", and Minogue countered suggestions that she was trying to become an indie artist. She told ''Music Week'', "I have to keep telling people that this isn't an indie-guitar album. I'm not about to pick up a guitar and rock." Acknowledging that she had attempted to escape the perceptions of her that had developed during her early career, Minogue commented that she was ready to "forget the painful criticism" and "accept the past, embrace it, use it". Her video for "Did It Again" paid homage to her earlier incarnations, as noted in her biography, ''La La La'', "Dance Kylie, Cute Kylie, Sex Kylie and Indie Kylie all struggled for supremacy as they battled bitchily with each other." ''Billboard'' described the album as "stunning" and concluded that "it's a golden commercial opportunity for a major [record company] with vision and energy [to release it in the United States]. A sharp ear will detect a kinship between ''Impossible Princess'' and Madonna's hugely successful album, ''Ray of Light''". In the UK, ''Music Week'' gave a negative assessment, commenting that "Kylie's vocals take on a stroppy edge ... but not strong enough to do much". Retitled ''Kylie Minogue'' in the UK following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, it became the lowest-selling album of her career. At the end of the year a campaign by ''Virgin Radio'' stated, "We've done something to improve Kylie's records: we've banned them." A poll conducted by ''Smash Hits'' voted her the "worst-dressed person, worst singer and second-most very horrible thing—after spiders".

In Australia, ''Impossible Princess'' spent 35 weeks on the album chart and peaked at number four, to become her most successful album since ''Kylie'' in 1988, and her Intimate and Live tour was extended due to demand. The Victorian Premier, Jeff Kennett, hosted a civic reception for Minogue in Melbourne, and she maintained her high profile in Australia with live performances, including the 1998 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, the opening ceremonies of Melbourne's Crown Casino and Sydney's Fox Studios in 1999, where she performed Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend", and a Christmas concert in Dili, East Timor in association with the United Nations Peace-Keeping Forces. During this time she filmed a small role for the Australian-made Molly Ringwald film, ''Cut'' (2000).

1999–2005: ''Light Years'', ''Fever'' and ''Body Language''

Minogue and Deconstruction Records parted company. She performed a duet with the Pet Shop Boys' on their ''Nightlife'' album and spent several months in Barbados performing in Shakespeare's ''The Tempest''. Returning to Australia, she appeared in the film ''Sample People'' and recorded a cover version of Russell Morris's "The Real Thing" for the soundtrack. She signed with Parlophone Records in April 1999. According to Miles Leonard, her new A&R; at Parlophone, it was the label and not Minogue that was responsible for her career downturn, believing that her talent hadn't been tapped into by Deconstruction. Leonard later told HitQuarters: "I believed that she was still very strong vocally, and still definitely a star ... and I knew that with the right project, the right songwriters, the right producers, the right team, she would still have a fanbase out there." Parlophone wanted to reestablish Minogue as the pop artist they felt she essentially was, but that had been lost. Leonard said: "But I didn't want to make a throwaway pop record, I wanted it to have an edge and some depth."

Her album ''Light Years'' (2000) was a collection of dance songs, influenced by disco music. Minogue said that her intention was to present dance-pop music in a "more exaggerated form" and to make it "fun". It generated strong reviews and was successful throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe, selling over one million copies in the UK. The single "Spinning Around" became her first British number one in ten years, and its accompanying video featured Minogue in revealing gold hot pants, which came to be regarded as a "trademark". The single was described by a 2009 The Times article as heralding a new era in synthpop that was continuing. Her second single, "On a Night Like This" reached number one in Australia and number two in the UK. "Kids", a duet with Robbie Williams, was also included on Williams's album ''Sing When You're Winning'', and peaked at number two in the UK.

In 2000, Minogue performed ABBA's "Dancing Queen" and her single "On a Night like This" at the 2000 Sydney Olympics closing ceremony. She then embarked upon a concert tour, On A Night like This Tour, which played to sell-out crowds in Australia and the United Kingdom. Minogue was inspired by Madonna's 1993 world tour The Girlie Show which incorporated Burlesque and theatre, William Baker also cited the style of Broadway shows such as ''42nd Street'', films such as ''Anchors Aweigh'', ''South Pacific'', the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals of the 1930s and the live performances of Bette Midler. Minogue was praised for her new material and her reinterpretations of some of her greatest successes, turning "I Should Be So Lucky" into a torch song and "Better the Devil You Know" into a 1940s big band number. She won a "Mo Award" for Australian live entertainment as "Performer of the Year". Following the tour she was asked by a ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' journalist what she thought was her greatest strength, and replied, "[That] I am an all-rounder. If I was to choose any one element of what I do, I don't know if I would excel at any one of them. But put all of them together, and I know what I'm doing."

She appeared as "The Green Fairy" in ''Moulin Rouge!'' (2001), shortly before the release of ''Fever'', an album containing disco elements combined with 1980s electropop and synthpop. ''Fever'' reached number one in Australia, the UK, and throughout Europe, eventually achieving worldwide sales in excess of eight million. Its lead single "Can't Get You Out of My Head" became the biggest success of her career, reaching number one in more than 40 countries. She won four ARIA Awards including a "Most Outstanding Achievement" award, and two Brit Awards, for "Best international female solo artist" and "Best international album". ''Rolling Stone'' states that "Can't Get You out of My Head" "was easily the best and most omnipresent dance track of the new century", and following extensive airplay by American radio, Capitol Records released it and the album ''Fever'' in the U.S. in 2002. ''Fever'' debuted on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart at number three, and "Can't Get You out of My Head" reached number seven on the Hot 100. The subsequent singles "In Your Eyes", "Love at First Sight" and "Come into My World" were successful throughout the world, and Minogue established a presence in the mainstream North American market, particularly in the club scene. Minogue followed the success of the album by touring the United States with the Jingle Ball festival, visiting Miami, Anaheim, New York City, Philadelphia and Houston. In 2003 she received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Dance Recording" for "Love at First Sight", and the following year won the same award for "Come into My World".

Minogue's stylist and creative director William Baker explained that the music videos for the ''Fever'' album were inspired by science fiction films—specifically those by Stanley Kubrick—and accentuated the electropop elements of the music by using dancers in the style of Kraftwerk. Alan MacDonald, the designer of the 2002 KylieFever tour, brought those elements into the stage show which drew inspiration from Minogue's past incarnations. The show opened with Minogue as a space age vamp, which she described as "Queen of Metropolis with her drones", through to scenes inspired by Kubrick's ''A Clockwork Orange'', followed by the various personas of Minogue's career. Minogue said that she was finally able to express herself the way she wanted, and that she had always been "a showgirl at heart". During 2002 she worked on the animated film ''The Magic Roundabout'', released in 2005 in Europe and 2006 in the U.S.; she voiced one of the principal characters, Florence.

Minogue began a relationship with the French actor, Olivier Martinez, after meeting him at the 2002 Grammy Awards ceremony. Her next album, ''Body Language'' (2003), was released following an invitation-only concert, titled ''Money Can't Buy'', at the Hammersmith Apollo in London. The event marked the presentation of a new visual style, designed by Minogue and Baker, inspired in part by Brigitte Bardot, about whom Minogue commented: "I just tended to think of BB [Bardot] as, well, she's a sexpot, isn't she? She's one of the greatest pinups. But she was fairly radical in her own way at that time. And we chose to reference the period, which was ... a perfect blend of coquette and rock and roll." The album downplayed the disco style and Minogue said she was inspired by 1980s artists such as Scritti Politti, The Human League, Adam and the Ants and Prince, blending their styles with elements of hip hop. It received positive reviews with ''Billboard Magazine'' writing of "Minogue's knack for picking great songs and producers". Allmusic described it as "a near perfect pop record... ''Body Language'' is what happens when a dance-pop diva takes the high road and focuses on what's important instead of trying to shock herself into continued relevance". Sales of ''Body Language'' were lower than anticipated after the success of ''Fever'', though the first single, "Slow", was a number-one hit in the UK and Australia. After reaching number one on the US club chart, "Slow" received a Grammy Award nomination in the Best Dance Recording category.

''Body Language'' achieved first week sales of 43,000 in the U.S., and declined significantly in the second week. ''The Wall Street Journal'' described Minogue as "an international superstar who seems perpetually unable to conquer the U.S. market". Minogue commented that she had told her American record company that she was not willing to invest the time needed to establish herself in the U.S. and that she would rather enhance the success she had already achieved in other parts of the world, an attitude endorsed by ''Billboard'' analyst Geoff Mayfield as a "business decision... If I were her accountant, I couldn't blame her for making that call." Minogue later commented that she was not concerned by her limited success in the U.S. and was more frustrated by assumptions that she considered her career incomplete without it.

Minogue played a guest role in the season finale of the comedy series ''Kath & Kim'', in which she referenced her earlier role as Charlene in ''Neighbours'', during a wedding sequence. The episode achieved the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's highest ratings of the year.

She released her second official greatest hits album in November 2004, entitled ''Ultimate Kylie'', along with her music videos on a DVD compilation of the same title. The album introduced her singles "I Believe in You", co-written with Jake Shears and Babydaddy from the Scissor Sisters, and "Giving You Up". "I Believe in You" reached the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play top three, and Minogue was nominated for a Grammy Award for the fourth consecutive year when the song was nominated in the category of "Best Dance Recording".

Early in 2005, Kylie : The Exhibition opened in Melbourne. The free exhibition featured costumes and photographs spanning Minogue's career and went on to tour Australian capital cities receiving over 300,000 visitors, and was exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in February 2007. Minogue commenced her Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour, and after performing in Europe, travelled to Melbourne, where she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

2006–09: Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour, ''X'', KylieX2008 and For You, for Me Tour

In November 2006, Minogue resumed her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour with a performance in Sydney. She had told journalists before the concert that she would be highly emotional, and she cried before dedicating the song "Especially for You" to her father, a survivor of prostate cancer. Her dance routines had been reworked to accommodate her medical condition, and slower costume changes and longer breaks were introduced between sections of the show to conserve her strength. The media reported that Minogue performed energetically, with the ''Sydney Morning Herald'' describing the show as an "extravaganza" and "nothing less than a triumph". The following night, Minogue was joined by Bono, who was in Australia as part of U2's ''Vertigo'' tour, for the duet "Kids", but Minogue was forced to cancel a subsequent planned appearance at U2's show, because of exhaustion. Minogue's shows throughout Australia continued to draw positive reviews, and after spending Christmas with her family, she resumed the European leg of her tour with six sold-out shows in Wembley Arena, before taking her tour to Manchester for a further six shows.

In February 2007, Minogue and Olivier Martinez announced that they had ended their relationship, but remained on friendly terms. Minogue was reported to have been "saddened by false [media] accusations of [Martinez's] disloyalty". She defended Martinez, and acknowledged the support he had given during her treatment for breast cancer, commenting "He was always there, helping with the practical stuff and being protective. He was incredible. He didn't hesitate in cancelling work and putting projects on hold so he could be with me. He's the most honourable man I have ever met."

Minogue released ''X'', her tenth studio album and much-discussed "comeback" album, in November 2007. The electro-styled album included contributions from Guy Chambers, Cathy Dennis, Bloodshy & Avant and Calvin Harris. For the overarching visual look of ''X'', including the music video for first single "2 Hearts", Minogue and William Baker developed a combination of the style of Kabuki theatre and the aesthetics originating from London danceclubs including BoomBox. The album received some criticism for the triviality of its subject matter in light of Minogue's experiences with breast cancer; she responded by explaining the personal nature of some of the album's songs, and said "My conclusion is that if I'd done an album of personal songs it'd be seen as 'Impossible Princess 2' and be equally critiqued." ''Rolling Stone'''s reviewer described Minogue as "pop divadom's party planner in chief", and said of her breast cancer, "thankfully, the experience hasn't made her music discernibly deeper". Minogue later said, "In retrospect we could definitely have bettered it [the album], I'll say that straight up. Given the time we had, it is what it is. I had a lot of fun doing it." ''X'' and "2 Hearts" entered at number one on the Australian albums and singles charts respectively. In the UK, ''X'' initially attracted lukewarm sales, although its commercial performance eventually improved, and Minogue won a Brit Award for "International solo female". ''X'' was released in the U.S. in April 2008, and debuted outside the top 100 on the albums chart despite some promotion. Minogue called the U.S. market "notoriously difficult ... [Y]ou have so many denominations with radio. To know where I fit within that market is sometimes difficult." ''X'' was nominated for the 2009 Grammy Award for Best Electronic/Dance Album, Minogue's fifth Grammy Award nomination.

In December 2007, Minogue participated in the ''Nobel Peace Prize Concert'' in Oslo, Norway, and later performed in the final of the UK talent show ''The X Factor'' with the eventual winner, Leon Jackson, whose mentor was Dannii Minogue. From May 2008, Minogue promoted ''X'' with a European tour, KylieX2008, which is her most expensive tour to date with production costs of £10 million. Although she described the rehearsals as "grim" and the set list went through several overhauls, the tour was generally acclaimed and sold well.

Minogue was featured in ''White Diamond'', a documentary filmed during 2006 and 2007 as she resumed her Showgirl Homecoming Tour. She appeared in ''The Kylie Show'', which featured highly stylised set-piece song performances from Minogue as well as comedy sketches with Mathew Horne, Dannii Minogue, Jason Donovan and Simon Cowell. She co-starred in the 2007 ''Doctor Who'' Christmas special episode, "Voyage of the Damned", as Astrid Peth, a waitress on a spaceship ''Titanic''. The episode aired on 25 December 2007, with 13.31 million viewers, the show's highest viewing figures since 1979.

It was announced in late December 2007 that Minogue was to be among those honoured in Queen Elizabeth II's 2008 New Years Honours list, with an OBE for services to music. Minogue commented "I am almost as surprised as I am honoured. I feel deeply touched to be acknowledged by the UK, my adopted home, in this way." She received the OBE officially from The Prince of Wales in July 2008. In May, 2008 Minogue was awarded the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France's highest cultural honour. Culture Minister Christine Albanel described Minogue as a "midas of the international music scene who turns everything she touches into gold", and saluted her for publicly discussing her breast cancer. In July, Minogue was named the UK's "Best Loved Celebrity" by a tabloid newspaper, who commented that she "won the hearts of the nation as she bravely battled breast cancer", and won the "Best International Female Solo Artist" award at the 2008 BRIT Awards.

In late September 2008, Minogue made her Middle East debut as the headline act at the opening of Atlantis, The Palm, an exclusive hotel resort in Dubai, and from November, she continued with her ''KylieX2008'' tour, taking the show to cities across South America, Asia and Australia. The tour visited 21 countries, and was considered a success, with ticket sales estimated at $70,000,000. She hosted the ''2009 BRIT Awards'' on 18 February 2009 with James Corden and Mathew Horne.

In September and October 2009, Minogue embarked on the For You, For Me Tour, her first North American concert tour, which included shows in the U.S. and Canada. She was also featured in the Bollywood film, ''Blue'', performing an A.R. Rahman song, and had confirmed that she was working on her eleventh studio album, commenting that it would be an album of dance and pop music. On 13 September 2009, Minogue performed "Super Trouper" and "When All Is Said and Done" with Benny Andersson at the ABBA tribute concert "Thank You for the Music... a Celebration of the Music of ABBA" at London's Hyde Park, her only live performance in the UK in 2009. On 14 December 2009, Minogue released a download-only concert album entitled ''Kylie: Live in New York''. The album was recorded at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom and contains 25 live version songs.

2010–present: ''Aphrodite''

Minogue's eleventh studio album, ''Aphrodite'', was released in Japan on 30 June 2010 and worldwide in July 2010. The lead single, "All the Lovers", premiered on radio in May 2010 and was made available for purchase in June 2010. The album debuted at number one in the UK charts, exactly twenty two years after her first UK number one hit. On 3 June 2010, she hosted the inaugural AmfAR "Inspiration Gala" at the New York Public Library honouring Jean Paul Gaultier for his lifelong contribution to men's fashion and the fight against AIDS. Minogue appeared on BBC1's ''Friday Night With Jonathan Ross'' on 25 June 2010, during which she confirmed she is a UK resident, and announced that she will tour in 2011.

In July 2010, Minogue filmed a cameo performance as a rock star in the American independent film ''Jack and Diane''. The movie stars Juno Temple, Riley Keough and Jena Malone. She also recorded a duet titled "Devotion" with British synthpop duo Hurts for their debut album ''Happiness'', released on 6 September 2010. The second single from ''Aphrodite'', titled "Get Outta My Way" was released on 27 September 2010. In October 2010, Minogue performed in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramids at Giza, Egypt to celebrate the anniversary of "Enigma" magazine, with profits going to the We Owe It To Egypt Foundation. A third single, "Better Than Today", was released on 6 December 2010.

Minogue's singles, "All the Lovers" and "Get Outta My Way", were popular in U.S. clubs, each reaching number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Club Songs chart. On March 5, 2011 "Better Than Today" was at number one on the chart, and her collaboration with Taio Cruz, "Higher", was at number three, making her the first artist in the chart's history to have two singles simultaneously in the top three. On 1 December 2010, Minogue and Parlophone records released the EP ''A Kylie Christmas'' on iTunes, which included a cover of the 1945 song "Let It Snow" as well as "Santa Baby" which was previously available as a b-side to her 2000 single "Please Stay". In August 2011, "Put Your Hands Up (If You Feel Love)", also reached number one on the Billboard dance chart, where Minogue has now achieved five consecutive number one spots on the chart for her last five releases - including her collaboration with Taio Cruz on the track, "Higher".

In 2011, Minogue embarked on the ''Aphrodite World Tour'', travelling to Europe, North America, Canada, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Image and celebrity status

Minogue's efforts to be taken seriously as a recording artist were initially hindered by the perception that she had not "paid her dues" and was no more than a manufactured pop star exploiting the image she had created during her stint on ''Neighbours''. Minogue acknowledged this viewpoint, saying, "if you're part of a record company, I think to a degree it's fair to say that you're a manufactured product. You're a product and you're selling a product. It doesn't mean that you're not talented and that you don't make creative and business decisions about what you will and won't do and where you want to go." In 1993, Baz Luhrmann introduced Minogue to the photographer Bert Stern, notable for his work with Marilyn Monroe. Stern photographed her in Los Angeles and, comparing her to Monroe, commented that Minogue had a similar mix of vulnerability and eroticism. During her career Minogue has chosen photographers who attempt to create a new "look" for her, and the resulting photographs have appeared in a variety of magazines, from the cutting edge ''The Face'' to the more traditionally sophisticated ''Vogue'' and ''Vanity Fair'', making the Minogue face and name known to a broad group of people. Stylist William Baker has suggested that this is part of the reason she has entered in the mainstream pop culture of Europe more successfully than many other pop singers who concentrate solely on selling records.

By 2000, when Minogue returned to prominence, she was considered to be have achieved a degree of musical credibility for having maintained her career longer than her critics had expected. That same year, ''Birmingham Post'' noted "[o]nce upon a time, long before anybody had even heard of Britney, Christina, Jessica or Mandy, Australian singer Kylie Minogue ruled the charts as princess of pop. Back in 1988 her first single, I Should Be So Lucky, spent five weeks at number one, making her the most successful female artist in the UK charts with 13 successive Top 10 entries." Her progression from the wholesome "girl next door" to a more sophisticated performer with a flirtatious and playful persona attracted new fans to her. Her "Spinning Around" video led to some media outlets referring to her as "SexKylie", and sex became a stronger element in her subsequent videos. William Baker described her status as a sex symbol as a "double edged sword" observing that "we always attempted to use her sex appeal as an enhancement of her music and to sell a record. But now it has become in danger of eclipsing what she actually is: a pop singer." After 20 years as a performer, Minogue was described as a fashion "trend-setter" and a "style icon who constantly reinvents herself". She has been acknowledged for mounting successful tours, and for worldwide record sales of more than 60 million.

Minogue is regarded as a gay icon, which she encourages with comments such as "I am not a traditional gay icon. There's been no tragedy in my life, only tragic outfits..." and "My gay audience has been with me from the beginning ... they kind of adopted me." Minogue has explained that she first became aware of her gay audience in 1988, when several drag queens performed to her music at a Sydney pub and she later saw a similar show in Melbourne. She said that she felt "very touched" to have such an "appreciative crowd" and this had encouraged her to perform at gay venues throughout the world, as well as headlining the 1994 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Minogue has been inspired by and compared to Madonna throughout her career. Her producer, Pete Waterman recalled Minogue during the early years of her success, with the observation, "She was setting her sights on becoming the new Prince or Madonna... What I found amazing was that she was outselling Madonna four to one, but still wanted to be her." Minogue received negative comments that her Rhythm of Love tour in 1991 was too similar visually to Madonna's Blond Ambition World Tour of the previous year for which the critics labelled her a Madonna wannabe. Kathy McCabe for ''The Telegraph'' notes that Minogue and Madonna follow similar styles in music and fashion, and concludes, "Where they truly diverge on the pop-culture scale is in shock value. Minogue's clips might draw a gasp from some but Madonna's ignite religious and political debate unlike any other artist on the planet... Simply, Madonna is the dark force; Kylie is the light force." ''Rolling Stone'' comments that, with the exception of the U.S., Minogue is regarded throughout the world as "an icon to rival Madonna", and says, "Like Madonna, Minogue was not a virtuosic singer but a canny trend spotter." Minogue has said of Madonna, "Her huge influence on the world, in pop and fashion, meant that I wasn't immune to the trends she created. I admire Madonna greatly but in the beginning she made it difficult for artists like me, she had done everything there was to be done...", and "Madonna's the Queen of Pop, I'm the princess. I'm quite happy with that."

In January 2007 Madame Tussauds in London unveiled its fourth waxwork of Minogue; only Queen Elizabeth II has had more models created. During the same week a bronze cast of her hands was added to Wembley Arena's "Square of Fame". On 23 November 2007, a bronze statue of Minogue was unveiled at Melbourne Docklands for permanent display.

In March 2010, Minogue was declared by researchers as the "most powerful celebrity in Britain". The study examined how marketers identify celebrity and brand partnerships. Mark Husak, head of Millward Brown's UK media practice, said: "Kylie is widely accepted as an adopted Brit. People know her, like her and she is surrounded by positive buzz".

Cancer

Minogue was diagnosed with breast cancer on 17 May 2005, leading to the postponement of the remainder of her Showgirl – The Greatest Hits Tour and her withdrawal from the Glastonbury Festival. Her hospitalisation and treatment in Melbourne resulted in a brief but intense period of media coverage, particularly in Australia, where Prime Minister John Howard issued a statement supporting Minogue. As media and fans began to congregate outside the Minogue residence in Melbourne, the Victorian Premier Steve Bracks warned the international media that any disruption of the Minogue family's rights under Australian privacy laws would not be tolerated. His comments became part of a wider criticism of the media's overall reaction, with particular criticism directed towards paparazzi. Minogue underwent surgery on 21 May 2005 at Cabrini Hospital in Malvern, and commenced chemotherapy treatment soon after.

On 8 July 2005, she made her first public appearance after her surgery, when she visited a children's cancer ward at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital. She returned to France where she completed her chemotherapy treatment at the Institut Gustave-Roussy in Villejuif, near Paris. In December 2005, Minogue released a digital-only single, "Over the Rainbow", a live recording from her Showgirl tour. Her children's book, ''The Showgirl Princess'', written during her period of convalescence, was published in October 2006, and her perfume, "Darling", was launched in November. This range was later augmented by eau de toilettes such as Pink Sparkle, Couture and Inverse. On her return to Australia for her concert tour, she discussed her illness, and said that her chemotherapy treatment had been like "experiencing a nuclear bomb". While appearing on ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' in 2008, Minogue said that her cancer had originally been misdiagnosed. She commented, "Because someone is in a white coat and using big medical instruments doesn't necessarily mean they're right", but she later spoke of her respect for the medical profession.

Minogue was acknowledged for the impact she had made by publicly discussing her cancer diagnosis and treatment; in May 2008, the French Cultural Minister Christine Albanel said, "Doctors now even go as far as saying there is a 'Kylie effect' that encourages young women to have regular checks."

Discography

''Kylie'' (1988)

''Enjoy Yourself'' (1989)

''Rhythm of Love'' (1990)

''Let's Get to It'' (1991)

''Kylie Minogue'' (1994)

''Impossible Princess'' (1997)

''Light Years'' (2000)

''Fever'' (2001)

''Body Language'' (2003)

''X'' (2007)

''Aphrodite'' (2010)

See also

List of awards and nominations received by Kylie Minogue

List of Kylie Minogue concert tours

Kylie Minogue filmography

Honorific nicknames in popular music

List of best-selling music artists

References

;Notes

;Bibliography

External links

 – owned and maintained by EMI and represents Kylie Minogue

Kylie Minogue Collection at the Performing Arts Collection

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Melbourne Category:ARIA Award winners Category:Australian child actors Category:Australian dance musicians Category:Australian expatriates in the United Kingdom Category:Australian female singers Category:Australian film actors Category:Australian pop singers Category:Australian television actors Category:Australian people of Irish descent Category:Australian people of Welsh descent Category:Breast cancer survivors Category:BRIT Award winners Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Nu-disco musicians Category:Freestyle musicians Category:Gold Logie winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:LGBT rights activists from Australia Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Parlophone artists Category:Recipients of the Centenary Medal Category:Singers from Melbourne Category:The X Factor judges Category:The X Factor (UK) Category:Chevaliers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

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birth date	April 22, 1937
birth place	New York City, U.S.
birthname	John Joseph Nicholson
occupation	Actor, director, producer, screenwriter
yearsactive	1958–present
spouse	Sandra Knight (1962–68)
children	}}

John Joseph "Jack" Nicholson (April 22, 1937) is an American actor, film director, producer and writer. He is renowned for his often dark-themed portrayals of neurotic characters. Nicholson has been nominated for Academy Awards 12 times and won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice, for ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'' and for ''As Good as It Gets'', and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the 1983 film ''Terms of Endearment''. He is tied with Walter Brennan for most acting wins by a male actor (three), and second to Katharine Hepburn for most acting wins overall (four). He is also best known for playing the famous villain ''Jack Torrance'' in ''The Shining''.

He is also one of only two actors nominated for an Academy Award for acting (either lead or supporting) in every decade from the 1960s to 2000s (the other one being Michael Caine). He has won seven Golden Globe Awards, and received a Kennedy Center Honor in 2001. In 1994, he became one of the youngest actors to be awarded the American Film Institute's Life Achievement Award. Notable films in which he has starred include, in chronological order, ''Easy Rider'', ''Five Easy Pieces'', ''Chinatown'', ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'', ''Reds'', ''Terms of Endearment'', ''Batman'', ''A Few Good Men'', ''Hoffa'', ''Wolf'', ''As Good as It Gets'', ''About Schmidt'', ''Something's Gotta Give'' and ''The Departed''.

Early life

Nicholson was born in St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City, the son of a showgirl, June Frances Nicholson (stage name June Nilson). June had married Italian American showman Donald Furcillo (stage name Donald Rose) six months earlier in Elkton, Maryland, on October 16, 1936. Elkton was a town known for its "quickie" marriages. Furcillo, however, was already married, and, although he offered to take care of the child, June's mother Ethel insisted that she bring up the baby, partly so that June could pursue her dancing career. Although Donald Furcillo claimed to be Nicholson's father and to have committed bigamy by marrying June, biographer Patrick McGilligan asserted in ''Jack's Life'' that Latvian-born Eddie King (originally Edgar A. Kirschfeld), June's manager, may be the father, and other sources have suggested that June Nicholson was unsure of who the father was. Nicholson's mother was of Irish, English, and Dutch descent, though he and his family self-identified as Irish.

Nicholson was brought up believing that his grandparents, John Joseph Nicholson (a department store window dresser in Manasquan, New Jersey) and Ethel May Rhoads (a hairdresser, beautician and amateur artist in Manasquan), were his parents. Nicholson only discovered that his "parents" were actually his grandparents and his sister was in fact his mother in 1974, after a journalist for ''TIME'' magazine who was doing a feature on Nicholson informed him of the fact. By this time, both his mother and grandmother had died (in 1963 and 1970, respectively). Nicholson has stated he does not know who his father is, saying "Only Ethel and June knew and they never told anybody", and has chosen not to have a DNA test or to pursue the matter.

Nicholson grew up in Neptune City, New Jersey. He was raised in his mother's Roman Catholic religion. Before starting high school, his family moved to an apartment in Spring Lake, New Jersey. "Nick", as he was known to his high school friends, attended nearby Manasquan High School, where he was voted "class clown" by the Class of 1954. A theatre and a drama award at the school are named in his honor. In 2004, Nicholson attended his 50-year high school reunion accompanied by his aunt Lorraine.

Career

Early work

When Nicholson first came to Hollywood, he worked as a gofer for animation legends William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at the MGM cartoon studio. Seeing his talent as an artist, they offered Nicholson a starting level position as an animation artist. However, citing his desire to become an actor, he declined.

He made his film debut in a low-budget teen drama ''Black Queens'', in 1958, playing the role. For the following decade, Nicholson was a frequent collaborator with the film's producer, Roger Corman. Corman directed Nicholson on several occasions, most notably in ''The Little Shop of Horrors'', as masochistic dental patient Wilbur Force, and also in ''The Raven'', ''The Terror'', and ''The St. Valentine's Day Massacre''. He worked frequently with director Monte Hellman as well on low-budget westerns, though two in particular, ''Ride in the Whirlwind'' and ''The Shooting'', initially failed to find interest from any US film distributors but gained cult success on the art house circuit in France and were later sold to television.

Rise to fame

With his acting career heading nowhere, Nicholson seemed resigned to a career behind the camera as a writer/director. His first real taste of writing success was the LSD-fueled screenplay for the 1967 film, ''The Trip'' (directed by Corman), which starred Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper. Nicholson also co-wrote, with Bob Rafelson, the movie ''Head'', which starred The Monkees. In addition, he also arranged the movie's soundtrack. However, after a spot opened up in Fonda and Hopper's ''Easy Rider'', it led to his first big acting break. Nicholson played hard-drinking lawyer George Hanson, for which he received his first Oscar nomination. The part of Hanson was a lucky break for Nicholson—the role had in fact been written for actor Rip Torn, who was a close friend of screen writer Terry Southern, but Torn withdrew from the project after a bitter argument with the film's director Dennis Hopper, during which the two men almost came to blows.

A Best Actor nomination came the following year for his persona-defining role in ''Five Easy Pieces'' (1970). Also that year, he appeared in the movie adaptation of ''On A Clear Day You Can See Forever'', although most of his performance was left on the cutting room floor.

Other Nicholson roles included Hal Ashby's ''The Last Detail'' (1973), for which he was awarded Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival, and the classic Roman Polanski noir thriller, ''Chinatown'' (1974). Nicholson was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for both films. Nicholson was friends with the director long before the death of Polanski's wife, Sharon Tate, at the hands of the Manson Family, and supported him in the days following the deaths. After Tate's death, Nicholson began sleeping with a hammer under his pillow, and took breaks from work to attend the Manson trial. It was at Nicholson's home where the rape case for which Polanski was arrested occurred.

He starred in The Who's ''Tommy'' (1975), directed by Ken Russell, and Michelangelo Antonioni's ''The Passenger'' (1975).

Nicholson earned his first Best Actor Oscar for portraying Randle P. McMurphy in the movie adaptation of Ken Kesey's novel ''One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', directed by Miloš Forman in 1975. His Oscar was matched when Louise Fletcher received the Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Nurse Ratched.

After this, he began to take more unusual roles. He took a small role in ''The Last Tycoon'', opposite Robert De Niro. He took a less sympathetic role in Arthur Penn's western ''The Missouri Breaks'', specifically to work with Marlon Brando. He followed this by making his second directorial effort with the western comedy ''Goin' South''. His first movie as a director was a 1971 quirky release called ''Drive, He Said''.

Although he garnered no Academy Award for Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's ''The Shining'' (1980), it remains one of Nicholson's most significant roles. His next Oscar, the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, came for his role of retired astronaut Garrett Breedlove in ''Terms of Endearment'' (1983), directed by James L. Brooks. Nicholson continued to work prolifically in the 80s, starring in such films as ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' (1981), ''Reds'' (1981), ''Prizzi's Honor'' (1985), ''The Witches of Eastwick'' (1987), ''Broadcast News'' (1987), and ''Ironweed'' (1987). Three Oscar nominations also followed (''Reds'', ''Prizzi's Honor'', and ''Ironweed'').

Nicholson introduced several acts at Live Aid at the JFK Stadium in July 1985. He turned down the role of John Book in ''Witness''. The 1989 ''Batman'' movie, wherein Nicholson played the psychotic murderer and villain, The Joker, was an international smash hit, and a lucrative percentage deal earned Nicholson about $60 million.

For his role as hot-headed Col. Nathan R. Jessep in ''A Few Good Men'' (1992), a movie about a murder in a U.S. Marine Corps unit, Nicholson received yet another Academy nomination. This film contained the court scene in which Nicholson famously explodes, "You can't handle the truth!", in one of the Aaron Sorkin-penned monologues to become part of popular culture.

In 1996, Nicholson collaborated once more with ''Batman'' director Tim Burton on ''Mars Attacks!'', pulling double duty as two contrasting characters, President James Dale and Las Vegas property developer Art Land. At first studio executives at Warner Bros. disliked the idea of killing off Nicholson's character, so Burton created two characters and killed them both off.

Not all of Nicholson's performances have been well received. He was nominated for Razzie Awards as worst actor for ''Man Trouble'' (1992) and ''Hoffa'' (1992). However, Nicholson's performance in ''Hoffa'' also earned a Golden Globe nomination.

Nicholson would go on to win his next Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Melvin Udall, a neurotic author with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), in the romance ''As Good as It Gets'' (1997), again directed by James L. Brooks. Nicholson's Oscar was matched with the Academy Award for Best Actress for Helen Hunt as a Manhattan waitress drawn into a love/hate friendship with Udall, a frequent diner in the restaurant in which she worked.

In 2001, Nicholson was the first actor to receive the Stanislavsky Award at the Moscow International Film Festival for "conquering the heights of acting and faithfulness".

2002–present

In ''About Schmidt'' (2002), Nicholson portrayed a retired Omaha, Nebraska actuary who questions his own life following his wife's death. His quiet, restrained performance stood in sharp contrast to many of his previous roles, and earned him an Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor. In the comedy ''Anger Management'' (2003), he plays an aggressive therapist assigned to help overly pacifist Adam Sandler. In the same year, Nicholson starred in ''Something's Gotta Give'', as an aging playboy who falls for the mother (Diane Keaton) of his young girlfriend. In late 2006, Nicholson marked his return to the "dark side" as Frank Costello, a sadistic Boston Irish Mob boss presiding over Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning ''The Departed'', a remake of Andrew Lau's ''Infernal Affairs''.

In November 2006, Nicholson began filming his next project, Rob Reiner's ''The Bucket List'', a role for which he shaved his head. The film starred Nicholson and Morgan Freeman as dying men who fulfill their list of goals. The film was released on December 25, 2007 (limited) and January 11, 2008 (wide). In researching the role, Nicholson visited a Los Angeles hospital to see how cancer patients coped with their illnesses.

His last film role to date saw him reunite with ''Terms of Endearment'' and ''As Good As It Gets'' director James L. Brooks for a small supporting role as Paul Rudd's father in ''How Do You Know''.

Personal life

Family and relationships

Nicholson has been romantically linked to numerous actresses and models, including Michelle Phillips, Bebe Buell, and Lara Flynn Boyle. Nicholson's longest relationship was for 16 years with actress Anjelica Huston, daughter of film director John Huston, from 1973 to 1989. However, the relationship ended when the media reported that Rebecca Broussard had become pregnant with Nicholson's child. Nicholson and Broussard had two children together, Lorraine (born 1990) and Raymond Nicholson (born 1992). Nicholson's other children are Jennifer (born 1963 with Sandra Knight) and Honey Hollman (b. 1981 with Winnie Hollman). Actress Susan Anspach contends that her son, Caleb Goddard (born 1970), was fathered by Nicholson, though he is not convinced he is the father.

Celebrity friendships

Nicholson lived next door to Marlon Brando for a number of years on Mulholland Drive in Beverly Hills. Warren Beatty also lived nearby, earning the road the nickname "Bad Boy Drive". After Brando's death in 2004, Nicholson purchased his neighbor's bungalow for $6.1 million, with the purpose of having it demolished. Nicholson stated that it was done out of respect to Brando's legacy, as it had become too expensive to renovate the "derelict" building which was plagued by mold.

Nicholson also shared a friendship with author-journalist Hunter S. Thompson, described in his autobiography "Kingdom of Fear" where, according to Thompson, they would exchange "bizarre" presents which resulted in a perceived assassination attempt against the actor. Thompson appeared outside his home on the night of Nicholson's birthday, having set off a high-powered spotlight and gunfire, playing a tape of animal cries through an amplifier to awaken him. He then left a freshly-cut elk's heart on his door as a joke before leaving when it appeared that nobody would exit the house. Following the death of Thompson in 2005, he and fellow actors Johnny Depp, John Cusack, and Sean Penn attended his private memorial service in Colorado.

Hobbies

Nicholson is a fan of the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Lakers. His attendance at Lakers games is legendary, as he is a season ticket holder since 1970 and has held courtside season tickets for the past 25 years at both The Forum and the Staples Center, missing very few games. In a few instances, Nicholson has engaged in arguments with game officials and opposing players, and has even walked onto the court. His ardent refusal to miss a Lakers home game means that studios are rumored to have to schedule filming around the Lakers home schedule although he disputed this claim in an interview with BBC radio in 2008.

Nicholson is a collector of twentieth century and contemporary art, including the work of Scottish artist Jack Vettriano.

Political activism

Though he has not been very public about his political views, Nicholson has considered himself a lifelong Democrat. On February 4, 2008, he announced his endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton in her race for the President of the United States. In an interview on Rick Dees' radio program, Nicholson said, "Mrs. Clinton has been involved in issues, everything from health care, which we know and prison reform and helping the military, speaking for women and speaking for Americans. And besides, it's about time we have a Prez with a nice tush."

Honors

Then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver announced on May 28, 2008 that Nicholson would be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, located at The California Museum for History, Women and the Arts. The induction ceremony took place on December 15, 2008 where he was inducted alongside 11 other legendary Californians.

In 2011, Nicholson received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from Brown University at its two hundred and forty-third commencement. At the ceremony Ruth Simmons, Brown University's president, called him, "the most skilled actor of our lifetime."

Academy Awards history

With twelve nominations (eight for Best Actor and four for Best Supporting Actor), Jack Nicholson is the most nominated male actor in Academy Awards history. Only Nicholson and Michael Caine have been nominated for an acting (lead or supporting) Academy Award in five different decades: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. With three Oscar wins, he also ties with Walter Brennan for the second highest-number of Oscar wins in acting categories (all of Brennan's wins were for Best Supporting Actor).

At the 79th Academy Awards, Nicholson had fully shaved his hair for his role in ''The Bucket List''. Those ceremonies represented the seventh time he has presented the Academy Award for Best Picture (1972, 1977, 1978, 1990, 1993, 2006, and 2007).

Nicholson is an active and voting member of the Academy. He has attended almost every ceremony, nominated or not, during the last decade sitting in the front row.

Filmography

+List of film credits
! Year	! Title	! Role	Notes
1958	''''	Jimmy Wallace
1960	''Too Soon to Love''	Buddy
1960	''''	Johnny Varron
1960	''''	Wilbur Force
1960	''Studs Lonigan''	Weary Reilly
1962	''''	Will Brocious
1963	''''	Andre Duvalier	Also (Uncredited) Director
1963	''''	Rexford Bedlo
1964	''Flight to Fury''	Jay Wickham	Also Writer
1964	''Ensign Pulver''	Dolan
1964	''Back Door to Hell''	Burnett
1965	''Ride in the Whirlwind''	Wes	Also Producer
1966	''''	Billy Spear	Also Producer
1967	''''	Gino, Hit Man	Uncredited
1967	''Hells Angels on Wheels''	Poet
1967	''The Trip''		Writer
1968	''Psych-Out''	Stoney
1968		Himself	Also Producer/Writer
1969	''Easy Rider''	George Hanson
1970		Tad Pringle
1970	''''	Bunny
1970	''Five Easy Pieces''	Robert Eroica Dupea
1971	''Carnal Knowledge''	Jonathan Fuerst	Sant Jordi Award for Best Foreign ActorNominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1971	''''	Mitch
1971	''Drive, He Said''		Also Producer/Writer/Director—Nominated for Palme d'Or
1972	''''	David Staebler
1973	''''	Billy "Bad Ass" Buddusky
1974		J.J. 'Jake' Gittes
1975	''''	Oscar Sullivan aka Oscar Dix
1975		Randle McMurphy
1975	''''	David Locke
1975		The Specialist
1976	''''	Tom Logan
1976	''''	Brimmer
1978	''Goin' South''	Henry Lloyd Moon	Also Director
1980	''''	Jack Torrance
1981	''''	Frank Chambers
1981		Pirate at beach	Uncredited
1981		Eugene O'Neill
1982	''''	Charlie Smith
1983	''Terms of Endearment''	Garrett Breedlove
1984	''Terror in the Aisles''		Archival Footage Only
1985	''Prizzi's Honor''	Charley Partanna
1986		Mark Forman
1987		Daryl Van Horne
1987		Bill Rorich	New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor also for ''Ironweed (film)
1987		Francis Phelan
1989
1990	''[[The Two Jakes''	J.J. 'Jake' Gittes	Also (Uncredited) Producer/Director
1992		Eugene Earl Axline, aka Harry Bliss
1992	''''	Col. Nathan R. Jessep
1992	''Hoffa''		Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1994		Will Randall	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Actor
1995	''''	Freddy Gale
1996	''Blood and Wine''	Alex Gates
1996	''''	Garrett Breedlove
1996	''Mars Attacks!''	President James Dale / Art Land	Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1997	''As Good as It Gets''	Melvin Udall
2001	''''	Jerry Black
2002	''About Schmidt''	Warren R. Schmidt
2003	''Anger Management''	Dr. Buddy Rydell	Nominated—Teen Choice Award for Choice Movie Hissy Fit
2003		Harry Sanborn	Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
2006	''''	Francis 'Frank' Costello
2007	''''	Edward Cole
2010		Charles Madison
2011	''Americana''	Edgar Johnson

: Additionally, in 1999, Nicholson was presented with the Golden Globe's Cecil B. DeMille Award lifetime achievement award.

References

External links

''Rolling Stone'' Interview with Jack Nicholson

Jack Nicholson slideshow at AMCtv.com

Literature on Jack Nicholson

Category:1937 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from New Jersey Category:Actors from New York City Category:Actors Studio alumni Category:American film actors Category:American people of Dutch descent Category:American people of English descent Category:American people of Irish descent Category:American people of Italian descent Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor Category:Best Actor Academy Award winners Category:Best Actor BAFTA Award winners Category:Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winners Category:Collectors Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:People from Manhattan Category:People from Belmar, New Jersey Category:People from Neptune Township, New Jersey Category:People from Spring Lake, New Jersey Category:The Monkees

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Name	Tom Felton
Birth name	Thomas Andrew Felton
Birth date	September 22, 1987
Birth place	Kensington, London, UK
Occupation	Actor, musician
Years active	1997–present
Website	}}

Thomas Andrew "Tom" Felton (born 22 September 1987) is an English actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Draco Malfoy in the ''Harry Potter'' film series, the movie adaptations of the best-selling ''Harry Potter'' fantasy novels by author J. K. Rowling, for which he auditioned at age twelve.

Felton started filming in commercials when he was eight years old and in films at the age of ten, appearing in ''The Borrowers'' and ''Anna and the King''. After being cast as Draco Malfoy he has subsequently appeared in all eight ''Harry Potter'' films, from 2001 to 2011. A fishing aficionado, he helped form the World Junior Carp Tournament, a "family-friendly" fishing tournament.

Felton's portrayal of Draco Malfoy in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' and ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' won him the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain in 2010 and 2011.

Early life

Felton was born in Kensington, London, the son of Sharon (née Anstey) and Peter Felton. He is the youngest of four brothers, and lives in Surrey with his family. He was in four choirs throughout his childhood, starting with his church choir at age seven. Felton was educated at West Horsley's Cranmore School, until the age of thirteen, and then at the Howard of Effingham School, a comprehensive school in Surrey.

Career

Early career

Felton began acting in commercials for companies such as Commercial Union. and Barclaycard. In 1995, he performed the voice of James in the television series ''Bugs'' and landed his first feature film role in 1997 when he played the part of Peagreen Clock in Peter Hewitt's film ''The Borrowers''. Felton played witness Thomas Ingham opposite Clive Owen in ''Second Sight'' in 1999. Felton's role of Louis T. Leonowens in the film ''Anna and the King'', starring Jodie Foster, was also filmed in 1999 in Malaysia. Felton made an appearance in the episode "Hide and Seek" of ''Second Sight 2'' followed in 2000. The Guildford Cathedral Choir also offered him a position.

2000–present

By autumn in 2001, he had become known internationally for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy, the bully, enemy, and foil of Harry Potter in ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''. As of 2011, Felton has appeared in all of the ''Harry Potter'' films. Before landing the part of Malfoy, Felton had auditioned to play Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. Of the four young actors who succeeded in getting the main roles, Felton had the most extensive film experience. Thereafter Felton's schedule began to fill with the work of filming the first four movies, premieres, and contributing to articles and interviews. He also received the Disney Channel's Kids Awards for Best DVD ''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' on 22 September 2003. Felton started his Official Tom Felton Fan Club in 2004 and took part in autograph signing events. His fan club was reported to have attracted so many fans that Felton had to put a temporary stop to people signing up to his fan club. The autographing session in Germany drew people from Chile and one fan in Cologne summarised: "Tom is a real nice, professional young man, always happy, smiling, laughing, full of power — a real gentleman." When the fan asked Felton what kids should do if someone like his character is bullying them, he said: "Tell someone. You don't want to keep it to yourself."

After filming ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'', Felton made a guest appearance on ''Home Farm Twins'' in 2005, where he played Adam Baker in the short-lived series. He attended Collectormania on 30 April 2005 and London's world premiere for ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire''. On 11 November 2005, he and Rupert Grint presented Liz Carnell with the ''Daily Mirror'''s Pride of Britain Award for all of her work to raise awareness of the dangers of bullying. Felton worked on ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' throughout 2006. Now having read more of the Harry Potter books, Felton reflects: "I have had input into Draco. If they give me a line and I don't think it is something he would say, I suggest changing it. They do listen to you and you do feel a part of it."

In July 2007, Felton visited Children's Hospital in Denver, Colorado in a pre-screening charitable event of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix''. He was also present at Leicester Square for the premiere of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' on 3 July 2007.

Felton also appeared in ''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'', the sixth film of the series. When asked whether he was looking forward to playing a good guy in the future he answered: "No. Well, I don't know. I suppose for now I'm happy with sticking to what he is. But after the Potter legacy is over I look forward to playing a good guy or someone different anyway, someone not so spiteful." Felton also played the character Simon in the 2008 horror/thriller movie ''The Disappeared''.

Felton posted three music videos on YouTube under an account called "Feltbeats", in which he performs fragments of original songs. Nine songs have been re-recorded and are now available on iTunes: "Time Well Spent," "Time Isn't Healing", "One of These Days", "Under Stars," "Right Place, Right Time," "In My Arms," "All I Need," and "I'll Be There" join the instrumental "Silhouettes in Sunsets." He also recorded an album available on iTunes and Amazon.com named ''In Good Hands''. It includes the six songs "If You Could Be Anywhere", "We Belong", "When Angels Come", "Convinced", "Father of Mine", and "If Thats Alright With You".

In 2010, Felton released his original song "Hawaii" exclusively on www.sixstringproductions.com/store.aspx – an independent record label run by Felton, David Proffitt and Philip Haydn-Slater promoting creative independence and ownership of artists’ material and musical talent.

In September 2008, he played for the England side in Soccer Aid 2008.

In June 2009, he made an appearance on the comedy panel show ''8 out of 10 Cats''.

In October 2009, Felton presented an award at the Young Film Critic of the Year ceremony at the BAFTA Academy in London.

In November 2010 the movie ''White Other'', which Tom played the main character, Ray Marsden, was released. Tom's character Ray is a troubled youth in the "ends" of England and Imelda Staunton, who played Dolores Umbridge in ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' and ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'', also makes an appearance as one of the other main roles in the movie.

Felton had a cameo role in ''Get Him to the Greek'', released on 4 June 2010. In February 2010, he was cast in the thriller film ''The Apparition''. Felton portrays the human character Dodge Landon in the 2011 science-fiction film ''Rise of the Planet of the Apes''.

On 18 March 2011, Felton appeared in a comedy sketch on Red Nose Day 2011 alongside James Cordon, Rupert Grint, George Michael, Justin Bieber, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Gordon Brown MP, Professor Robert Winston and Keira Knightley.

Personal life

In 2003, Felton and his brother Chris worked with Joe Babbitt, the St. Lawrence County Angler's Association, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Region 6, the Chamber of Commerce, and a diverse group of other organisations to form the World Junior Carp Tournament, which involves competitive fishing for ages eleven to eighteen in a family-friendly environment.

Felton's favourite hobby is fishing and he plans to pursue some qualification in fishery management at Sparsholt College in Winchester, where his brother had gone years before. Apart from fishing, Felton also enjoys other sports, such as cricket, basketball, football, roller skating, golf, horseback riding and tennis. He said during an interview, "I am generally more and more in my comfort zone in the wild. The only time I can really relax is up a tree or somewhere outside. I love being outside." His ideal place for a holiday is the United States. More specifically, in an interview, he said he liked to go to the St. Lawrence River in New York. His favourite villain in movies is Alan Rickman in ''Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves'', who stars in the ''Harry Potter'' film series as Severus Snape. He said during an interview that his favourite characters in Harry Potter are Gilderoy Lockhart and Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father. Felton said that if he could play another character in the film, he would play Lucius Malfoy, or even Voldemort. When asked which house in Hogwarts he would like to stay in, Felton said it would probably be Slytherin.

Filmography

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%" |- style="text-align:center;" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |1997 |''The Borrowers'' |Peagreen Clock | |- |1998 |''Bugs'' |James |TV, 1 episode |- |rowspan="2"|1999 |''Second Sight'' |Thomas Ingham |TV movie |- |''Anna and the King'' |Louis Leonowens | |- |2000 |''Second Sight 2: Hide and Seek'' |Thomas Ingham |TV movie |- |2001 |''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' |rowspan="3"| Draco Malfoy |Nominated-Young Artist Award for Best Ensemble in a Feature FilmNominated-Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actor |- |2002 |''Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets'' | |- |2004 |''Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban'' | |- |rowspan="2"|2005 |''Home Farm Twins'' |Adam Baker |TV |- |''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' |rowspan="2"| Draco Malfoy | |- |2007 |''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' | |- |rowspan="2"|2009 |''The Disappeared'' |Simon | |- |''Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'' |rowspan="2"|Draco Malfoy |MTV Movie Award for Best Villain |- |rowspan="4"|2010 |''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1'' |MTV Movie Award for Best VillainTeen Choice Award for Movie: Villain |- |''White Other'' |Ray Marsden | (short) |- |''Get Him to the Greek'' |Himself |Cameo |- |''13Hrs'' |Gary Ashby | |- |rowspan="4"|2011 |''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2'' |Draco Malfoy | |- |''Rise of the Planet of the Apes'' |Dodge Landon | |- |''The Apparition'' |Patrick |''post-production'' |- |''From the Rough'' |Edward |''post-production'' |- |Polyamorous |Sam Riley |In Developement

See also

List of ''Harry Potter'' films cast members

References

External links

Feltbeats official website

Tom Felton profile at New York Times

BBC Interview

Category:1987 births Category:Actors from London Category:English child actors Category:English film actors Category:English television actors Category:English voice actors Category:Living people Category:People from Epsom Category:People from Kensington Category:English Christians

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