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Paul Nicholas
Background information
Birth name	Paul Oscar Beuselinck
Born	(1945-12-03) 3 December 1945 (age 66)
Origin	Peterborough, England
Genres	Pop, stage, screen
Occupations	Singer, actor
Years active	1960–present

Paul Nicholas (born 3 December 1945) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre. Later, in the 1970s, he began a screen career. He returned to the pop charts, starring in the 1983 BBC TV sitcom Just Good Friends, for which he is best known. After the show ended, he returned to musical theatre and various other entertainment roles.

Biography[link]

Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England. His grandfather — who originated from Belgium — had been a chef in the merchant navy during World War II, before becoming Head Chef on The Union-Castle Line ships between England and South Africa. His maternal grandfather was a London docker.

Nicholas' father Oscar Beuselinck, a former MI6 agent, became a highly esteemed entertainment solicitor, whose clients included: MGM, Jack Hylton, John Osborne, The Rolling Stones, Tony Richardson, Richard Harris, Sean Connery, Yes, Robert Stigwood, and The Who.

The family spent holidays at his maternal grandparents' home on the Isle of Sheppey, until Nicholas was 10. After his parents divorced when he was 12, his father's family home was at Letchmore Heath, Watford opposite the Bhaktivedanta Manor. Nicholas' paternal grandparents, Winnie and Oscar, lived in a small cottage on the grounds.

Career[link]

Nicholas began his pop career as early as 1960. Adopting the stage name Paul Dean, he formed Paul Dean & The Dreamers ^[1] who were booked to support The Savages, the backing band for the British rocker, Screaming Lord Sutch. It was here that Sutch first noticed the young Nicholas, who was soon to become vocalist and pianist with The Savages.

Still using the name Paul Dean, Nicholas released two solo singles in 1965-66. After taking a new stage name, Oscar, he began a long association with the Australian-born entrepreneur, Robert Stigwood. In 1966, Nicholas signed with Stigwood's Reaction Records label and his first single under his new name, "Club of Lights", ^[2] scraped into the lower reaches of the Radio London Fab Forty chart.

The second Oscar single was a version of a Pete Townshend song "Join My Gang", which The Who never recorded. His third single, a novelty song called "Over the Wall We Go" (1967) is notable for being written and produced by a young David Bowie and it gained a degree of notoriety because of Bowie's tongue-in-cheek lyrics concerning escaped prisoners and incompetent policemen, which satirised a rash of highly publicised prison break-outs in the UK and was banned by the BBC.

After settling on the stage name Paul Nicholas, Nicholas eventually found success in the UK in musicals, beginning with the leading role of Claude in Hair (which Stigwood produced) before winning the title role in the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar. The part of Danny to Elaine Paige's Sandy made them the first British couple to play the leads in Grease. He joined The Young Vic under Frank Dunlop and played Claudio in Much Ado About Nothing and appeared in Crete and Sgt. Pepper by John Antrobus. He appeared as the Bully of the Boulevard in Richard O’Brien’s T-Zee at London's Royal Court Theatre. He also performed in Prospect Theatre Company's Carl Davies musical Pilgrim. It was while touring with O'Brien in Hair in 1970 that he first heard songs from the yet to be produced Rocky Horror Show and made the first professional recording with O'Brien singing "That Ain't No Crime". On the b-side was a song entitled "Very 50s", where O'Brien introduces the characters Brad, Janet, and Dr. Scott (In 2005 Nicholas sent O'Brien a CD copy of the recordings with a view to releasing them as an historical record). Thereafter Nicholas returned to the West End starring in Harold Fielding's revival of Charlie Girl with Cyd Charisse.

Nicholas' film career began in 1970 in a French film with Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin called Cannabis. Whatever Happened To Jack and Jill followed, in which he played Mona Washbourne's character's ungrateful grandson. He followed this as a psychotic killer in Richard Fleischer's Blind Terror. In 1975, he gained international attention when he played the cameo role of the title character's sadistic Cousin Kevin in Robert Stigwood and Ken Russell's film Tommy. He worked again for Russell in Lisztomania, playing Richard Wagner.

In 1976, he embarked on a short-lived but high profile pop career, with three Top 20 hits in the UK Singles Chart "Reggae Like It Used To Be", "Dancing With The Captain", and "Grandma's Party", the last two of which reached the Top 10.^[3] He released the single "Heaven on the 7th Floor" in 1977. This only just reached the UK Top 40, but reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 listings in the US. He followed this with "On The Strip" which entered the Billboard Hot 100 but failed to enter the UK chart. In the mid 1970s he hosted his own pop show on children's TV, titled Paul.

In 1978, he co-starred in the film Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band as Dougie Shears. Further films followed including Nutcracker with Joan Collins, Yesterday's Hero with Ian McShane and Susan Summers, The World Is Full of Married Men with Carol Baker, the romantic lead in Invitation To A Wedding, and the loutish punk singer in The Jazz Singer.

Having done the workshop with Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nicholas returned to the West End stage in 1981 to create the role of the capricious cat Rum Tum Tugger in Webber's musical Cats. He followed this originating the title role in Blondel by Sir Tim Rice and Stephen Oliver. That same year he starred in Two Up, Two Down, a short-lived sitcom co-starring Su Pollard. Then in 1983, Nicholas got his first high-profile television role (he had acted in plays and one-off roles through the 1970s on TV) in which he was cast as Vince Pinner in the BBC TV sitcom Just Good Friends, written by John Sullivan.

The show, for which Nicholas also sang the theme tune, was a success. He was also nominated for a BAFTA. It ended in 1986 with the marriage of the two main characters in Paris. Nicholas went on to star in two highly successful series for ITV. In the major drama series Bust he was nominated Best Actor. He acted in two series of Close to Home, a sitcom about a vet. During this period Nicholas was seldom off television with many appearances including four Royal Variety Shows. He also appeared in TV commercials for Rougemont Castle British wine, and magazine advertisements for Farah slacks.

Nicholas returned to the theatre playing numerous roles on screen in both movie and television projects. He starred as The Pirate King in Joseph Papp's version of The Pirates of Penzance at the London Palladium and the Manchester Opera House, touring again in the same role in the late 1990s. Nicholas starred in Barnum in the first national tour and followed this with a highly successful season at The Dominion Theatre in the West End. At the end of 1991, while touring with Barnum, Nicholas was the subject of This Is Your Life. For his services to show business and charity, Nicholas was awarded a Silver Heart from the Variety Club of Great Britain and a Gold Badge Award from BASCA. Nicholas then starred in the national tour of Singin' in the Rain, which was directed by Tommy Steele.

In June 1996, Nicholas played the role of King Arthur in the Covent Garden Festival’s production of Camelot. He repeated his role of King Arthur in a BBC Radio 2 production of Camelot. Other radio work included Gracie Field's husband Bert in BBC Radio 4's Gracie. Nicholas then hosted two series of BBC Radio 2's Mad About Musical', as well as his own hour long TV special, Paul and Friends, for Thames Television. Nicholas fronted the Radio 4 children's series Cat's Whiskers during the 1980s.

Nicholas was also the narrator of the children's animated series The Adventures of Spot, part of the Spot the Dog franchise, in 1985. Although he was briefly replaced by Peter Hawkins for the first phase of It's Fun To Learn With Spot, Nicholas reprises the role in time with the production of a second season of The Adventures of Spot in 1992, and also performed the narration for the second phase of It's Fun To Learn With Spot. His involvement with the franchise ended in 1996, with his last credited appearance in the series being in the special Spot's Magical Christmas. Such was Nicholas' association as the narrator of the franchise that he also narrated four stories featuring Spot the Dog that was released directly to cassette and CD in the late 1980s, and was also the voice featured on the Spot the Dog children's ride, which was first manufactured in 1995.

In 1997, Nicholas starred as the anti-hero of Karoline Leach's The Mysterious Mr. Love at the Comedy Theatre in London's West End. Nicholas continued to appear as the lead in numerous straight roles thereafter: Simon Gray's Stagestruck, a national tour of Michael Cooney’s The Dark Side with Jenny Seagrove, Catch Me if You Can with Christopher Eccleston, and two plays by Eric Chappell: Mixed Feelings, in which he played a transsexual, and Snakes and Ladders with Ian Ogilvy. Nicholas starred as John Smith in the original production of Caught In The Net. He then co-produced, with Bill Kenwright, a new musical based on Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities, in which he starred as Sidney Carton. The musical then played Windsor with a Christmas season in Birmingham.

In 2000, Nicholas appeared in the BBC television comedy drama Sunburn, playing the role of David Janus, owner of the self-titled holiday company that the series centered around. He also played the role of Ronnie Buchan in the new police drama series Burnside. Further television work followed with parts in The Bill and Holby City. Nicholas then played the title role in the national tour of Doctor Dolittle and followed this with the role of Tevye in UK Productions' national tour of Fiddler On The Roof.

In the summer of 2006, he was a celebrity showjumper in the BBC's Sport Relief event Only Fools on Horses, as well as appearing in Doctors, Heartbeat and Holby City. That autumn, Nicholas was attached to star in the British film Cash and Curry, and also in that year he co-produced and starred in the musical Jekyll & Hyde in a UK national tour.

In 2007, Nicholas and his business partner David Ian took part in a search for Danny and Sandy in the ITV1 show Grease is the Word. David Ian was a judge and Nicholas the acting coach to the contestants. He performed with his son Alex Beuselinck in Schwartz Stories, a new musical at the Kings Head. Also in 2007 Nicholas produced and directed Keeler, a new play based on Christine Keeler's autobiography 'The Truth At Last'.

At the beginning of 2007, Nicholas starred as Julian Marsh in the UK tour of 42nd Street, directed by the author Mark Bramble. Nicholas left prematurely so that he could film the new daily ITV1 medical series The Royal Today in which he played the consultant surgeon Mr. Woods. In 2008 Nicholas played Alan Boon in BBC Four's Consuming Passions - a hundred years of Mills and Boon. He also directed and produced A Tale of Two Cities at Upstairs at the Gatehouse. In 2009 Nicholas played Jack Point in The Yeomen of the Guard for the Carl Rosa Opera Company at the Tower of London Festival. He co-produced Jest End, Garry Lake's take on the West End musical at the Jeremyn Street Theatre. In 2010 Nicholas returned to BBC Television with an appearance in Missing. Nicholas undertook a UK tour playing the Pirate King in the Carl Rosa Opera Company production of The Pirates Of Penzance. In November 2010, Nicholas and Sean Maguire starred in a new play, The Haunting. The Haunting continued in 2011 with Nicholas and Charlie Clements. In September 2011 Paul will produce and direct a UK Tour of 'Keeler' a new play written by Gill Adams based on Christine Keeler's book 'The Truth At Last' starring Alice Coulthard as Christine Keeler. Nicholas will direct the musical 'Tale Of Two Cities' at the Charing Cross Theatre(Players)April/May 2012

Business[link]

In 1990 whilst starring with David Ian in a production of The Pirates of Penzance at the London Palladium, Nicholas offered Ian a partnership in co-producing and starring in a touring production of the New York Shakespeare Festival version of the popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera. Paul Nicholas & David Ian Associates Ltd were formed to produce the 20th anniversary production of Jesus Christ Superstar on a UK-wide tour, which sold out. They then produced a nightly fully staged version of The Pirates of Penzance in which Nicholas starred and again they sold out.^[4]

The company has since produced numerous shows making both partners millionaires, including:

• Jesus Christ Superstar - concert version
• Pirates Of Penzance - UK tour
• Grease - West End-Broadway - Tony Award nomination for Best Revival 2008
• The Rocky Horror Show - directed by Paul Nicholas
• Ain't Misbehavin' - West End
• Singin' in the Rain - UK tour
• Evita - UK tour
• Chess - UK tour
• Happy Days - UK tour
• Saturday Night Fever - at the London Palladium and Minskoff Theatre (NYC), Producer,co-adapter
• Tale of Two Cities - UK tour, Nicholas co-produced with Bill Kenwright
• Jekyll & Hyde - UK tour, Nicholas co-produced with UK Productions
• Keeler - produced and directed by Paul Nicholas 2007
• Tale of Two Cities - produced and directed by Paul Nicholas "Upstairs at the Gatehouse" 2008
• Grease US tour co-producer 2008/9, West End 2007-
• Jest End - musical parody, producer, Players and Jermyn Theatres London 2009
• Grease - South Africa/Far East Tour 2010, co-producer US&UK tours 2010/11
• Keeler (Play) Producer/Director UK Tour September/November 2011 http://keelertheplay.co.uk
• The Tale Of Two Cities (Musical) The Charing Cross Theatre April/May 2012 Director http://ataleoftwocitiesthemusical.co.uk/

School of acting[link]

In 2006 Nicholas set up a franchise operation, the Paul Nicholas School of Acting & Performing Arts, aimed at teaching acting to school-age children.^[5] There are currently thirty franchises across England.

In January 2008 Nicholas launched Paul Nicholas Community Arts, a project designed to engage disenfranchised children in the arts. The pilot scheme will be funded for fourteen weeks by Wyre Borough Council in the North West of England. A twelve week scheme began on the 28 May 2008 in Blackpool.

Personal life[link]

Nicholas has been married twice, and has six children. His first wife, Susan, died in a car accident in 1977. Nicholas married his second wife, columnist Linzi Beuselinck, in 1984.

Music charts[link]

Literature[link]

• Paul Nicholas (with Douglas Thompson): Behind the Smile autobiography, hardcover, 218 pages published in October 1999 by André Deutsch Ltd; ISBN 0-233-99748-2

References[link]

External links[link]

• Paul Nicholas at the Internet Movie Database
• Paul Nicholas discography at Discogs

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. It includes attribution to IMDb, which may not be a reliable source for biographical information. Please help by adding additional, reliable sources for verification. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (March 2010)

Jan Francis (born 5 August 1947) is an English actress, best known for playing Penny Warrender in the 1980s romantic comedy Just Good Friends.

Early life[link]

Francis was born at the former Charing Cross Hospital near Trafalgar Square, London. She is the eldest child of Frank Francis (a clerical officer with the Agricultural Society) and the former Marjorie Watling, an employment agent, who were married in 1944.^[2] She was raised in Streatham and was educated at the Lady Edridge Grammar School.

After training as a dancer at the Royal Ballet Senior School from which she graduated in 1965, Francis performed with the Royal Ballet Touring Company in Britain, in the rest of Europe and the United States. She left the Royal Ballet in September 1969 to pursue an acting career.

Acting[link]

She made the transfer to becoming an actress through choreography, and performed with the Cheltenham Repertory Company between 1969 and 1970. She first appeared on television in 1971, before landing BBC Television drama roles roles including Kschessinska in Fall of Eagles and Lisa Colbert in Secret Army (1977–78).

In 1979 she starred in Dracula as Mina Van Helsing, opposite Laurence Olivier as Abraham Van Helsing.

She played the part of Susie Dean in Alan Plater's adaptation of the J. B. Priestley novel The Good Companions (1980) which was produced by Yorkshire Television. Writer John Sullivan met Francis and later created her best known part as Penny Warrender in the 1980s BBC sitcom Just Good Friends.

She later played Nick's "old enough to be his mother" girlfriend in the sitcom My Family, and co-starred with Dennis Waterman as Sally Hardcastle in the 1989–1992 ITV drama series Stay Lucky.

During the late 80s – early 90s she starred in the Lloyds Bank television commercials alongside Nigel Havers.

In 2006, she guest starred in ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls as interior designer, Catherine Earlham who was sent to Larkhall on remand for embezzlement and played a key role in the exit storyline for fellow inmate, Darlene Cake (played by Antonia Okonma). She is also a regular performer (and part of the original cast) of the touring play Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners.

In 2009, she appeared as Julia in the second series of Mistresses on BBC1. In November 2009, she starred in the ITV1 drama Collision (2010). She is currently starring as Rodney Blackstock's (Patrick Mower) love interest in ITV1 soap Emmerdale.

Personal life[link]

She married the actor-writer Martin Thurley in Newton Abbot on 1 August 1977. They have two daughters Josephine (born 1982) and Anna (born 1988) and reside in Woodchurch, Kent.

Work[link]

Film[link]

• Dracula (1979) ... as Mina van Helsing
• Champions (1984) ... as Jo

Television[link]

• At The Garden – including Swan Lake Act II (BBC 1968) ... as a Cygnet
• The Ken Dodd Show (LWT 1969) ... Sketches
• Ballet For All – No 3 (of 7) (Thames 1970) ... as Swanhilda
• The Fenn Street Gang – Series 1, Episode 12 (of 21) (LWT 1970) ... as Shirley Matthews
• Anne of Green Gables (BBC 1972) ... as Diana Barry
• Swiss Cottage (BBC 1972) ... as Stephanie
• The Long Chase (BBC 1972) ... as Susan Farmer
• The Magistrate (BBC 1972) ... as Popham
• Country Matters – Series 2, Episode 7 (of 7): The Four Beauties (Granada 1973) ... as Sophie Davenport
• Thriller – Episode 8 (of 43): File It Under Fear (ATV 1973) ... as Gillie Randall
• Doctor in Charge – Series 2, Episode 9 (of 13): The Pool (LWT 1973) ... as Diana
• Hawkeye The Pathfinder (BBC 1973) ... as Mabel Dunham (Magnet)
• Play for Today: The Lonely Man's Lover (BBC 1974) ... as Lizzie
• Fall of Eagles – Episode 5 (of 13): The Last Tsar (BBC 1974) ... as Kschessinska
• Rooms: "Jan & Tony" (Parts 1 & 2) (First 2 episodes of 127) (Thames 1974) ... as Jan
• Secret Army (BBC 1977-8) ... as Lisa Colbert ("Yvette")
• Just Good Friends: (BBC 1983–86) 22 episodes & Christmas special ... as Penny Warrender
• Under the Hammer (BBC, 1994) 7 episodes ... as Maggie Perowne^[3]
• Jeremy Hardy Gives Good Sex (video 1995)
• Sunburn ... 6 episodes^[4]
• Mistresses (BBC 2009) ... 2 episodes
• Collision (BBC 2009) ... 4 episodes
• Emmerdale (ITV 2010) ... 3 episodes

Theatre[link]

• The Sleeping Beauty (1969) ... Royal Ballet (1969)
• The Farmer's Wife (1969) ... Cheltenham Repertory Company, as Susan Maine
• Sleeping Beauty (1969–1970) ... Pantomime, as Fairy Dreamawhile
• The Boyfriend (1970) ... as Maisie (& Lolita)
• When Did You Last See My Mother (1970) ... at The Theatre Upstairs at the Royal Court, as Linda
• Cinderella (1970) ... at the Manchester Opera House
• Play It Again Sam (1971) ... at the New Theatre, Bromley as one of Barbara and the Dream Girls
• The Heiress (1971) ... as Marian Almond
• Romance! (1971) ... at the Duke of York's Theatre, London as Lotte
• Out of Bounds (1973) ... Bristol Old Vic Company as Ermyntrude Johnson
• Lend Me A Tenor (1986) ... at the Globe Theatre, London as Maggie
• Hay Fever (1988) ... at the Chichester Festival Theatre as Myra Arundel
• 'Dear Ralph' A Valentine's Day Gala (1993) ... at the London Paladium as a Host for the Evening
• Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners (2004–2008) ... at various theatres on tour
• An Evening at Le Candide (2006) ... at the King's Head Theatre, London

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jan Francis at the Internet Movie Database
• [1]

Celeste Holm
Holm in All About Eve (1950)
Born	(1917-04-29) April 29, 1917 (age 95) New York City, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1937–present
Spouse	Ralph Nelson (1936-39; divorced) Francis Davies (1940-45; divorced) A. Schuyler Dunning (1946-52; divorced) Wesley Addy (1961-96; until his death) Frank Basile (2004-present)
Website
Celeste Holm Official Website

Celeste Holm (born April 29, 1917) is an American stage, film, and television actress, known for her Academy Award-winning performance in Gentleman's Agreement (1947), as well as for her Oscar-nominated performances in Come to the Stable (1949) and All About Eve (1950). In 2011, despite health ailments, she completed filming the comedy feature film, College Debts, directed by Dexter Warr and Joshua Zilm.

Early life[link]

Born and raised in New York City, Holm grew up as an only child. Her mother, Jean Parke, was an American portrait artist and author; her father, Theodor Holm, was a Norwegian businessman whose company provided marine adjustment services for Lloyd's of London. Because of her parents' occupations, she traveled often during her youth and attended various schools in Holland, France and the United States. She graduated from University High School for Girls in Chicago, where she performed in many school stage productions. She then studied drama at the University of Chicago before becoming a stage actress in the late 1930s.

Career[link]

Accepting her Academy Award for Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

Holm's first professional theatrical role was in a production of Hamlet starring Leslie Howard. Holm's first major Broadway part was as Mary L. in William Saroyan's 1940 revival of The Time of Your Life co-starring fellow newcomer Gene Kelly (her first role on Broadway was a small part in 1938 comedy Gloriana, which lasted five performances). The role that got her the most recognition from critics and audiences was as Ado Annie in the flagship Broadway production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma! in 1943.

After she starred in the Broadway production of Bloomer Girl, 20th Century Fox signed Holm to a movie contract in 1946, and in 1947 she won an Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress in Gentleman's Agreement. After her performance in All About Eve, however, Holm realized she preferred live theater to movie work, and only accepted a few select film roles over the following decade. The most successful of these were the comedy The Tender Trap (1955) and the musical High Society (1956), both of which co-starred Frank Sinatra. She starred as a professor-turned-reporter in New York City in the CBS television series Honestly, Celeste! (fall 1954) and was thereafter a panelist on Who Pays? (1959). She also appeared several times on ABC's The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom.^{[citation needed]}

In 1958, she starred as a reporter in an unsold television pilot called The Celeste Holm Show, based on the book No Facilities for Women. Holm also starred in the musical The Utter Glory of Morrissey Hall. In 1965, she played the Fairy Godmother alongside Lesley Ann Warren in the CBS production of Cinderella. In 1970-71, she was featured on the NBC sitcom Nancy, with Renne Jarrett, John Fink, and Robert F. Simon. In the story line, Holm played Abby Townsend, the press secretary of the First Lady of the United States and the chaperon of Jarrett's character, Nancy Smith, the President's daughter.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Holm did more screen acting, with roles in films such as Tom Sawyer and Three Men and a Baby, and in television series (often as a guest star) such as Columbo, The Eleventh Hour, Archie Bunker's Place and Falcon Crest. In 1979, she played the role of First Lady Florence Harding in the television mini-series, Backstairs at the White House. She was a regular on the ABC soap opera Loving, appearing first in 1986 in the role of Lydia Woodhouse and again as Isabelle Dwyer Alden #2 from 1991-92. She last appeared on television in the CBS television series Promised Land (1996–99).

Honors[link]

Holm has received numerous honors during her lifetime, including the 1968 Sarah Siddons Award for distinguished achievement in Chicago theatre; she was appointed to the National Arts Council by then-President Ronald Reagan, knighted by King Olav of Norway, and inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1992. She remains active for social causes as a spokesperson for UNICEF, and for occasional professional engagements. Since 1995 she has been Chairman of the Board of Arts Horizons, a not-for-profit arts-in-education organization.

In 2006, Holm was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the SunDeis Film Festival at Brandeis University.^[1]

Holm was a guest at the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, Maryland. Some of the movies in which she appeared were screened at the festival, and the un-aired television pilot for Meet Me in St. Louis was shown. She received an honorary award during the dinner banquet at the close of the event.

Personal life[link]

Attending the Academy Awards in 1988

• Holm's first marriage was to Ralph Nelson in 1936.^[2] Their son, Internet pioneer and sociologist Ted Nelson (né Theodor Holm Nelson; born 1937), was raised by his maternal grandparents. The marriage ended in 1939. In his 2010 memoir, Possiplex, her son, credited with coining the term “hypertext”, described this and other choices as “entirely the right decisions”. He reportedly did not name his mother in the book.^[3]

• Holm married Francis Emerson Harding Davies, an English auditor, on January 7, 1940. Davies was a Roman Catholic, and she was received into the Roman Catholic Church for the purposes of their 1940 wedding; the marriage was dissolved on May 8, 1945.^[4]

• From 1946-52, Holm was married to airline public relations executive A. Schuyler Dunning, with whom she had a second son, businessman Daniel Dunning.^[5]

• From 1961-96 she was married to fellow thespian Wesley Addy (1913-1996), until his death at age 83 in 1996.

• On April 29, 2004, her 87th birthday, Holm married opera singer Frank Basile, age 41.^[6] The couple met in October 1999 at a fund-raiser at which Basile was hired to sing. Soon after their marriage, Holm and Basile sued to overturn the irrevocable trust that was created in 2002 by Daniel Dunning, Holm's younger son. The trust was ostensibly set up to shelter Holm's financial assets from taxes, although Basile contended the real purpose of the trust was to keep him away from her money. The lawsuit began a five-year battle with her sons which cost millions of dollars, and has, according to an article in The New York Times left Holm and her husband with a fragile hold on their home, which Holm purchased for $10,000 cash in 1953 from her film earnings, and which is now believed to be worth at least $2,000,000. According to her husband, Holm has been treated for memory loss since 2002, has battled skin cancer and bleeding ulcers, and has had a collapsed lung, hip replacements, and pacemakers.^[3][7]

Filmography[link]

• Three Little Girls in Blue (1946)
• Carnival in Costa Rica (1947)
• Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
• Road House (1948)
• The Snake Pit (1948)
• Chicken Every Sunday (1949)
• A Letter to Three Wives (1949) (voiceover as "Addie Ross")
• Come to the Stable (1949)
• Everybody Does It (1949)
• Champagne for Caesar (1950)
• All About Eve (1950)
• The Tender Trap (1955)
• High Society (1956)
• Bachelor Flat (1962)
• Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1965)
• Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
• Tom Sawyer (1973)
• Bittersweet Love (1976)
• The Private Files of J. Edgar Hoover (1977)
• Backstairs at the White House (1979)
• The Shady Hill Kidnapping (1982) (teleplay by John Cheever)
• Three Men and a Baby (1987)
• Once You Meet a Stranger (1996)
• Still Breathing (1997)
• Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003) (documentary)
• Alchemy (2005)
• Driving Me Crazy (2012)
• College Debts (2013)

TV appearances[link]

• The Fugitive (1965-1967)
• "Columbo" Old Fashioned Murder (1976)
• Falcon Crest (1984-1985)
• Polly (1989)
• Polly: Comin' Home! (1990)
• Promised Land (1996-1999)

References[link]

1. ^ "SunDeis 2006". SunDeis Film Festival web site. Archived from the original on 2006-09-10. http://web.archive.org/web/20060910155056/http://www.brandeis.edu/sundeis/welcome.html. Retrieved 2007-10-29. 
2. ^ Celeste Holm profile at www.superiorpics.com
3. ^ ^{a b} Leland, John (2011-07-02). "Love and Inheritance: A Family Feud". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/nyregion/love-and-inheritance-celeste-holms-family-feud.html. Retrieved 2011-07-04. 
4. ^ Holm profile at www.superiorpics.com
5. ^ Staff writers (1952-05-12). "Births, deaths, marriages, divorces". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,806408,00.html. Retrieved 2008-05-15. 
6. ^ Jones, Kenneth (2004-04-30). "December Bride: Shocking Guests, Celeste Holm Marries Beau at 85th Birthday Party". Playbill. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/85931.html. 
7. ^ Leland, John (2011-07-02). "Love and Inheritance - Celeste Holm's Family Feud". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/03/nyregion/love-and-inheritance-celeste-holms-family-feud.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Celeste Holm

• Celeste Holm at the Internet Broadway Database
• Celeste Holm at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Celeste Holm at the Internet Movie Database
• Celeste Holm at the TCM Movie Database
• Portrait of Celeste Holm and Wesley Addy by Margaret Holland Sargent

David Essex OBE (born David Albert Cook on 23 July 1947)^[1] is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK (including two number ones), and sixteen Top 40 albums.^[1] He has also had an extensive career as an actor performing on stage and screen.

Biography[link]

Essex was born in Plaistow, which was at that time in Essex (hence his stage name), but now falls within the borders of Greater London.^[2] His father, Albert, was an East End dock worker and his mother, Olive (née Kemp), was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather, Thomas Kemp, was named 'Philimore' which was the anglicised version of 'Philly Mor' - being Irish for 'Big Philly'. Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School, he loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a Grammar School, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game.^[3] He was also a member of West Ham United Juniors for a while and dreamed of one day being a professional player.^[4] He then also became interested in music and played drums with a local band, before becoming a singer.

Early career[link]

He made his first record entitled "And The Tears Came Tumblin' Down" for the Fontana label^[5] in 1963. He then toured with a band called 'David Essex and the Mood Indigo' for two years. His first notable acting role aside from small appearances in the films Assault and All Coppers Are... was the lead in the stage musical, Godspell^[6] in 1971 at the age of 23. Two years later, he starred in the film That'll Be The Day (1973)^[7] and recorded his only international hit single, the self penned "Rock On", in the same year. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in March 1974.^[8] A second single, "Lamplight", also reached the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.

In the 1970s, Essex emerged as a performer of some note. His biggest hits during this decade included two UK Number One singles: "Gonna Make You a Star" (1974), and "Hold Me Close" (1975). He also appeared in Stardust, a 1974 sequel to That'll Be The Day;^[9] the title song was another Top 10 hit. In 1976, Essex covered the Beatles song, “Yesterday”, for the musical documentary All This and World War II.

Essex's pop idol looks gave him a strong female fan base and his British tours created scenes of hysteria reminiscent of Beatlemania. According to The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles^[10], he was voted the number one British male vocalist in 1974, and was a teen idol for more than a decade.

Musical roles[link]

In December 1973, Essex appeared in the stage version of Tommy at London's Rainbow Theatre.^[11]

In 1978, he appeared on Jeff Wayne's concept album, a musical version of The War of the Worlds, as the Artilleryman. In the UK the two-record set remains a bestseller.^[12]

In the same year, Essex played the character Che, loosely based on Che Guevara, in the original production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita,^[13] and his recording of the show's "Oh What a Circus"^[14] reached Number 3. Two years later, he starred in the film Silver Dream Racer; and the soundtrack song "Silver Dream Machine" was yet another Top 10 hit in the UK Singles Chart.

In 1985, he co-wrote and starred as Fletcher Christian in the West End musical Mutiny!, based on the novel Mutiny on the Bounty by Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Hall. The score produced two more hit singles, including "Tahiti," his tenth Top 10 success.^[15]

Essex continued to perform in all areas of show business, to varying degrees of success. A 1988 sitcom, "The River", achieved good ratings. In 1991, a compilation entitled His Greatest Hits reached Number 13; a 1993 album, Cover Shot, featuring a cover version of the Buzz Cason/Mac Gayden song "Everlasting Love", peaked at Number 3. His autobiography, A Charmed Life, was published in 2002, and became a bestseller.

In 1999, Essex was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. He still tours the UK every year and releases albums through his website. Despite his long and successful British career, he remains largely unknown in the United States. "Rock On" reached Number 5 in 1974, and was his only US Billboard Top 40 hit single.

Essex, who comes from a family of Irish Travellers, played a kind-hearted nomad in one episode of ITV1's 1960s Yorkshire-based drama Heartbeat in 2000.^[16] Essex told Jake Bowers of the BBC's Rokker Radio, a programme for Gypsies and Travellers, on 30 July 2006, that he has always been openly proud of his Traveller roots, but that having moved to the US, Essex has said he feels it inappropriate for him to continue as Patron of Britain's National Gypsy Council, which works for equal rights, education, and services for Romany and Irish Travellers.^[6]

In 2005, he appeared as a guest vocalist on Saint Etienne's album Tales from Turnpike House.^[17] Also that year, he appeared in the Channel 4 documentary Bring Back...The Christmas Number One.

Essex was due to join the cast of soap opera EastEnders, in early 2006, as new character Jack Edwards. However, the role was expanded beyond the three weeks planned, and Essex was unable to commit the time.^[18] The role instead went to Nicky Henson.

A model and recording of Essex is featured in the museum of West Ham United Football Club. In the recording, he explains his reasons for supporting West Ham and his love of the team.

Essex spent six years as an ambassador for Voluntary Service Overseas, which earned him an OBE in 1999. "That was a big day. I took my two eldest kids, and me mum even went out and bought a hat".^[19]

Present[link]

Essex used to record and release records on his own 'Lamplight' record label. He has since changed the name of his company to Joseph Webster Ltd, named after his first grandchild. He tours regularly and still treads the boards, appearing in Boogie Nights 2, Footloose and Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Aspects Of Love.^[20] From September 2008 to the summer of 2009 he took his own musical, All The Fun Of The Fair, on a tour of the United Kingdom. He followed this in the autumn with a sell out tour of the UK, named the Secret Tour. Essex has released a DVD on his website of the last night of the tour, filmed in Bournemouth. He returned to London's West End with All The Fun Of The Fair.

In 2010, Essex married Welsh actress Susan Hallam-Wright, his third wife, at St Cross Church, Talybont, near Bangor, Wales.^[21] He had previously been married to Maureen Neal (in 1971) and Carlotta Christy (in 1997).^[22]

In January 2011, it was announced that Essex had finally joined the cast of EastEnders as Eddie Moon, five years after he was initially supposed to appear in the show.^[23] His first on-screen appearance was on 3 June 2011. Eddie left the square on Thursday 6 October 2011

UK discography[link]

Singles[link]

• "Rock On" - 1973 - Number 3
• "Lamplight" - 1973 - Number 7
• "America" - 1974 - Number 32
• "Gonna Make You a Star" - 1974 - Number 1
• "Stardust" - 1975 - Number 7
• "Rolling Stone" - 1975 - Number 5
• "Hold Me Close" - 1975 - Number 1
• "If I Could" - 1975 - Number 13
• "City Lights" - 1976 - Number 24
• "Coming Home" - 1976 - Number 24
• "Cool Out Tonight" - 1977 - Number 23
• "Stay With Me Baby" - 1978 - Number 45
• "Oh What A Circus" - 1978 - Number 3
• "Brave New World" - 1978 - Number 55
• "Imperial Wizard" - 1979 - Number 32
• "Silver Dream Machine (Part 1)" - 1980 - Number 4
• "Hot Love" - 1980 - Number 57
• "Me And My Girl (Night-Clubbing)" - 1982 - Number 13
• "A Winter's Tale" - 1982 - Number 2
• "The Smile" - 1983 - Number 52
• "Tahiti (From 'Mutiny In The Bounty')" - 1983 - Number 8
• "You're In My Heart" - 1983 - Number 59
• "Fishing For The Moon" - 1984 - Number 76
• "Welcome" - 1984 - Number 80
• "Fallen Angels Riding" - 1985 - Number 29
• "Friends" - 1985
• "Myfanwy" - 1987 - Number 41^[24]
• "The River" - 1988
• "Rock On" (remix) - 1989
• "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" - 1989
• "True Love Ways" - 1994 (with Catherine Zeta Jones) - Number 38^[1]

Albums[link]

• Rock On - 1973 - Number 7
• David Essex - 1974 - Number 2
• All The Fun Of The Fair - 1975 - Number 4
• On Tour - 1976 - Number 51
• Out On The Street - 1976 - Number 31
• Gold and Ivory - 1977 - Number 29
• David Essex Album - 1979 - Number 29
• Imperial Wizard - 1979 - Number 12
• Hot Love - 1980 - Number 75
• Silver Dream Racer - 1980^[25]
• Be-Bop the Future - 1981^[26]
• Stage-Struck - 1982 - Number 31
• The Very Best Of David Essex - 1982 - Number 32
• The Whisper - 1983^[27]
• This One's For You - 1984^[28]
• Central Stage - 1987
• Living in England - 1995
• A Night at the Movies - 1997 - Number 14
• I Still Believe - 1999
• Thank You - 2000
• Wonderful - 2001
• Theatre Of Dreams - 2001
• Forever - 2001
• Sunset - 2004
• It's Gonna Be Alright - 2004
• Greatest Hits - 2006
• Beautiful Day - 2006
• Happy Ever After - 2007
• All The Fun Of The Fair - Greatest Hits - 2008 - UK #23^[29]

Selected filmography[link]

• Smashing Time (1967)
• Assault (1971)
• All Coppers Are... (1972)
• That'll Be the Day (1973)
• Stardust (1974)
• The Big Bus (1976)
• Silver Dream Racer (1980)
• The River (1988)
• Tribe (2011)
• EastEnders (2011) Eddie Moon

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official David Essex website
• David Essex on Myspace
• David Essex discography at Discogs
• Allthefunofthefair.com
• David Essex at the Internet Movie Database
• Jeff Wayne's "The War Of The Worlds" 1978
• Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, song "Oh What a Circus" by David Essex
• David Essex to appear in "Aspects Of Love" a new musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Saint Etienne: Tales From Turnpike House released: 13 June 2005
• former patron of the Gypsy Council in Britain
• David Essex awarded the OBE in 1999 in recognition of his charity work with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO)
• Essex starred in and wrote score for movie "Silver Dream Racer"
• A Charmed Life: The Autobiography of David Essex - published 2002 (Orion)
• "Essex played Fletcher Christian in his own musical Mutiny! (co-written with Richard Crane) which played at the Piccadilly Theatre for sixteen months

Stephen Tate is a British actor and musical theatre artist.

Television credits[link]

He is possibly best known for his recurring role as Alan in the 1970s television drama Survivors.

His other credits include: Z-Cars, The Onedin Line, Blake's 7, Yes Minister, The Black Adder, Boon, The Bill, Minder, Cardiac Arrest, Silent Witness and Emmerdale.

Musical theatre[link]

Stephen has had a distinguished career in London's West End:

• Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar
• Gus the Theatre Cat and Growltiger in the original West End production of Cats
• Thenardier in Les Misérables.
• Created the role of Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) in Blondel.

Since 16 July 2007, he has starred as Jacob/Guru/Potiphar in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat (Adelphi, West End).

• He also starred as Jesus Christ in the Christian band and DVD "Hero"

External links[link]

• Stephen Tate at the Internet Movie Database

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