Paul O'Grady

Paul James Michael O'Grady, MBE (born 14 June 1955) is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc-jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, Lily Savage, and later became well known for presenting TV shows as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show.

Born to a working-class Irish migrant family in Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside), O'Grady moved to London in the late 1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found among female relatives. Touring Northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–02) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure.

Paul O'Grady (politician)

Paul Thomas Francis O'Grady (14 July 1960 – 18 January 2015) was an Australian politician. He was a Labor member of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1988 to 1996 and was the first openly gay member of the New South Wales Parliament.

Early life and career

O'Grady was born in Ryde in Northern Sydney, and worked as a shop assistant and a union organiser for the shop assistants section within the Australian Workers' Union. He joined the Australian Labor Party in at the age of 15 in 1975, becoming involved within Young Labor. Having known he was gay from an early age, O'Grady came out to his parents at age 16:

O'Grady soon joined the moderate 'Soft' Left faction of the party and won a ballot for the Assistant Secretary of Australian Young Labor 1984, but failed to gain enough support to run as President of NSW Young Labor. O'Grady also worked as a party research officer for the NSW Treasurer, Ken Booth, from 1981 until 1988.

Political career

He was elected as a Labor member of the Legislative Council in 1988. Making his maiden speech to the council during a debate on the Summary Offences Bill on 2 June 1988, O'Grady spoke out against excess of NSW Police Force powers and for the decriminalisation of prostitution while also thanking his primary supporters and inspirations in the Labor movement: "I owe a great deal to the faith and trust that people such as former Deputy Premier Jack Ferguson, Delcia Kite and John Faulkner placed in me during the years that I have been active in the Labor Party. I thank also the person for whom I worked for seven years–Ken Booth. He really is one of the most genuine, decent and humane human beings I have ever met."

Paul O'Grady (footballer)

Paul O'Grady (born 6 November 1978, in Sydney, New South Wales), is an Australian footballer who plays for APIA Leichhardt Tigers in the NSW Premier League.

Honours

With Central Coast Mariners:

With Wollongong Wolves:

External links

Paul O'Grady on the Wireless

Paul O'Grady On The Wireless is a radio programme on BBC Radio 2 hosted by the comedian, author and television presenter Paul O'Grady. The show is produced by Malcolm Prince and regularly attracts over two million listeners. The show is broadcast on a Sunday evening on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom and began its run in early 2009. The programme marked Paul's return to the airwaves following numerous stints standing in for other DJs such as Elaine Paige on Sunday. The programme features music and regular items. The show celebrated its 300th show on Sunday 17 May 2015.

Features on the show include:

Background

O'Grady confirmed to his Radio 2 listeners in 2008 that he would no longer be covering for other DJs' shows at the end of the year, with him finally getting his own show on BBC Radio 2.