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Desmond Bernard O'Connor (born January 12, 1932 in Stepney , London ) is an English entertainer and singer .
Life
During the Second World War he moved to Northampton and played there briefly as a professional footballer for the team from Northampton Town . He also worked as a jockey, but remained an amateur and did not pursue a professional career there.
He discovered his show talent during his military service from 1950 with the Air Force, where he played the troop entertainer. After winning a talent competition, he made stage appearances across the country and even toured with Buddy Holly and Lonnie Donegan .
His first television appearance in 1958 in the popular TV show Sunday Night at the London Palladium . Three years later he was even a showmaster there.
After several attempts, a successful time as a singer began in the mid-1960s and although his singing talent was seen rather mockingly - even by himself - he had a few hits in Great Britain and reached 1968 with I Pretend, written by the successful composers Les Reed and Barry Mason , one of the soft pop ballads typical for him, even number 1 on the charts. He reached the top 10 with four singles, most recently in 1986 with Roger Whittaker and the Scottish traditional The Skye Boat Song . Since 1968 he has recorded 34 albums, sold over 15 million copies, and has had one album in the charts every decade; his Tribute to the Crooners was successful in 2001. With over 1200 performances at the London Palladium, he is the record holder on one of the most prestigious London stages.
But first and foremost, he has been one of the UK's most successful television entertainers for over 40 years. From 1963, from the Des O'Connor Show , to the present day, he's been on non-stop television year after year with his own prime-time show. From 1977 to 2002 he had his own talk show with Des O'Connor Tonight and then he switched to the daily program with Melanie Sykes in Today with Des and Mel . Despite good ratings, the program was discontinued in 2006 due to a change in programming policy. Des O'Connor can also be seen frequently in other English-speaking countries (USA, Canada, Australia) and also has its own television production company Visionworld .
O'Connor has four children from three divorced marriages, most recently he became a father for the fifth time in 2004 at the age of 72 through his now 38 years younger partner Jodie Brooke Wilson.
Shows
- The Des O'Connor Show (1963-1968)
- Des (1972, 16-part comedy series)
- Des O'Connor Entertains (1974-1976)
- O'Connor's Tonight (1977-2002)
- Take Your Pick (1992–1998, game show)
- Today with Des and Mel (2002-2006)
- Countdown (2006-2008)
Discography
Albums
- 1968: I Pretend
- 1970: With Love
- 1972: Sing a Favorite Song
- 1975: With Feelings (UK:
silver)
- 1980: Just for You
- 1984: The O'Connor Now
- 1992: portrait
- 2001: A Tribute to the Crooners
Singles
- 1957: Moonlight Swim
- 1958: It's a Sin to Tell a Lie
- 1962: Thin Chow Min
- 1967: Careless Hands , together with the Michael Sammes Singers
- 1968: I Pretend
- 1968: One, Two, Three O'Leary
- 1969: Dick-A-Dum-Dum (King's Road)
- 1969: loneliness
- 1969: I'll Go On Hoping
- 1970: The Tip of My Fingers
- 1986: The Skye Boat Song , with Roger Whittaker
- 1988: Neighbors
Awards
- Special Recognition Award 2001 (National TV Awards)
- RTS Program Award for Today With Des & Mel
literature
- Banana's Can't Fly . 2002; Autobiography.
Web links
- Des O'Connor in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Official Homepage (English)
- Discography and short biography (English)
swell
personal data | |
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SURNAME | O'Connor, Des |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | O'Connor, Desmond Bernard (full name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English entertainer and singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | January 12, 1932 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Stepney , London |