Tommy Trinder

Tommy Trinder (24 March ,1909 - 10 July ,1989) was an English stage, screen and radio comedian.

Related Topics:
24 March - 1909 - 10 July - 1989 - English

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Born in Streatham, South London, on 24 March 1909, the son of a London tram driver, Tommy Trinder was one of the best-loved comedians in Britain during the period from the late 1930s, until the 1960s.

Related Topics:
Streatham - South London

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He was fast-talking and quick-witted and well suited to stand up comedy in front of a live audience. His catch phrases, 'You lucky people!' and 'If it's laughter you're after, Trinder's the name', combined with his trademarks; the pork-pie hat , the leering smile and the wagging finger were almost universally recognised in Britain.

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He left school early for a job as an errand boy but by the age of 12 was on stage. He toured South Africa with a revue company in 1921 and appeared as a boy vocalist at Collins' Music-Hall the following year. Minor successes in music-hall, revues and working men's clubs followed.

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By 1926, aged 17, Trinder was the star of Archie Pitt's traveling variety comedy shows.

Related Topics:
1926 - Archie Pitt

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National recognition began to come in 1937 with the revues Tune In and In Town to-Night. By World War Two he was one of Britain's foremost entertainers and his shows brought welcome relief during the darkest days of the war.

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Ealing Studios signed him up to films during the war. His most famous was the comedy Sailors Three in which he, Claude Hubert and Michael Wilding capture a German pocket battleship.

Related Topics:
Ealing Studios - Claude Hubert - Michael Wilding

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He also took straight acting parts in The Foreman Went To France, Bells Go Down, a tribute to the work done by firemen in London during the Blitz; and Bitter Springs about a family fighting to make a new life in outback Australia.

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After the war, as a national figure he was soon recruited to television. In 1955, he became the first compere for the new ITV television programme Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

Related Topics:
1955 - ITV - Sunday Night at the London Palladium

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He hosted his own TV series, Trinder Box on BBC, in 1959.

Related Topics:
BBC - 1959

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In 1975 Tommy Trinder was awarded the Commander in the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

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He was a lifelong devoted supporter of Fulham football club.

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In 1979 he appeared in an edition of The Old Boy Network, doing his stand-up routine and presenting a condensed history of his life and career.

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He died from heart problems age 80 on 10 July ,1989. He was still performing stand-up comedy into his seventies.

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