Dustin Gee
| Dustin Gee | |
|---|---|
Dustin Gee performing an impersonation
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| Birth name | Gerald Harrison |
| Born |
24 June 1942 York, England |
| Died | January 3, 1986 (aged 43) Southport, Merseyside, England |
| Medium | Television comedian, impressionist |
Dustin Gee (24 June 1942 – 3 January 1986) was an English impressionist and comedian, best known for his double act with fellow comic, Les Dennis.
Born Gerald Harrison in York, Gee left school at 15 and studied at Art College. He took a job as an artist, working mainly with stained glass and for a while worked on the stained glass windows at York Minster. He played in a rock band in the evenings. The group were called 'Gerry B and the Hornets' before they altered the name to 'Gerry B and the Rockafellas'. When the group disbanded, Gee became a compere, then later a comedian.
In 1975, Gee met his future comedy partner, Les Dennis.
After 20 years in showbusiness, Gee got his television break on Who Do You Do?, an ITV showcase . The show gave the opportunity for up and coming entertainers and impressionists to impersonate a host of stars, including Robert Mitchum and Mick Jagger. Les Dennis also appeared on this show.
From April 1980 to July 1985, Gee was star guest on Russ Abbot's Madhouse. Les Dennis later became one of the cast in 1982 - it was during this year that Gee and Dennis formed a comedy double act. By this time, Gee was a huge cabaret star in the UK, selling out theatres and nightclubs by word of mouth alone. This was the show that included his most famous impression, as Coronation Street's Vera Duckworth in two-handers with Mavis Riley (played by Les Dennis).
In 1982, Gee appeared on ITV's talent show, Success, alongside a sixteen-year-old Lisa Stansfield, who was making her TV debut.
His take on John Cleese as eccentric hotel owner Basil Fawlty was acclaimed by Cleese himself as the "best he'd seen". Billy Connolly told his partner Les Dennis that he always wanted to meet Gee and regretted that he never did so.
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