Freddie Starr | |
---|---|
Starr in 1976
|
|
Born |
Frederick Leslie Fowell 9 January 1943 Huyton, Liverpool, England |
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Comedian, impressionist, singer, actor |
Spouse(s) | Betty (m. 1960–1972) Sandy (m. 1980–1995) Donna (m. 1998–2003, 2006–2010) Sophie Lea (m. 2013–separated in 2015) |
Children | 6 |
Comedy career | |
Medium | Stand up, Television |
Genres | Observational comedy, Musical comedy, Physical comedy, Insult comedy |
Freddie Starr (born Frederick Leslie Fowell, 9 January 1943) is an English comedian, impressionist, singer and actor. Starr was the lead singer of Merseybeat pop group The Midniters during the early 1960s, and came to prominence in the early 1970s after appearing on Opportunity Knocks and the Royal Variety Performance.
Starr was born in Liverpool, England. Under his birth name, he appeared as a teenager in the film Violent Playground in 1958. In the early 1960s, Starr was the lead singer of the Merseybeat pop group The Midniters. The group was promoted by the manager of the Beatles, Brian Epstein, and was recorded on the Decca label by Joe Meek, the record producer of the single "Telstar". During this period Starr performed in nightclubs in Hamburg and was an acquaintance of the Beatles.
Still relatively unknown to television audiences, Starr was "discovered" through the talent show, Opportunity Knocks where he appeared as part of comedy/beat act Freddie Starr and the Delmonts. He appeared on the 1970 Royal Variety Performance. From 1972, he was one of the main performers in the television series Who Do You Do? and also a regular on the TV panel show Jokers Wild. He went on to star in his own series.
Starr had a chart album titled After the Laughter and a UK Top 10 single, "It's You", in March 1974.