Max Bygraves
| Max Bygraves OBE |
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Walter William Bygraves 16 October 1922 Rotherhithe, London, England |
| Died | 31 August 2012 (aged 89) Hope Island, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation | Comedian, singer, actor, variety performer |
| Years active | 1949–95 |
| Spouse(s) | Gladys "Blossom" Murray (1942–2011, her death) |
| Children | 6 (three with Blossom, three from extra-marital affairs) |
Walter William Bygraves, OBE (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), known by the stage name Max Bygraves, was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs. He made twenty Royal Variety Performance appearances and presented numerous programmes, including Family Fortunes.
Bygraves was born to Henry and Lillian (née McDonnell) Bygraves (who wed in 1919) in Rotherhithe in London, where he grew up in poverty in a two-room council flat with his five siblings, his parents and a grandparent. His father was a professional flyweight boxer, known as Battling Tom Smith, and a casual dockworker. Brought up Catholic, he attended St Joseph's School, Paradise Street, Rotherhithe, and sang with his school choir at Westminster Cathedral.
He left school at 14, working at the Savoy Hotel in London as a pageboy, but was sacked for being too tall. He then became a messenger for an advertising agency in Fleet Street, before serving as a fitter in the RAF in the Second World War and working as a carpenter. He changed his name to Max Bygraves in honour of comedian Max Miller.
Bygraves' catchphrase was said to be: "I wanna tell you a story". It was actually Mike Yarwood who made up that phrase, from Bygraves' "I want to tell you a joke". He portrayed the title character in the 1956 film Charley Moon. It was revealed that Bygraves had bought the past and future rights to the Lionel Bart musical Oliver! for £350 at a time when Bart was experiencing severe financial difficulties. Bygraves later sold them for £250,000.
In the 1950s and '60s, Bygraves appeared as a guest on several television variety programmes both in the UK and United States. These included Ed Sullivan, Jack Benny and Jackie Gleason, in America, but his place as a broadcasting icon was founded, along with several fellow artists, by appearing as guest 'tutor', to Peter Brough's ventriloquist dummy, Archie Andrews, in the long running BBC radio show Educating Archie.
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