Max Miller (comedian)
| Max Miller | |
|---|---|
Bronze statue of Miller at the
Pavilion Gardens, Brighton
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| Birth name | Thomas Henry Sargent |
| Born |
21 November 1894 Hereford Street, Brighton, Sussex |
| Died | 7 May 1963 (aged 68) 25 Burlington Street, Brighton, Sussex |
| Genres | Blue comedy |
| Spouse | Frances Kathleen Marsh |
| Website | maxmiller.org |
Thomas Henry Sargent (21 November 1894 – 7 May 1963), best known by his stage name Max Miller and also known as "The Cheeky Chappie", was a British comedian who was widely regarded as the greatest stand-up comedian of his generation. He made films, toured in revues and music hall, and sang and recorded songs, some of which he wrote. He was known for his flamboyant suits, his wicked charm, and his risqué jokes which often got him into trouble with the censors.
Miller was born as Thomas Henry Sargent on 21 November 1894 in Hereford Street, Kemptown, Brighton, Sussex. He was the second child of James Sargent, a labourer and Alice (née West), a flower seller; Miller had three brothers and two sisters. His parents were poor and often unable to pay rent so were forced to move to other parts of the town. Owing to this, Miller frequently changed schools until he reached 12, when he left altogether. He tried various jobs, labouring, delivering milk, selling fish and chips, caddying at the Brighton and Hove Golf Course and finally trained to be a motor mechanic. As a youth he was nicknamed "Swanky Sargent".
On the outbreak of the war in 1914, Miller volunteered for the army. He joined the Royal Sussex Regiment and, after serving in France, was posted to India and a year later to Mesopotamia, where he was temporarily blinded for three days. This experience stayed with him all his life, and in later years he did much work to help the blind. During his time in the army, he started a troops’ concert party.
Demobilized from the army, he found work to be in short supply. He had lost his mother to the 1918 flu pandemic. He had his sights on performing in London and obtained a booking in the Shoreditch Hall in 1919. He was not experienced enough for the type of venue and lasted only a week. Returning to Brighton he saw an advertisement for artists to join Jack Sheppard’s concert party in an alfresco theatre on Brighton beach. He applied and joined as a light comedian for the 1919 summer season. While with the concert party, he met his wife Frances Kathleen Marsh, who was a contralto in the group.
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