Patrick Kielty
| Patrick Kielty | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
31 January 1971 Dundrum, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | Comedian, television and radio presenter |
| Known for |
Patrick Kielty Almost Live Live at the Apollo This Morning |
| Spouse(s) | Cat Deeley (m. 2012) |
| Children | 1 |
| Website | http://www.patrickkielty.com |
Patrick Kielty (born 31 January 1971) is an Irish comedian and television personality.
Kielty was born in Downpatrick, Co Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the neighbouring village of Dundrum. He is one of three sons born to the businessman John "Jack" Kielty, who was shot dead on 25 January 1988 by the Ulster Freedom Fighters (UFF), a cover name used by loyalist paramilitary group the Ulster Defence Association (UDA). John Kielty was to have been a key witness in ITV Central's defence of a libel action brought by Jim Craig, who was suing the television company over a broadcast of The Cook Report which connected him to racketeering, and is said to have ordered John Kielty's murder.
Kielty began performing regularly while a pupil at St Patrick's Grammar School, Downpatrick, which holds an annual holiday concert. Kielty was persuaded to take part by a Games master who spotted his impersonations of local politicians, celebrities, and sportsmen. His professional career started while he was still a psychology student at Queen's University of Belfast. called "The Empire Laughs Back" started by him and fellow student Jackie Hamilton, who went on to become a BBC producer. One routine performed a local gigs involved donning a balaclava and making spoof paramilitary pronouncements. In the early 1990s, Kielty won the Guinness Entertainer of the Year in INF Warrenpoint, an event fronted by Sean Mallon.
In 1993, Kielty presented the show SUS on UTV. He later became the warm-up act for a BBC Northern Ireland programme, Anderson on the Box, presented by local personality Gerry Anderson. When this show was axed, he presented its replacement, PK Tonight. Although this ran for only a year and was only shown in Northern Ireland, it did attract the attention of London-based broadcasters, winning him the "Best Newcomer" Award at the 1996 Royal Television Society Awards. In 1997 he set up the Belfast-based TV production company Green Inc with TV director Stephen Stewart, making shows such as The Afternoon Show, Patrick Kielty Almost Live, and Ask Rhod Gilbert. It was reported in 2010 that Kielty had sold his share in the company. Kielty graduated to presenting programmes such as Last Chance Lottery and Patrick Kielty Almost Live, broadcast throughout the UK. Alcoholic former football star George Best later gave his first TV interview following his liver transplant to Kielty on the same show.
...
Wikipedia