Paul Nicholas
| Paul Nicholas | |
|---|---|
Nicholas in Jesus Christ Superstar, 1972
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|
| Born |
Paul Oscar Beuselinck 3 December 1944 Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England, UK |
| Other names | Paul Dean |
| Occupation | Singer, actor |
| Years active | 1960–present |
| Spouse(s) | Susan (divorced) Linzi (m. 1984) |
| Children | 6 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
| Instruments | Vocals |
Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944) is an English actor and singer. He started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre. Later, in the 1970s, he began an acting career. He returned to the pop charts, starring in the 1983 BBC sitcom Just Good Friends, for which he is best known. The show won a BAFTA and Nicholas was also nominated for best comedy performance. After the show ended, he returned to musical theatre and various other entertainment roles, including producing and directing.
Paul Nicholas was born Paul Oscar Beuselinck on 3 December 1944 in Peterborough. His paternal grandfather, Oscar Beuselinck, was Belgian and had been a chef in the merchant navy during World War II, before becoming head chef on the Union-Castle Line ships between England and South Africa. His maternal grandfather was a London docker. Nicholas' father, Oscar Beuselinck, a former MI6 agent, became a highly esteemed entertainment solicitor. The family spent holidays at his maternal grandparents' home on the Isle of Sheppey, until Nicholas was 10. After his parents divorced when he was 12, his father's family home was at Letchmore Heath, Hertfordshire, opposite the Bhaktivedanta Manor. His paternal grandparents, Winnie and Oscar, lived in a small cottage on the grounds.
Nicholas began his pop career as early as 1960. Adopting the stage name Paul Dean, he formed Paul Dean & The Dreamers who were booked to support The Savages, the backing band for the British rocker Screaming Lord Sutch.
It was here that Sutch first noticed the young Nicholas, who was soon to become vocalist and pianist with The Savages. Still using the name Paul Dean, he released two solo singles in 1965–66. After taking a new stage name, Oscar, he began a long association with the Australian-born entrepreneur, Robert Stigwood. In 1966, Nicholas signed with Stigwood's Reaction Records label and his first single under his new name, "Club of Lights", scraped into the lower reaches of the Radio London Fab Forty chart.
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