Tommy Eytle
| Tommy Eytle | |
|---|---|
Eytle playing Jules Tavernier in EastEnders.
|
|
| Born |
Thomas Daniel Hicks Eytle 16 July 1927 Georgetown, British Guiana |
| Died | 19 June 2007 (aged 79) Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Occupation | Calypso musician Actor |
| Notable work | Jules Tavernier in EastEnders (1990–97) |
| Spouse(s) | Avis D'Ornellas (1951–2007; his death) |
Thomas Daniel Hicks "Tommy" Eytle (16 July 1927 – 19 June 2007) was a Guyanese calypso musician and actor. Although born in Guyana, Eytle's career was based in the United Kingdom, where he lived after emigrating in 1951.
Eytle's career began in the 1950s. He initially found success playing African and Caribbean music with his calypso band. He continued to perform musically until the mid-1990s. He had many roles on television, radio, film and stage, but he was most famous for playing the role of Jules Tavernier in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1990 to 1997.
Eytle was born in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana), to James, a gold miner, and Gertrude Eytle. Eytle attended St Philip's Primary School, Central High School and Queen's College of Guyana. After finishing his education he worked as a gold and diamond miner with his father for a year, before joining the Civil Service and qualifying as a land surveyor.
His parents separated in 1951 and his mother and siblings moved to London. Eytle joined them, arriving for a holiday on Festival of Britain Day, and decided to stay in the UK. He worked first as a surveyor and draughtsman before turning to music and working as a bandleader at some of London's top hotels.
Eytle was a self-taught guitarist and in the early 1950s he formed Tommy Eytle's Calypso Band in response to the surge of interest in African and Caribbean music at the time. The band performed a mix of Afro-Caribbean music and modern jazz and in addition to playing the jazz guitar, Eytle provided the band's vocals. They performed in many jazz venues and nightclubs around the country, including the Sunset Club, the Bag O'Nails, Club Basie, Pigalle and Al Burnett’s Stork Club.
...
Wikipedia