Jim Dale
b. Jim Smith, 15 August 1935, Kettering, Northamptonshire, England. Dale, a failed impressionist, who wanted to be an all-round entertainer, had a two-year gig with Carrol Levis’ touring show as part of a comedy tumbling act. He then became a solo comedian and only turned to singing when he found people preferred his finale song to his tame comedy. He joined the BBC television series, 6.5 SPECIAL in April 1957 and shortly after signed to Parlophone Records, where he was produced by George Martin. His only Top 20 hit came with his second single, a cover of Johnny Madara's Be My Girl, which reached number 2 in late 1957. He had three more UK Top 40 entries, the last being a version of the McGuire Sisters’ US hit Sugartime in 1958. In the '60s Dale pursued his acting career, and appeared in a string of successful CARRY ON films, and others, such as LOCK UP YOUR DAUGHTERS. He made his West End debut in a musical, THE WAYWARD WAY, and appeared at the Edinburgh Festival in a pop version of THE WINTER'S TALE. He also co-wrote the Seekerssmash hit, Georgy Girl, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award, and contributed to the music for movies such as SHALAKO and LOLA. In the late '60s and early '70s, as member of the National Theatre Company, he appeared in several productions at the Old Vic and the Young Vic. He also made more films, including ADOLPH HITLER—MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALLand DIGBY, THE BIGGEST DOG IN THE WORLD. In 1973, Dale played for six months at the Queen's Theatre, London in the musical, THE CARD, and around the same time, hosted the popular television show, SUNDAY NIGHT AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM.In 1974 he went to the US with the National Theatre Company and created a stir with his performance as an ‘ingratiating scamp’ in the Moliére farce, SCAPINO, which brought him Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and a Tony nomination. During the late '70s, by now domiciled in the US, he appeared in stage productions of COMEDIANS and PRIVATES ON PARADE, as well as making several other movies, three of them for the Disney Studio. In 1980 Dale found the ideal property for his talents in Barnum, a musical about the life of the US showman, which involved juggling, trampoline, and tightrope walking, among other skills. He won a Tony Award for his performance and stayed with the show for over a year, following ecstatic opening reviews. In the '80s he made more films, and appeared on the New York stage in productions as diverse as Peter Nichol's JOE EGG (1985), ME AND MY GIRL (1987), and a revival of PRIVATES ON PARADE (1989). In 1992 he returned to the UK, and his '60s roots, to play the title role in the film CARRY ON COLUMBUS.