Bruce Forsyth CBE
'The Great Entertainer'
Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson was born on 22 February 1928 in Edmonton, North London where his father owned a garage. He was educated at the Latymer School in Edmonton.
His desire from an early age was to sing and dance, it is said that he used to tap-dance around the house, and in 1939 he made his television debut in a talent show. By the age of 14 he was working professionally under the stage name ‘Boy Bruce – The Mighty Atom’. He spent the next 16 years of his life perfecting his routine until he was thrust into the limelight in 1958, hosting a variety show 'Val Parnell’s Sunday Night at the London Palladium'. He became a household name and wowed the audience until December 1961.
During the 1960s he appeared from time to time in comedy specials and series, but preferred to concentrate on his stage career. He also co-starred in films, such as, 'The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins' and 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks'.
In 1971 his television career was set when he hosted 'Bruce Forsyth and the Generation Game'. The show was an instant success and he was branded the game show host.
An abundance of game shows followed 'Play Your Cards Right' (1980-87 and 1994-2001), 'Hollywood or Bust' (1984), 'You Bet!' (1988-90), 'Takeover Bid' (1990-91) and a further series of 'Generation Game' (1990-94).
His appearance in entertainment shows were less than he had hoped for, only appearing in the much criticised 'Bruce Forsyth’s Big Night' in 1978; 'Bruce’s Guest Night' 1992-93; and 'Sammy and Bruce' in 1980.
He also touched on sitcom when he played in 'Slinger’s Day' between 1986 and 1987. His career took a turn for the worse in the late 1990s but he returned to variety shows, in 2000 hosting 'Tonight at the London Palladium'. He then hosted many award and tribute shows, 'Wild About Harry: A Tribute to Sir Harry Secombe', The BAFTA TV Awards 2003, 'Hogmanay Live' and 'The Unseen Eric Morecambe'.
In 2004 he started hosting 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'Strictly Ice Dancing', both were huge hits and once again he was on top and the British public loved him.
He is famous for his catchphrases such as “Nice to see you, to see you nice”, “Good night tonight if you play your cards right” and “Good game, good game”; so much so that some of them appear in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. He has another trait, the Brucie pose.
In 1975 he was voted Show Business Personality of the Year by the Variety Club of Great Britain and in 1991 was BBC TV Personality of the Year. He was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for Variety in 1995, an OBE in 1998 and then a CBE in 2006. In 2001 he published his autobiography.
He married his first wife, Olivia Calvert in 1951 and they had three daughters. In 1973 he married, Anthea Redfern, who worked with him in The Generation Game, but they divorced in 1977; they had two daughters. He married his third wife, Wilnelia Merced, former Miss World, in 1983 and had one son.
Dame Helen Mirren DBE | Dame Anita Roddick DBE