Davy Kaye
Encyclopedia
Davy Kaye MBE
(25 March 1916 in London - 3 February 1998, Paradise Island
in the Bahamas), born as David Kodeish, was a British comedy actor
and entertainer
.
to Jewish parents Koppel and Dora Kodeish, Kaye was so small at birth that he was not expected to live. As a schoolboy he appeared in amateur revues and shows at his school, making his professional debut at the Mile End Empire in 1935. On the outbreak of the Second World War Kaye tried to join up but was turned down due to his short stature. Instead, he spent the war years entertaining troops at RAF
bases, munitions factories and Army
camps as well as on BBC radio
.
Following the war the 4' 11" tall Kaye toured in his own revues with his then agent Joe Collins, the father of Jackie
and Joan Collins
in a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years. He played Benny Southstreet in the original 1953 London
production of Guys and Dolls at the London Coliseum
, and played five different characters in the 1961 Wolf Mankowitz
musical Belle (based on the case of Dr Crippen
) at the Strand Theatre
.
and The Bishop's Bonfire at the Mermaid Theatre
and appeared in many films including The Wrong Arm of the Law
, The Biggest Bundle of Them All
, The Pot Carriers, Crooks in Cloisters
, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
, Alice in Wonderland
, Carry On Cowboy
, Carry on Regardless
, Carry On at Your Convenience
, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
and many more. On television he appeared in Sapphire and Steel. He also appeared in pantomime
. Kaye's last British television appearance was on the Barrymore Show
where he performed his famous One Man Band act.
In 1985 the Variety Club of Great Britain
gave a lunch for Kaye at London's Hilton Hotel in celebration of his 50 years in show business. Noted for his charity work, over the years Kaye raised more than one million pounds for a number of charities, including the Bud Flanagan
Leukaemia Fund, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
, the Prince Philip Trust Fund, the Nightingale House home for elderly Jews and the Ealing Jewish Youth Club.
He was a Past King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats
(1984), and later was Preceptor
. Kaye was awarded the Badge of Merit and Bar, the highest honour that the Order can award.
Kaye was awarded the MBE
in Her Majesty The Queen's
1995 New Year's Honours List for his services to charity. He died in Paradise Island
in the Bahamas.
He is the father of entertainers Kaplan Kaye and Melody Kaye.
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
(25 March 1916 in London - 3 February 1998, Paradise Island
Paradise Island
Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of New Providence. It is best known for the sprawling 'Vegas-by-the-sea resort' Atlantis.Paradise...
in the Bahamas), born as David Kodeish, was a British comedy actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and entertainer
Entertainment
Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...
.
Early life
Born in Mile End Road in the East End of LondonEast End of London
The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, is the area of London, England, United Kingdom, east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames. Although not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries, the River Lea can be considered another boundary...
to Jewish parents Koppel and Dora Kodeish, Kaye was so small at birth that he was not expected to live. As a schoolboy he appeared in amateur revues and shows at his school, making his professional debut at the Mile End Empire in 1935. On the outbreak of the Second World War Kaye tried to join up but was turned down due to his short stature. Instead, he spent the war years entertaining troops at RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
bases, munitions factories and Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
camps as well as on BBC radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
.
Following the war the 4' 11" tall Kaye toured in his own revues with his then agent Joe Collins, the father of Jackie
Jackie Collins
Jacqueline Jill "Jackie" Collins is an English novelist and former actress. She is the younger sister of actress Joan Collins. She has written 28 novels, all of which have appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list. In total, her books have sold over 400 million copies and have been...
and Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
in a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years. He played Benny Southstreet in the original 1953 London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
production of Guys and Dolls at the London Coliseum
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
, and played five different characters in the 1961 Wolf Mankowitz
Wolf Mankowitz
Cyril Wolf Mankowitz was an English writer, playwright and screenwriter of Russian Jewish descent.-Early life:...
musical Belle (based on the case of Dr Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen
Hawley Harvey Crippen , usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopathic physician hanged in Pentonville Prison, London, on November 23, 1910, for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen...
) at the Strand Theatre
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster.-History:The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of the Waldorf Hotel, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre opened as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was...
.
Career
From 1954 to 1968 Kaye presented a new show each month at London's Embassy Club. He also starred in Androcles and the LionAndrocles and the Lion (play)
Androcles and the Lion is a 1912 play written by George Bernard Shaw.Androcles and the Lion is Shaw's retelling of the tale of Androcles, a slave who is saved by the requited mercy of a lion. In the play, Shaw portrays Androcles to be one of the many Christians being led to the Colosseum for torture...
and The Bishop's Bonfire at the Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
and appeared in many films including The Wrong Arm of the Law
The Wrong Arm of the Law
The Wrong Arm of the Law is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Cliff Owen and starring Peter Sellers, Bernard Cribbins, Lionel Jeffries, John Le Mesurier and Bill Kerr...
, The Biggest Bundle of Them All
The Biggest Bundle of Them All
The Biggest Bundle of Them All is a 1968 American crime film set in Naples, Italy. The story is about a mobster and a novice gang of crooks who team up to steal $5 million worth of platinum ingots from a train...
, The Pot Carriers, Crooks in Cloisters
Crooks in Cloisters
Crooks in Cloisters is a British-made comedy released in 1964 and starring Ronald Fraser as 'Little Walter' , the boss of a gang of forgers, including Bernard Cribbins as 'Squirts' , Melvyn Hayes as 'Willy' , Grégoire Aslan as 'Lorenzo' , and Davy Kaye as 'Specs' .-Synopsis:After pulling off...
, Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines, Or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes is a 1965 British comedy film starring Stuart Whitman and directed and co-written by Ken Annakin...
, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a 1968 musical film with a script by Roald Dahl and Ken Hughes, and songs by the Sherman Brothers, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car. It starred Dick Van Dyke as Caractacus Potts and Sally Ann Howes as Truly Scrumptious. The...
, Alice in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1972 film)
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a 1972 British musical film based on the Lewis Carroll novel of the same name. It had an all star cast, and John Barry composed the score....
, Carry On Cowboy
Carry On Cowboy
Carry On Cowboy is the eleventh in the Carry On series of films. It was released in 1965 and was the first film to feature series regulars Peter Butterworth and Bernard Bresslaw...
, Carry on Regardless
Carry On Regardless
Carry on Regardless was the fifth in the series of Carry On films to be made. It was released in 1961. By now a fairly regular team was established with Sid James, Kenneth Connor, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Kenneth Williams all having appeared in previous entries. Hattie Jacques - who was...
, Carry On at Your Convenience
Carry On at Your Convenience
Carry On at Your Convenience, released in 1971, is the 22nd film of the Carry On series and was the first box office failure of the series. The failure has been attributed to the film's attempt at exploring the political themes of the trade union movement, crucially portraying the union activists...
, A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (film)
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square is a 1979 British heist film directed by Ralph Thomas, written by Guy Elmes and starring Richard Jordan, Oliver Tobias, and David Niven...
, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins
The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins is a 1971 British comedy film directed and produced by Graham Stark. Its title is a conflation of The Magnificent Seven and the seven deadly sins. It comprises a sequence of seven sketches, each representing a sin and written by an array of British comedy-writing...
and many more. On television he appeared in Sapphire and Steel. He also appeared in pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. Kaye's last British television appearance was on the Barrymore Show
Michael Barrymore
Michael Kieron Parker , better known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is a British comedian who appeared as a presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s and 1990s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music and Kids Say...
where he performed his famous One Man Band act.
In 1985 the Variety Club of Great Britain
Variety, the Children's Charity
Variety, the Children's Charity is an organisation founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1927, when a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On Christmas Eve 1928, a small baby was left on the steps the Sheridan Square...
gave a lunch for Kaye at London's Hilton Hotel in celebration of his 50 years in show business. Noted for his charity work, over the years Kaye raised more than one million pounds for a number of charities, including the Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan was a popular English music hall and vaudeville entertainer from the 1930s until the 1960s. Flanagan was famous as a wartime entertainer and his achievements were recognised when he was awarded the O.B.E. in 1960.- Family background :Flaganan was born Chaim Reuben Weintrop in...
Leukaemia Fund, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award , is a programme of activities that can be undertaken by anyone aged 14 to 24, regardless of personal ability....
, the Prince Philip Trust Fund, the Nightingale House home for elderly Jews and the Ealing Jewish Youth Club.
He was a Past King Rat of the Grand Order of Water Rats
Grand Order of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is an entertainment industry charity, and brotherhood, based in London. The Water Rats were founded in 1889 by comedian Joe Elvin. The first King Rat, as the head of the charity is termed, was music hall singer Harry Freeman. Comedian Dan Leno joined in 1890 and was...
(1984), and later was Preceptor
Preceptor
A preceptor is a teacher responsible to uphold a certain law or tradition, a precept.-Christian military orders:A preceptor was historically in charge of a preceptory, the headquarters of certain orders of monastic Knights, such as the Knights Hospitaller and Knights Templar, within a given...
. Kaye was awarded the Badge of Merit and Bar, the highest honour that the Order can award.
Kaye was awarded the MBE
MBE
MBE can stand for:* Mail Boxes Etc.* Management by exception* Master of Bioethics* Master of Bioscience Enterprise* Master of Business Engineering* Master of Business Economics* Mean Biased Error...
in Her Majesty The Queen's
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
1995 New Year's Honours List for his services to charity. He died in Paradise Island
Paradise Island
Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island is located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of New Providence. It is best known for the sprawling 'Vegas-by-the-sea resort' Atlantis.Paradise...
in the Bahamas.
He is the father of entertainers Kaplan Kaye and Melody Kaye.
External links
- http://www.gowr.net/Members/pkrdavykaye.htmlKaye on the Grand Order of Water RatsGrand Order of Water RatsThe Grand Order of Water Rats is an entertainment industry charity, and brotherhood, based in London. The Water Rats were founded in 1889 by comedian Joe Elvin. The first King Rat, as the head of the charity is termed, was music hall singer Harry Freeman. Comedian Dan Leno joined in 1890 and was...
website] - Kaye on the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
website - Kaye on the DigiGuide Library
- Kaye on Yahoo! Movies