Gorden Kaye
Encyclopedia
Gorden Kaye is a BAFTA-nominated English
comic actor
, best known for playing René Artois in the British
TV comedy
'Allo 'Allo!
.
for Moldgreen ARLFC before studying at King James's Grammar School in Almondbury
, Huddersfield
.
's nephew Bernard Butler in the UK's long-running soap opera Coronation Street
in 1969, he later made an impression on producer/writer David Croft following guest roles in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
, Are You Being Served?
and Come Back Mrs Noah
. In 1979, Kaye featured as Dimes in the feature film Porridge
alongside Ronnie Barker
.
Croft offered him the lead role in a series he had written called Oh, Happy Band! but Kaye was unavailable and the part went to Harry Worth
. Oh, Happy Band! disappeared after one series and, in 1982, Croft sent Kaye the script for the pilot episode of 'Allo 'Allo!
inviting him to play the central character of René Artois. He accepted and appeared in all 85 episodes and productions of the stage version.
Gorden Kaye had a small part in Terry Gilliam
's film Brazil
as desk clerk M.O.I. Lobby Porter.
Kaye is the author of a 1989 autobiography, Rene & Me: A Sort of Autobiography (with Hilary Bonner, ISBN 0-283-99965-9) in which he describes his experiences as a shy, gay, overweight, typecast youth. The unusual spelling of the name Gorden (usually spelt Gordon) was the result of an Equity
typing error.
Kaye suffered serious head injuries in a car accident during the Burns Day storm on 25 January 1990. Although he cannot remember any details of the incident, he still has a scar on his forehead from a piece of wooden advertising boarding that smashed through the car windscreen.
While recovering in hospital from emergency brain surgery to treat injuries sustained in the accident, Kaye was photographed and interviewed by Sunday Sport
journalist Roger Ordish. He sued the Sunday Sport, but the British Court of Appeal held that his privacy had not been invaded — a decision once said to be the low point of British privacy law. See Kaye v Robertson
.
Kaye returned as Rene Artois in a 2007 one-off television revival
of 'Allo 'Allo and in a stage show in Brisbane
, Australia
, at the Twelfth Night Theatre
in June and July, alongside Sue Hodge
as Mimi Labonq
and Guy Siner
as Lieutenant Gruber. The other characters were portrayed by Australian actors, including Katy Manning
, Steven Tandy
, Chloe Dallimore
, Jason Gann
and Tony Alcock.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
comic 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...
, best known for playing René Artois in the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
.
Early life
As a youngster, he played rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
for Moldgreen ARLFC before studying at King James's Grammar School in Almondbury
Almondbury
Almondbury is a district 2 miles south east of Huddersfield town centre in West Yorkshire, England. The population of Almondbury in 2001 was 7,368Almondbury appears in the Domesday Book as "Almondeberie"...
, Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
.
Career
After first coming to prominence playing Elsie TannerElsie Tanner
Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
's nephew Bernard Butler in the UK's long-running soap opera Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
in 1969, he later made an impression on producer/writer David Croft following guest roles in It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum
It Ain't Half Hot Mum was a British sitcom about the adventures of a Royal Artillery Concert Party, broadcast on the BBC between 1974 and 1981, and written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, the creators of Dad's Army...
, Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served?
Are You Being Served? is a British sitcom broadcast from 1972 to 1985. It was set in the ladies' and gentlemen's clothing departments of Grace Brothers, a large, fictional London department store. It was written mainly by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, with contributions by Michael Knowles and John...
and Come Back Mrs Noah
Come Back Mrs Noah
Come Back Mrs. Noah is a British sitcom that aired on BBC1 from 1977 to 1978. Starring Mollie Sugden and Ian Lavender, it was written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, who had also written Are You Being Served?, which had also starred Mollie Sugden. Joke banter was recycled off other series, and...
. In 1979, Kaye featured as Dimes in the feature film Porridge
Porridge (film)
Porridge is a 1979 film based upon the television series of the same name which was released under the title Doing Time in the United States....
alongside Ronnie Barker
Ronnie Barker
Ronald William George "Ronnie" Barker, OBE was a British actor, comedian, writer, critic, broadcaster and businessman...
.
Croft offered him the lead role in a series he had written called Oh, Happy Band! but Kaye was unavailable and the part went to Harry Worth
Harry Worth
Harry Worth was an English comedy actor and comedian...
. Oh, Happy Band! disappeared after one series and, in 1982, Croft sent Kaye the script for the pilot episode of 'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo!
'Allo 'Allo! is a British sitcom broadcast on BBC One from 1982 to 1992 comprising eighty-five episodes. It is a parody of another BBC programme, the wartime drama Secret Army, and was created by David Croft, who also wrote the theme music, and Jeremy Lloyd. Lloyd and Croft wrote the first 6...
inviting him to play the central character of René Artois. He accepted and appeared in all 85 episodes and productions of the stage version.
Gorden Kaye had a small part in Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's film Brazil
Brazil (film)
Brazil is a 1985 British science fiction fantasy/black comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam. It was written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard and stars Jonathan Pryce. The film also features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm...
as desk clerk M.O.I. Lobby Porter.
Kaye is the author of a 1989 autobiography, Rene & Me: A Sort of Autobiography (with Hilary Bonner, ISBN 0-283-99965-9) in which he describes his experiences as a shy, gay, overweight, typecast youth. The unusual spelling of the name Gorden (usually spelt Gordon) was the result of an Equity
British Actors' Equity Association
Equity is the trade union for actors, stage managers and models in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1930 by a group of West End performers....
typing error.
Kaye suffered serious head injuries in a car accident during the Burns Day storm on 25 January 1990. Although he cannot remember any details of the incident, he still has a scar on his forehead from a piece of wooden advertising boarding that smashed through the car windscreen.
While recovering in hospital from emergency brain surgery to treat injuries sustained in the accident, Kaye was photographed and interviewed by Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport
Sunday Sport is a British tabloid newspaper, published by Sport Newspapers, which was established in 1986. It prints plainly ludicrous stories, such as a double-decker London bus being found frozen in the Antarctic ice, or a World War II bomber found on the moon. Defenders of the paper pointed out...
journalist Roger Ordish. He sued the Sunday Sport, but the British Court of Appeal held that his privacy had not been invaded — a decision once said to be the low point of British privacy law. See Kaye v Robertson
Kaye v Robertson
Kaye v Robertson [1991] FSR 62 is a case in English law which is a notable case, expressing the view that there is no common law right to privacy in English law.-Facts:...
.
Kaye returned as Rene Artois in a 2007 one-off television revival
The Return of 'Allo 'Allo!
The Return of 'Allo 'Allo! is a one-off special episode of the sitcom 'Allo 'Allo!The Return of 'Allo 'Allo! was broadcast LIVE on BBC1 on 28 April 2007 at 9pm. The storyline involves René writing his memoirs after the war. The new scenes are interspersed with clips from the original series and...
of 'Allo 'Allo and in a stage show in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, at the Twelfth Night Theatre
Twelfth Night Theatre
thumb|250px|Twelfth Night TheatreThe Twelfth Night Theatre is an established Australian entertainment venue located in Bowen Hills, in Brisbane, Queensland. Australian actors such as Rowena Wallace, Sigrid Thornton, Judith McGrath, Jon English, June Salter, Penny Downie, Carol Burns, Kate Wilson,...
in June and July, alongside Sue Hodge
Sue Hodge
Sue Hodge is a British actress, best known for her role as the waitress Mimi Labonq in the BBC sitcom Allo 'Allo!...
as Mimi Labonq
Mimi Labonq
Mimi Le Bonque is a fictional character on the BBC situation comedy 'Allo 'Allo!. She first appeared in the fourth season, and stayed with the show until the end....
and Guy Siner
Guy Siner
Guy Siner is an American-born English actor known for his role as Lieutenant Hubert Gruber in the British television series Allo 'Allo!.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Gruber. The other characters were portrayed by Australian actors, including Katy Manning
Katy Manning
Katy Manning is an English actress best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who. She has also made many theatre appearances, and is now a citizen of Australia. She is myopic...
, Steven Tandy
Steven Tandy
Steven Tandy is an Australian stage, television and film actor, best known for playing Tom Sullivan, the second eldest son in the classic Australian television series The Sullivans.-Biography:...
, Chloe Dallimore
Chloe Dallimore
Chloe Dallimore is an Australian actor best known for her performance as Ulla in Mel Brooks' musical The Producers starring Bert Newton.- Filmography :-Theatre:- External links :* at the Internet Movie Database...
, Jason Gann
Jason Gann
Jason Gann is an Australian stand-up comedian, actor, director, producer, writer, screenwriter, musician, singer, and comedian. He is best known for his role as Wilfred in the Australian comedy series of the same name and its U.S...
and Tony Alcock.