Jim Dale
Encyclopedia
Jim Dale, MBE
(born James Smith, 15 August 1935) is an English
actor
, voice artist, singer and songwriter
. He is best known in the United Kingdom
for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films
and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter
audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing Daisies
. In the 1970s Dale was a member of Laurence Olivier
's National Theatre
Company.
, England
. He trained as a dancer for six years before his debut as a stage comic in 1951, when, at the age of seventeen and a half, he became the youngest professional comedian on the British Music hall
stage. He performed two years national service
in the Royal Air Force
.
, Dale is best remembered as the lyricist for the movie theme, "Georgy Girl
", which was nominated for an Academy Award
in 1966. The song (performed by The Seekers
) reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100
chart
the following year, and sold over seven million records. He also wrote lyrics for the title song of the movies Shalako
, Joseph Andrews
, Twinky ("Lola" in the United States) and A Winter's Tale.
Several of his songs entered the UK Singles Chart
, including "Be My Girl" (1957, UK #2), "Just Born (To Be My Baby)" (1958, UK #27), "Crazy Dream" (1958, UK #24) and "Sugartime" (1958, UK #25). At the age of twenty two he became the first pop singer under the wing of Sir George Martin
, who produced all his hit record
s for him. In 1957, he was one of the presenters on the BBC Television
's Six-Five Special
. Dale also wrote and recorded the song, "Dick-a-Dum-Dum (King's Road)", which became a hit for Des O'Connor
in 1969.
in the comedy Raising the Wind
(1961). However he is most famous in the UK for his appearances in eleven Carry On films
, a long running series of comedy farces, generally playing the hapless romantic lead. His 'Carry On' career began as an expectant father in Carry On Cabby
(1963), and was followed by Carry On Jack
(1963), Carry On Spying
(1964), Carry On Cleo
(1964) and Carry On Cowboy
(1965) - where he played a character called Marshall P Knutt. Then came Don't Lose Your Head
(1966), Follow That Camel
(1967), Carry On Screaming
(1966), and the famous Carry On Doctor
(1967). His last 'Carry On' appearance in the main series was in Carry On Again Doctor
in 1969, where he broke his arm during filming, as he preferred to do his own stunts. However 23 years later he appeared in the title role in the last 1992 'Carry On' film, Carry On Columbus
.
He was in the silent short 1967 film The Plank, and played the young Spike Milligan
in the film version of Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall
. Pete's Dragon (1977) is a live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions. He played Doc Terminus a traveling elixir showman/salesman. He starred in Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
, which also featured Milligan, The National Health
directed by Jack Gold
, and appeared in the 1984 film Scandalous
. He also had a triple-role as twin brothers and their father in Disney's Hot Lead and Cold Feet
, The Hunchback
, as a tap dancing executive in Arthur Miller's 1993 The American Clock
and as a comic villain in the 1977 Disney
films Pete's Dragon
and The Spaceman and King Arthur aka Unidentified Flying Oddball
.
s, winning one for Barnum
when, in 1980, the New York Times cited him as "The Toast of Broadway", also winning the second of four Drama Desk Awards. In 2006, Dale performed on Broadway
(at Studio 54
) in the Roundabout Theatre Company
's production of The Threepenny Opera
, as Mr. Peachum.
In 1970, at the request of Sir Laurence Olivier, he joined the National Theatre
in London as a leading actor. Over the next two years he appeared in Love's Labour's Lost
, The Merchant of Venice
, The National Health
, The Good Natured Man, The Captain of Kopenick
, and a two hander play with Anthony Hopkins
, The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria
. At the Young Vic Theatre, he created the title role in Scapino
, which he co-adapted with Frank Dunlop
, and played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew
. His other West End theatre
credits include The Wayward Way, The Card
, A Midsummer Night's Dream
, The Winter's Tale
, and most recently the part of Fagin
in Cameron Mackintosh
’s Oliver!
at the London Palladium
.
His Broadway successes include Scapino (Drama Desk Award/Outer Critics Award/Tony Award Nomination), Joe Egg (Outer Critics Award /Tony Award Nomination). Me And My Girl
and Candide
(Tony Award Nomination). Other credits Off-Broadway include Travels With My Aunt
(Drama Desk Award / Lucille Lortel Award / Outer Critics Award), Privates On Parade
, The Taming of the Shrew
, The Invisible Man
, The Music Man
, Comedians
(Drama Desk Award nomination and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination), A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Address Unknown
and The Threepenny Opera
(Drama Desk Award / Outer Critics Award / The Richard Seff Award and a Tony Award nomination). In November, 2006 Dale starred as "Charlie Baxter" in the Sherman Brothers
' musical, Busker Alley
alongside Glenn Close
. His latest work seen in 2011 is a one man show, Just Jim Dale looking back over nearly sixty years in show business.
, Jim Dale is the "voice" of Harry Potter
. He has recorded all seven books in the Harry Potter series, and as a narrator he has won two Grammy Awards, seven Grammy Nominations and a record ten Audie Awards
including "Audio Book of the Year 2004," "Best Children's Narrator 2001/2005/2007/2008," "Best Children's Audio Book 2005," two Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (one of these was in 2001 for Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban) and twenty three Audio File Earphone Awards. He is also the narrator for the Harry Potter
video games, and for many of the interactive "extras" on the Harry Potter DVD releases. He also holds two Guinness World Records
: one for having created and recorded 146 different character voices for one audiobook, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and one for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005.
Dale also narrated the ABC drama, Pushing Daisies
, as "the fairy tale narrator"
In the early 1960s, Dale presented Children's Favourites
on BBC Radio
, for a year.
In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Dale with the MBE
, for his work in promoting English children's literature.
In December, 2009, for their annual birthday celebration to "The Master", The Noel Coward Society invited Dale as the guest celebrity to lay flowers in front of Coward's statue at New York's Gershwin Theatre, thereby commemorating the 110th birthday of Sir Noel.
since 1980. He was married to Patricia from 1957 until their divorce in 1977. They had four children. The eldest boy, Murray Dale, was briefly a successful actor in the 1970s British children's television series Boy Dominic. Middle son Adam, a successful aerial cameraman, is the winner of the Golden Arrow Award for Best Helicopter Cameraman. His youngest son Toby Dale is, in his father's words, "a brilliant actor". All three sons live in London. Dale has five grandchildren. His only daughter, Belinda Dale, died of leukaemia in December 1995. His first wife, Patricia, died in March 1999, after a long battle with cancer. In 1980, Dale married Julie Schafler, the owner of Madison Avenue's 'Julie: Artisan's Gallery'.
[Another actor James Dale played Dr. Dale for many years on the BBC radio soap
Mrs Dale's Diary].
Nominations
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born James Smith, 15 August 1935) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
, voice artist, singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He is best known in the United Kingdom
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...
for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
. In the 1970s Dale was a member of Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
's National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
Company.
Early years
Dale was born to William Henry Smith and Miriam Jean Wells in Rothwell, NorthamptonshireRothwell, Northamptonshire
Rothwell is a market town in the Kettering district of Northamptonshire, England. It is located south of Desborough, southeast of Market Harborough, southwest of Corby and northwest of the larger town of Kettering. It is twinned with the French town of Droué...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He trained as a dancer for six years before his debut as a stage comic in 1951, when, at the age of seventeen and a half, he became the youngest professional comedian on the British Music hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
stage. He performed two years national service
Conscription in the United Kingdom
Conscription in the United Kingdom has existed for two periods in modern times. The first was from 1916 to 1919, the second was from 1939 to 1960, with the last conscripted soldiers leaving the service in 1963...
in the Royal Air Force
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...
.
Music
As a songwriterSongwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, Dale is best remembered as the lyricist for the movie theme, "Georgy Girl
Georgy Girl (song)
"Georgy Girl", written by Tom Springfield and Jim Dale , is the title song performed by The Seekers for the the film of the same name. Across late 1966 and early 1967, the song became a #1 Australian hit and a #3 UK hit...
", which was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1966. The song (performed by The Seekers
The Seekers
The Seekers are an Australian folk-influenced pop music group which were originally formed in 1962. They were the first Australian popular music group to achieve major chart and sales success in the United Kingdom and the United States...
) reached number 2 in the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
the following year, and sold over seven million records. He also wrote lyrics for the title song of the movies Shalako
Shalako (film)
Shalako is a 1968 British western film directed by Edward Dmytryk, starring Sean Connery and Brigitte Bardot. Stephen Boyd portrayed a classic western villain. Jack Hawkins played an upper class Englishman abroad in the "new" country...
, Joseph Andrews
Joseph Andrews
Joseph Andrews, or The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams, was the first published full-length novel of the English author and magistrate Henry Fielding, and indeed among the first novels in the English language...
, Twinky ("Lola" in the United States) and A Winter's Tale.
Several of his songs entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, including "Be My Girl" (1957, UK #2), "Just Born (To Be My Baby)" (1958, UK #27), "Crazy Dream" (1958, UK #24) and "Sugartime" (1958, UK #25). At the age of twenty two he became the first pop singer under the wing of Sir George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, who produced all his hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
s for him. In 1957, he was one of the presenters on the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's Six-Five Special
Six-Five Special
The Six-Five Special is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.-Description:...
. Dale also wrote and recorded the song, "Dick-a-Dum-Dum (King's Road)", which became a hit for Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor
Des O'Connor, CBE is an English comedian and singer. A former talkshow host, he was the presenter of the long-running Channel 4 gameshow Countdown for two years...
in 1969.
Film
Dale's film debut was a tiny role as a trombone player who thwarts orchestral conductor Kenneth WilliamsKenneth Williams
Kenneth Charles Williams was an English comic actor and comedian. He was one of the main ensemble in 26 of the Carry On films, and appeared in numerous British television shows, and radio comedies with Tony Hancock and Kenneth Horne.-Life and career:Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February...
in the comedy Raising the Wind
Raising the Wind (1961 film)
Raising the Wind is a 1961 British comedy film written by Bruce Montgomery and directed by Gerald Thomas. It starred James Robertson Justice, Leslie Phillips, Kenneth Williams, Liz Fraser, Eric Barker and Sid James...
(1961). However he is most famous in the UK for his appearances in eleven Carry On films
Carry On films
The Carry On films are a series of low-budget British comedy films, directed by Gerald Thomas and produced by Peter Rogers. They are an energetic mix of parody, farce, slapstick and double entendres....
, a long running series of comedy farces, generally playing the hapless romantic lead. His 'Carry On' career began as an expectant father in Carry On Cabby
Carry On Cabby
Carry On Cabby is the seventh Carry On film. Released in 1963, it was the first one written by series mainstay Talbot Rothwell from a story by Sid Green and Dick Hills...
(1963), and was followed by Carry On Jack
Carry On Jack
Carry on Jack is the eighth movie in the Carry On film series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On...
(1963), Carry On Spying
Carry On Spying
Carry On Spying is a 1964 film, the ninth movie in the Carry On film series. It marks Barbara Windsor's first appearance in the series. Series regulars Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale are present. Bernard Cribbins makes the second of his three Carry On appearances...
(1964), Carry On Cleo
Carry On Cleo
Carry On Cleo is the tenth film in the Carry On film series and was released in 1964. The website ICONS.a portrait of England cites the Carry On films as iconic of British cinema, and describes Carry On Cleo as "perhaps the best". Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles...
(1964) and 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...
(1965) - where he played a character called Marshall P Knutt. Then came Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head
Don't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On film . It features regular team members Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims. French actress Dany Robin makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head. It was released in 1966...
(1966), Follow That Camel
Follow That Camel
Follow That Camel is the fourteenth Carry On film and was released in 1967. Like its predecessor Don't Lose Your Head, it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title...
(1967), Carry On Screaming
Carry On Screaming
Carry On Screaming! is the twelfth Carry On film and was released in 1966. It was the last of the series to be distributed by Anglo-Amalgamated before the series moved to The Rank Organisation. It was originally rated in the UK as an 'A' , it is currently rated 'PG'...
(1966), and the famous Carry On Doctor
Carry On Doctor
Carry On Doctor is the fifteenth film in the Carry On series. It is the second in the series to have a medical theme. Frankie Howerd makes the first of his two appearances in the film series. He stars alongside regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw...
(1967). His last 'Carry On' appearance in the main series was in Carry On Again Doctor
Carry On Again Doctor
Carry On Again Doctor is the eighteenth Carry On film. It was released in 1969 and was the third to feature a medical theme. The film features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques...
in 1969, where he broke his arm during filming, as he preferred to do his own stunts. However 23 years later he appeared in the title role in the last 1992 'Carry On' film, Carry On Columbus
Carry On Columbus
Carry On Columbus is the 31st and last film in the Carry On series, following 1978's Carry On Emmannuelle. The only main series regulars present are Jim Dale , Bernard Cribbins , Leslie Phillips , Jon Pertwee and June Whitfield...
.
He was in the silent short 1967 film The Plank, and played the young Spike Milligan
Spike Milligan
Terence Alan Patrick Seán "Spike" Milligan Hon. KBE was a comedian, writer, musician, poet, playwright, soldier and actor. His early life was spent in India, where he was born, but the majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He became an Irish citizen in 1962 after the...
in the film version of Adolf Hitler: My Part in his Downfall
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (film)
Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall is a film adaptation of the similarly titled first volume of Spike Milligan's autobiography. It starred Jim Dale as the young Terence "Spike" Milligan. Spike played the part of his father, Leo Milligan....
. Pete's Dragon (1977) is a live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions. He played Doc Terminus a traveling elixir showman/salesman. He starred in Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World
Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World is a 1973 British children's film starring Jim Dale, and directed by Joseph McGrath. A large supporting cast of British movie stalwarts includes Spike Milligan, Angela Douglas, Norman Rossington, Milo O'Shea, Dinsdale Landen and Victor Spinetti...
, which also featured Milligan, The National Health
The National Health (film)
The National Health is a 1973 British comedy film directed by Jack Gold and starring Lynn Redgrave, Colin Blakely and Eleanor Bron. It is based on the play The National Health by Peter Nichols, in which the staff struggle to cope in an underfunded NHS hospital...
directed by Jack Gold
Jack Gold
Jack Gold is a British film and television director. He was part of the British Realist Tradition that followed Free Cinema.-Career:...
, and appeared in the 1984 film Scandalous
Scandalous (film)
Scandalous is a 1984 British-American comedy film directed by Rob Cohen and starring Robert Hays, John Gielgud and Pamela Stephenson.-Partial cast:* Robert Hays - Frank Swedlin* John Gielgud - Uncle Willie* Pamela Stephenson - Fiona Maxwell Sayle...
. He also had a triple-role as twin brothers and their father in Disney's Hot Lead and Cold Feet
Hot Lead and Cold Feet
Hot Lead and Cold Feet is a comedy western film made by Walt Disney Productions for Buena Vista Distribution Company starring Jim Dale, Don Knotts, Karen Valentine, Darren McGavin, and Jack Elam released on July 5, 1978.-Plot:...
, The Hunchback
The Hunchback (1997 film)
The Hunchback is a 1997 film based on Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame, directed by Peter Medak and produced by Stephane Reichel. It stars Salma Hayek as Esmeralda and Mandy Patinkin as Quasimodo, the hunchback of Notre Dame. The film was released a year after Disney's animated...
, as a tap dancing executive in Arthur Miller's 1993 The American Clock
The American Clock
The American Clock is a play by Arthur Miller. The play is about 1930s America during The Great Depression. It is based in part on Studs Terkel's Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression. The play premiered on Broadway at the Biltmore Theatre on November 11, 1980; closing on November 30,...
and as a comic villain in the 1977 Disney
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
films Pete's Dragon
Pete's Dragon
Pete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system...
and The Spaceman and King Arthur aka Unidentified Flying Oddball
Unidentified Flying Oddball
Unidentified Flying Oddball, also known as The Spaceman and King Arthur, is Disney’s film adaptation of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was directed by Russ Mayberry...
.
Stage
At the age of eighteen Dale became the youngest professional comedian in Britain, touring all the variety music halls. On stage he appeared in both straight and musical roles, and has been nominated for five Tony AwardTony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
s, winning one for Barnum
Barnum (musical)
Barnum is a musical with a book by Mark Bramble, lyrics by Michael Stewart, and music by Cy Coleman. It is based on the life of showman P. T. Barnum, covering the period from 1835 through 1880 in America and major cities of the world where Barnum took his performing companies. The production...
when, in 1980, the New York Times cited him as "The Toast of Broadway", also winning the second of four Drama Desk Awards. In 2006, Dale performed on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
(at Studio 54
Studio 54
Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque from 1977 until 1991, located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan, New York, USA. It was originally the Gallo Opera House, opening in 1927, after which it changed names several times, eventually becoming a CBS radio and television studio. In 1977 it...
) in the Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company
The Roundabout Theatre Company is a leading non-profit theatre company based in New York City.-History:The company was founded in 1965 by Gene Feist and Elizabeth Owens and now operates five theatres, all in Manhattan: the American Airlines Theatre ; Studio 54 ; the Stephen Sondheim Theatre The...
's production of The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
, as Mr. Peachum.
In 1970, at the request of Sir Laurence Olivier, he joined the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in London as a leading actor. Over the next two years he appeared in Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s, and first published in 1598.-Title:...
, The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice is a tragic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. Though classified as a comedy in the First Folio and sharing certain aspects with Shakespeare's other romantic comedies, the play is perhaps most remembered for its dramatic...
, The National Health
The National Health
The National Health is a play by Peter Nichols. Reminiscent of the Carry On film series, this black comedy with tragic overtones focuses on the appalling conditions in an under-funded national health hospital, which are contrasted comically with a Dr...
, The Good Natured Man, The Captain of Kopenick
The Captain of Köpenick (play)
The Captain of Köpenick is a satirical play by the German dramatist Carl Zuckmayer. First produced in 1931, the play tells the story, based on a true event that happened in 1906, of a down-on-his-luck ex-convict shoemaker who impersonates a Prussian Guards officer, holds the mayor of a small town...
, and a two hander play with Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins
Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
, The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria
The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria
The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria is a 1969 play by Fernando Arrabal. It was produced by the Stratford Festival in 1970.- References :...
. At the Young Vic Theatre, he created the title role in Scapino
Scapino
Scapino, Scappino, or Scapin, is a zanni character from the commedia dell'arte. His name is related to the English word "escape" in reference to his tendency to flee from fights, even those he himself begins. He has been dated to the last years of the 16th century, and his creation is sometimes...
, which he co-adapted with Frank Dunlop
Frank Dunlop
Frank Dunlop is an Irish lobbyist and former broadcast journalist with Raidió Teilifís Éireann . Originally from County Kilkenny, he is a key witness to the Mahon Tribunal which is investigating improper payments by property developers to Irish politicians and will be a key witness in pending...
, and played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
. His other West End theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
credits include The Wayward Way, The Card
The Card (musical)
The Card is a musical with a book by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall and music and lyrics by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent.Based on Arnold Bennett's 1911 comedic novel of the same name, it chronicles the rise of Denry Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley through luck, guile, initiative,...
, A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a play that was written by William Shakespeare. It is believed to have been written between 1590 and 1596. It portrays the events surrounding the marriage of the Duke of Athens, Theseus, and the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta...
, The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale
The Winter's Tale is a play by William Shakespeare, originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, some modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some critics, among them W. W...
, and most recently the part of Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
in Cameron Mackintosh
Cameron Mackintosh
Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh is a British theatrical producer notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "the most successful, influential and powerful theatrical producer in the world" by the New York...
’s Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
.
His Broadway successes include Scapino (Drama Desk Award/Outer Critics Award/Tony Award Nomination), Joe Egg (Outer Critics Award /Tony Award Nomination). Me And My Girl
Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth....
and Candide
Candide
Candide, ou l'Optimisme is a French satire first published in 1759 by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled Candide: or, All for the Best ; Candide: or, The Optimist ; and Candide: or, Optimism...
(Tony Award Nomination). Other credits Off-Broadway include Travels With My Aunt
Travels with My Aunt
Travels with My Aunt is a novel written by English author Graham Greene.The novel follows the travels of Henry Pulling, a retired bank manager, and his eccentric Aunt Augusta as they find their way across Europe, and eventually even further afield...
(Drama Desk Award / Lucille Lortel Award / Outer Critics Award), Privates On Parade
Privates on Parade
Privates on Parade: A Play with Songs in Two Acts is a 1977 farce by English playwright Peter Nichols , with music by Denis King.-Plot:...
, The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew
The Taming of the Shrew is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1591.The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the Induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunken tinker named Sly into believing he is actually a nobleman himself...
, The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man
The Invisible Man is a science fiction novella by H.G. Wells published in 1897. Wells' novel was originally serialised in Pearson's Weekly in 1897, and published as a novel the same year...
, The Music Man
The Music Man
The Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson, based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping town with...
, Comedians
Comedians (play)
Comedians is a play by Trevor Griffiths, set in a Manchester evening class for aspiring working-class comedians. It was first performed at the Nottingham Playhouse on 20 February 1975, in a production directed by Richard Eyre. The cast included Jonathan Pryce as the main character, Gethin Price,...
(Drama Desk Award nomination and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination), A Christmas Carol: The Musical, Address Unknown
Address Unknown
Address Unknown may refer to:* Address Unknown , a short novel by Kathrine Taylor* Address Unknown , a film based on Kathrine Taylor's novel, directed by William Cameron Menzies...
and The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera
The Threepenny Opera is a musical by German dramatist Bertolt Brecht and composer Kurt Weill, in collaboration with translator Elisabeth Hauptmann and set designer Caspar Neher. It was adapted from an 18th-century English ballad opera, John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, and offers a Marxist critique...
(Drama Desk Award / Outer Critics Award / The Richard Seff Award and a Tony Award nomination). In November, 2006 Dale starred as "Charlie Baxter" in the Sherman Brothers
Sherman Brothers
The Sherman Brothers are an American songwriting duo that specialize in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman and Richard M. Sherman ....
' musical, Busker Alley
Busker Alley
Busker Alley is a musical with a score by the Sherman Brothers and a book by AJ Carothers, based on the 1938 British film, St. Martin's Lane, which was inspired by the 1905 novel, Small Town Tyrant, by Heinrich Mann....
alongside Glenn Close
Glenn Close
Glenn Close is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and singer of theatre and film, known for her roles as a femme fatale Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress and...
. His latest work seen in 2011 is a one man show, Just Jim Dale looking back over nearly sixty years in show business.
Television
- Huckleberry Finn - for PBS
- The American Clock - by Arthur Miller
- The Bill Cosby ShowThe Bill Cosby ShowThe Bill Cosby Show is an American situation comedy that aired for two seasons on NBC's Sunday night schedule from 1969 until 1971, under the sponsorship of Procter & Gamble. There were 52 episodes made in the series. It marked Cosby's first solo foray in television, after his co-starring role with...
- The Ellen Burstyn ShowThe Ellen Burstyn ShowThe Ellen Burstyn Show is an American sitcom starring Ellen Burstyn. The series was produced by Touchstone Television and debuted on ABC on September 20, 1986 The series was canceled after 13 episodes.-Synopsis:...
- The Dinah Shore ShowThe Dinah Shore ShowThe Dinah Shore Show is an American variety show which was broadcast by NBC from November 1951 to January 1956, sponsored by General Motors' Chevrolet division...
- Sunday Night at the London PalladiumSunday Night at the London PalladiumSunday Night at the London Palladium is a British television variety show produced by ATV for the ITV network, originally running from 1955 to 1967, with a brief revival in 1973 and 1974...
- (Host) - Six-Five SpecialSix-Five SpecialThe Six-Five Special is a British television programme launched in February 1957 when both television and rock and roll were in their infancy in Britain.-Description:...
- (Host) - Thank Your Lucky StarsThank Your Lucky StarsThank Your Lucky Stars may refer to:*Thank Your Lucky Stars , a 1943 film*Thank Your Lucky Stars , a British television program*Thank Your Lucky Stars , a 1990 album by the British band Whitehouse....
- (Host) - Meet Jim Dale - ATV London
- The Jim Dale Show - ATV London
- Pushing DaisiesPushing DaisiesPushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
- (Narrator) ABC TV.
Voice work
To millions of fans in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Jim Dale is the "voice" of Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
. He has recorded all seven books in the Harry Potter series, and as a narrator he has won two Grammy Awards, seven Grammy Nominations and a record ten Audie Awards
Audie Awards
The Audie Awards are annually bestowed annually in the USA for outstanding audiobooks. The Audies have been granted by the Audio Publishers Association, a not-for-profit trade organization, since 1996. The nominees are announced each year in January, and the winners are announced at a gala banquet...
including "Audio Book of the Year 2004," "Best Children's Narrator 2001/2005/2007/2008," "Best Children's Audio Book 2005," two Benjamin Franklin Awards from the Independent Book Publishers Association (one of these was in 2001 for Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban) and twenty three Audio File Earphone Awards. He is also the narrator for the Harry Potter
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
video games, and for many of the interactive "extras" on the Harry Potter DVD releases. He also holds two Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
: one for having created and recorded 146 different character voices for one audiobook, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and one for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005.
Dale also narrated the ABC drama, Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies
Pushing Daisies is an American comedy-drama television series created by Bryan Fuller that aired on ABC from October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009. The series stars Lee Pace as Ned, a pie-maker with the ability to bring dead things back to life with his touch, an ability that comes with stipulations...
, as "the fairy tale narrator"
In the early 1960s, Dale presented Children's Favourites
Children's Favourites
Children's Favourites was a BBC Radio programme from 1954 broadcast on the Light Programme on Saturday mornings from 9:00. A precursor had been called Children's Choice after the style of Housewives' Choice....
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...
, for a year.
In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II honoured Dale with the MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, for his work in promoting English children's literature.
In December, 2009, for their annual birthday celebration to "The Master", The Noel Coward Society invited Dale as the guest celebrity to lay flowers in front of Coward's statue at New York's Gershwin Theatre, thereby commemorating the 110th birthday of Sir Noel.
Personal life
Dale has lived in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
since 1980. He was married to Patricia from 1957 until their divorce in 1977. They had four children. The eldest boy, Murray Dale, was briefly a successful actor in the 1970s British children's television series Boy Dominic. Middle son Adam, a successful aerial cameraman, is the winner of the Golden Arrow Award for Best Helicopter Cameraman. His youngest son Toby Dale is, in his father's words, "a brilliant actor". All three sons live in London. Dale has five grandchildren. His only daughter, Belinda Dale, died of leukaemia in December 1995. His first wife, Patricia, died in March 1999, after a long battle with cancer. In 1980, Dale married Julie Schafler, the owner of Madison Avenue's 'Julie: Artisan's Gallery'.
[Another actor James Dale played Dr. Dale for many years on the BBC radio soap
Soap
In chemistry, soap is a salt of a fatty acid.IUPAC. "" Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. . Compiled by A. D. McNaught and A. Wilkinson. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford . XML on-line corrected version: created by M. Nic, J. Jirat, B. Kosata; updates compiled by A. Jenkins. ISBN...
Mrs Dale's Diary].
Selected filmography
- Nurse on WheelsNurse on WheelsNurse on Wheels is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Gerald Thomas, and starring Juliet Mills, Ronald Lewis, and Joan Sims.Nurse on Wheels shares its cast and production team with the Carry On films, but the film is not an official member of the Carry On series.-Cast:* Juliet Mills as Joanna...
(1963) - Carry on CabbyCarry On CabbyCarry On Cabby is the seventh Carry On film. Released in 1963, it was the first one written by series mainstay Talbot Rothwell from a story by Sid Green and Dick Hills...
(1963) - Carry on JackCarry On JackCarry on Jack is the eighth movie in the Carry On film series and was released in 1963. Most of the usual Carry On team are missing from this film: only Kenneth Williams and Charles Hawtrey appear throughout. Bernard Cribbins makes the first of his three appearances in a Carry On...
(1963) - Carry on SpyingCarry On SpyingCarry On Spying is a 1964 film, the ninth movie in the Carry On film series. It marks Barbara Windsor's first appearance in the series. Series regulars Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey and Jim Dale are present. Bernard Cribbins makes the second of his three Carry On appearances...
(1964) - Carry on CleoCarry On CleoCarry On Cleo is the tenth film in the Carry On film series and was released in 1964. The website ICONS.a portrait of England cites the Carry On films as iconic of British cinema, and describes Carry On Cleo as "perhaps the best". Regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Kenneth Connor, Charles...
(1964) - The Big JobThe Big Job (film)The Big Job is a British comedy film that was first released in 1965. It stars Sid James, Dick Emery, Joan Sims, Sylvia Syms, Jim Dale and Lance Percival....
(1965) - Carry on CowboyCarry On CowboyCarry 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...
(1966) - Carry on Screaming! (1966)
- Carry on Don't Lose Your Head (1966)
- Carry on DoctorCarry On DoctorCarry On Doctor is the fifteenth film in the Carry On series. It is the second in the series to have a medical theme. Frankie Howerd makes the first of his two appearances in the film series. He stars alongside regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims and Bernard Bresslaw...
(1967) - Carry on Follow That CamelFollow That CamelFollow That Camel is the fourteenth Carry On film and was released in 1967. Like its predecessor Don't Lose Your Head, it does not have the words "Carry On" in its original title...
(1967) - Carry on Again DoctorCarry On Again DoctorCarry On Again Doctor is the eighteenth Carry On film. It was released in 1969 and was the third to feature a medical theme. The film features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques...
(1969) - The PlankThe PlankThe Plank is a popular 1967 British slapstick comedy short film made by Associated London Films. It follows the misadventures of two builders who require a floorboard. It was written and directed by Eric Sykes, and produced by Jon Penington. The story was based on an episode of Eric Sykes BBC...
(1967) - Digby, the Biggest Dog in the WorldDigby, the Biggest Dog in the WorldDigby, the Biggest Dog in the World is a 1973 British children's film starring Jim Dale, and directed by Joseph McGrath. A large supporting cast of British movie stalwarts includes Spike Milligan, Angela Douglas, Norman Rossington, Milo O'Shea, Dinsdale Landen and Victor Spinetti...
(1973) - The National HealthThe National HealthThe National Health is a play by Peter Nichols. Reminiscent of the Carry On film series, this black comedy with tragic overtones focuses on the appalling conditions in an under-funded national health hospital, which are contrasted comically with a Dr...
(1973) - Pete's DragonPete's DragonPete's Dragon is a 1977 live-action/animated musical film from Walt Disney Productions and the first Disney film to be recorded in the Dolby Stereo sound system...
(1977) - Joseph AndrewsJoseph AndrewsJoseph Andrews, or The History of the Adventures of Joseph Andrews and of his Friend Mr. Abraham Adams, was the first published full-length novel of the English author and magistrate Henry Fielding, and indeed among the first novels in the English language...
(1977) - The Spaceman and King ArthurUnidentified Flying OddballUnidentified Flying Oddball, also known as The Spaceman and King Arthur, is Disney’s film adaptation of Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. It was directed by Russ Mayberry...
(1977) - Carry On ColumbusCarry On ColumbusCarry On Columbus is the 31st and last film in the Carry On series, following 1978's Carry On Emmannuelle. The only main series regulars present are Jim Dale , Bernard Cribbins , Leslie Phillips , Jon Pertwee and June Whitfield...
(1992)
Awards and nominations
Awards- 1966 International Laurel Award - Best Song - Georgy Girl
- 1974 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Performance - Scapino
- 1974 Outer Critics Circle Award - Outstanding Actor - Scapino
- 1980 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Barnum
- 1980 Tony Award - Best Actor in a Musical - Barnum
- 1984 Outer Critics Circle Award - Outstanding Actor - Joe Egg
- 1995 Drama Desk Award - Unique Theatrical Ensemble Experience - Travels With My Aunt
- 1995 Outer Critics Circle Award - Outstanding Actor - Travels With My Aunt
- 2001 Grammy Award - Best Spoken Word Album for Children - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- 2001 Audie Award - Narrator of the Year - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- 2004 Audie Award - Audiobook of the year - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- 2004 Audie Award - Children's Male Narrator of the Year - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- 2005 Audie Award - Classic Narrator - A Christmas Carol
- 2005 Audie Award - Male Narrator of the Year - Peter and the Star Catchers
- 2005 Audie Award - Children's Narrator - Peter and the Starcatchers
- 2006 Thespian Award - Friars Club, New York.
- 2006 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Featured Actor in a Musical - The Threepenny Opera
- 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award - Outstanding Actor - The Threepenny Opera
- 2006 The Richard Seff Award - The Threepenny Opera
- 2006 The Order of St. George's Society, New York
- 2007 Audie Award - Male Narrator of the Year - Peter and the Shadow Thieves
- 2008 Audie Award - Solo Narrator - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- 2008 Grammy Award - Best Spoken Word Album for Children - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- 2009 Audie Award - Children's male Narrator of the Year - James Herriot's Treasury For Children
- Twenty three Audiofile Headphone Awards
Nominations
- 1967 Academy Award - Best Music, Original Song - Georgy Girl (shared with Tom Springfield for the song "Georgy Girl")
- 1967 Golden Globe Award - Best Music, Original Song - Georgy Girl (shared with Tom Springfield for the song "Georgy Girl")
- 1974 BAFTA Academy Award - Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles - Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall
- 1975 Tony Award - Best Actor in Play - Scapino
- 1985 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Actor in a Play - Joe Egg
- 1985 Tony Award - Best Actor in Play - Joe Egg
- 1997 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Actor in a Musical - Candide
- 1997 Tony Award - Best Actor in a Musical - Candide
- 2003 Drama Desk Award - Outstanding Actor in a Play - Comedians
- 2006 Tony Award - Best Featured Actor in a Musical - The Threepenny Opera