Jim Tavare
Encyclopedia
Jim Tavaré is an English
stand-up comedian
, actor and musician. He is best known for his work on The Sketch Show
on ITV
which won a BAFTA award and also plays the role of Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
.
, England
and moved to Cheshire
with his family when he was seven, and he attended art school
as a teenager in Northwich
. He then moved to London
, where he successfully auditioned for RADA
. Later, he branched out into stand-up comedy with a unique act which featured his double bass
- an instrument he had learned to play during his childhood. He always donned tails and a white tie outfit - the uniform of the classical musician - when performing his act, though he only played the bass in short bursts for comic effect.
After many years working the stand-up circuit and making fleeting television appearances as a guest comic, Tavaré hosted a series for BBC2 titled Jim Tavaré Pictures Presents.... He also had a skit series of his own on Channel Five, co-written by Ricky Gervais
. He appeared three times on The Royal Variety Performance and subsequently worked for Prince Charles for several private engagements. An episode of the American series Wings was written entirely around his bass act. He won International Starsearch in the US.
In 2004 he supported Michael Bublé
on a 13 date UK tour, which included a performance at The Royal Albert Hall.
In 2008 he was a finalist on Last Comic Standing 6
and the only overseas act to ever have reached the final show. On July 31, he was voted into the top 5. He finished in 4th place. He performed a 63 date National tour with the other 4 Last Comic Standing finalists throughout the U.S.
He is a regular headliner at The World Famous Laugh Factory, in Hollywood California
He appears in the 5th season of the David Duchovny
comedy-drama Californication
, as English butler to a hip-hop mogul played by Wu Tang Clan frontman RZA
.
He has two children and currently resides in Hollywood, California. Married to Laura Elizabeth Jane.
His cousin is retired English cricketer Chris Tavaré, who played for England in thirty one Tests and twenty nine One Day Internationals from 1980 to 1989.
He makes a guest star appearance in season 5 of the NBC/Warner Bros comedy, spy drama 'Chuck'.
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...
stand-up comedian
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
, actor and musician. He is best known for his work on The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show
The Sketch Show is a British television sketch comedy programme, featuring many leading British comedians. It aired on ITV between 2001 and 2003.A short-lived spinoff of the same title was produced in the United States.- Original line-up :...
on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
which won a BAFTA award and also plays the role of Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron, in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy film directed by Alfonso Cuarón and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. It is the third instalment in the Harry Potter film series, written by Steve Kloves and produced by Chris Columbus, David Heyman and Mark Radcliffe...
.
Life and career
Tavaré was born in EssexEssex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, 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...
and moved to Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
with his family when he was seven, and he attended art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
as a teenager in Northwich
Northwich
Northwich is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It lies in the heart of the Cheshire Plain, at the confluence of the rivers Weaver and Dane...
. He then moved to 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...
, where he successfully auditioned for RADA
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
. Later, he branched out into stand-up comedy with a unique act which featured his double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
- an instrument he had learned to play during his childhood. He always donned tails and a white tie outfit - the uniform of the classical musician - when performing his act, though he only played the bass in short bursts for comic effect.
After many years working the stand-up circuit and making fleeting television appearances as a guest comic, Tavaré hosted a series for BBC2 titled Jim Tavaré Pictures Presents.... He also had a skit series of his own on Channel Five, co-written by Ricky Gervais
Ricky Gervais
Ricky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
. He appeared three times on The Royal Variety Performance and subsequently worked for Prince Charles for several private engagements. An episode of the American series Wings was written entirely around his bass act. He won International Starsearch in the US.
In 2004 he supported Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
on a 13 date UK tour, which included a performance at The Royal Albert Hall.
In 2008 he was a finalist on Last Comic Standing 6
Last Comic Standing 6
The 6th season of Last Comic Standing began airing in May 2008. This competitive reality show on NBC was hosted by Bill Bellamy and a new co-host, Fearne Cotton...
and the only overseas act to ever have reached the final show. On July 31, he was voted into the top 5. He finished in 4th place. He performed a 63 date National tour with the other 4 Last Comic Standing finalists throughout the U.S.
He is a regular headliner at The World Famous Laugh Factory, in Hollywood California
He appears in the 5th season of the David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
comedy-drama Californication
Californication (TV series)
Californication is an American comedy-drama that premiered on Showtime on August 13, 2007. The show was created by Tom Kapinos. The protagonist, Hank Moody , is a troubled novelist whose move to California, coupled with his writer's block, complicates his relationships with his longtime girlfriend...
, as English butler to a hip-hop mogul played by Wu Tang Clan frontman RZA
RZA
Robert Fitzgerald Diggs, better known by his stage name RZA , is an American Grammy-winning music producer, multi-instrumentalist, author, emcee, and occasional actor, director, and screenwriter. A prominent figure in Hip Hop, RZA is the de facto leader of the Wu-Tang Clan. He has produced almost...
.
He has two children and currently resides in Hollywood, California. Married to Laura Elizabeth Jane.
His cousin is retired English cricketer Chris Tavaré, who played for England in thirty one Tests and twenty nine One Day Internationals from 1980 to 1989.
He makes a guest star appearance in season 5 of the NBC/Warner Bros comedy, spy drama 'Chuck'.
Sources
- Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed Malcolm HardeeMalcolm HardeeMalcolm Hardee was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and "amateur sensationalist"....
& John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0091889243; ISBN 978-0091889241