Davy Kaye

MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...

(born David Kodeish, 25 March 1916 – 3 February 1998) was a British comedy actor and entertainer.

Early life

Born in

Mile End Road The A11 is a major trunk road in England. It runs roughly north east from London to Norwich, Norfolk, although after the M11 opened in the 1970s and then the A12 extension in 1999, a lengthy section has been downgraded between the suburbs o ...

in the East End of London to

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, Kaye tried to join up, but was turned down due to his short stature, later telling the story that the medical officer had said, "When we declare war on pygmies - we'll send for you." Instead, he spent the war years entertaining troops at

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

bases, munitions factories and

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

camps, as well as on

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

where he was a regular with such shows as '' Midday Music Hall'' and ''

Variety Bandbox ''Variety Bandbox'' is a BBC Radio variety show transmitted initially in the BBC General Forces Programme, General Forces Programme and then the BBC Light Programme, Light Programme. Featuring a mixture of comic performances and music, the show h ...

''.Davy Kaye Obituary
- ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' 6 February 1998 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 Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primeti ...

in a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years. He played Benny Southstreet in the original 1953

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

production of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also bo ...

'' at the

London Coliseum The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...

, and played five different characters in the 1961

Wolf Mankowitz Cyril Wolf Mankowitz (7 November 1924 – 20 May 1998) was an English writer, playwright and screenwriter. He is particularly known for three novels— '' Make Me an Offer'' (1952), '' A Kid for Two Farthings'' (1953) and ''My Old Man's a Dustm ...

musical ''Belle'' (based on the case of

Dr Crippen Hawley Harvey Crippen (September 11, 1862 – November 23, 1910), usually known as Dr. Crippen, was an American homeopath, ear and eye specialist and medicine dispenser. He was hanged in Pentonville Prison in London for the murder of his wife C ...

) at the Strand Theatre.Kaye
on The

Grand Order of Water Rats The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership an ...

website

Career

From 1954 to 1968 Kaye presented a new show each month at London's Embassy Club, and also starred in '' Androcles and the Lion'' and ''The Bishop's Bonfire'' at the

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new the ...

. He appeared in many films including ''

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. It was partly written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson and made by Ro ...

'' (1963), ''

Crooks in Cloisters ''Crooks in Cloisters'' is a 1964 British comedy film directed by Jeremy Summers and starring Ronald Fraser as 'Little Walter', the leader of a gang of forgers, including Barbara Windsor as 'Bikini', Bernard Cribbins as 'Squirts', Melvyn Hayes ...

'' (1964), ''

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 and 11 Minutes'' is a 1965 British period comedy film that satirizes the early years of aviation. Directed and co-written by Ken Annakin, the film ...

'' (1965), ''

Carry On Cowboy ''Carry On Cowboy'' is a 1965 British comedy Western film, the eleventh in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). It was the first film to feature series regulars Peter Butterworth and Bernard Bresslaw. Series regulars Sid James, Ken ...

'' (1965), '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' (1968), ''

Carry On at Your Convenience ''Carry On at Your Convenience'' is a 1971 British comedy film, the 22nd release in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992), and was the first box office failure of the series. This failure has been attributed to the film's attempt a ...

'' (1971) and ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

'' (1972). On television he appeared in ''

Sapphire and Steel ''Sapphire & Steel'' is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J ...

''. He also appeared in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

.The Granada Theatre pantomimes
/ref> Kaye's last British television appearance was on the '' Barrymore Show'' where he performed his famous

One Man Band A one-man band is a musician who plays a number of instruments simultaneously using their hands, feet, limbs, and various mechanical or electronic contraptions. One-man bands also often sing while they perform. The simplest type of "one-man ban ...

act. A brash man who was said to be difficult to work with, he nevertheless was rarely out of work and on two occasions the

Variety Club of Great Britain Variety, the Children's Charity is a charitable organization founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1927. History On October 10, 1927, a group of eleven men involved in show business set up a social club which they named the "Variety Club". On ...

gave a lunch in his honour at the Dorchester Hotel in 1985 and 1995 to celebrate his 50th and 60th year in show business respectively, both of which were televised on the BBC. 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 Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

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

(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

in Her Majesty The Queen's 1995

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

for his services to charity. He is the father of entertainers Kaplan Kaye and Melody Kaye. He died in 1998 in Paradise Island in the

Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to 88% of the ar ...

Selected filmography

*'' Fun at St. Fanny's'' (1955) - Ferdy *''

The Millionairess ''The Millionairess'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers. Set in London, it is a loose adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1936 play of the same name. Plot By the ...

'' (1960) - Tommy True (uncredited) *''

The Pot Carriers ''The Pot Carriers'' is a 1962 British comedy-drama film directed by Peter Graham Scott and produced by Gordon Scott for ABPC. It stars Ronald Fraser, Paul Massie, Carole Lesley and Dennis Price. The film is largely set in Wandsworth pris ...

'' (1962) - Mouse *''

'' (1963) - Trainer King *'' The World Ten Times Over'' (1963) - Compère *''

'' (1964) - Specs *''

'' (1965) - Jean *''

'' (1965) - Josh the Undertaker *''

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 film stars Robert Wagner ...

'' (1968) - Davey Collins *'' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' (1968) - Admiral *'' Satan's Harvest'' (1970) - Trigger *'' The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' (1971) - Guest Appearance (segment "Sloth") *''

'' (1971) - Benny *''

'' (1972) - Mouse *''

A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" is a British romantic popular song written in 1939 and published in 1940, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by Manning Sherwin. Setting Berkeley Square is a large leafy square in Mayfair, a part o ...

'' (1979) - Sid the Yid

References

External links

*
Davy Kaye
on the

website
DigiGuide Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Davy 1916 births 1998 deaths Members of the Order of the British Empire English male film actors English male comedians English entertainers Jewish English male actors Jewish English comedians Jewish entertainers 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English comedians People from Mile End