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

Early life

Born in Mile End Road in the East End of London to

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

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 (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, 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 bases, munitions factories and

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

camps, as well as on

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

where he was a regular with such shows as '' Midday Music Hall'' and '' Variety Bandbox''.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 publis ...

'' 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. She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Awards, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime Emm ...

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

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

production of ''

Guys and Dolls ''Guys and Dolls'' is a musical theater, 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 Run ...

'' at the

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

, and played five different characters in the 1961 Wolf Mankowitz musical ''Belle'' (based on the case of

Dr Crippen Hawley Harvey Crippen (11 September 1862 – 23 November 1910), colloquially known as Dr. Crippen, was an American Homeopathy, homeopath, Otolaryngology, ear and Ophthalmology, eye specialist and medicine dispenser who was hanged in HM Prison P ...

) 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 th ...

. He appeared in many films including '' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963), '' Crooks in Cloisters'' (1964), '' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965), '' Carry On Cowboy'' (1965), ''

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'' is a 1968 children's film, children's Musical film, musical fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes and produced by Albert R. Broccoli. It stars Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries, Gert Fröbe, Anna Quayle, ...

'' (1968), '' Carry On at Your Convenience'' (1971) and ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (also known as ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English Children's literature, children's novel by Lewis Carroll, a mathematics university don, don at the University of Oxford. It details the story of a ...

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

Sapphire and Steel Sapphire is a precious gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum, consisting of aluminium oxide () with trace amounts of elements such as iron, titanium, cobalt, lead, chromium, vanadium, magnesium, boron, and silicon. The name ''sapphire ...

'' and as Natty Dan in the TV Series '' Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House'' (1982). He also appeared in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

.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 The Dorchester is a five-star hotel located on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its 1930s furnis ...

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 Bud Flanagan (born Chaim Reuben Weintrop, 14 October 1896 – 20 October 1968) was a British music hall and vaudeville entertainer and comedian, and later a television and film actor. He was best known as being one half of the comedy and musi ...

Leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce 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 A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

. 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 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 Paradise Island is an island in the Bahamas formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself on the northern edge of the island of New Providence ...

in the

Bahamas The Bahamas, officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an archipelagic and island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean. It contains 97 per cent of the archipelago's land area and 88 per cent of its population. ...

Selected filmography

*''

Fun at St. Fanny's ''Fun at St. Fanny's'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Fred Emney, Cardew Robinson and Vera Day. The film revolves around the teachers and students at St Fanny's private school. It was based on Robinson's "Ca ...

'' (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. The film stars Ronald Fraser, Paul Massie, Carole Lesley and Dennis Price. The film is largely set in Wandsworth ...

'' (1962) - Mouse *'' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) - Trainer King *'' The World Ten Times Over'' (1963) - Compère *'' Crooks in Cloisters'' (1964) - Specs *'' Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines'' (1965) - Jean *'' Carry On Cowboy'' (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 Wagne ...

'' (1968) - Davey Collins *''

'' (1968) - Admiral *'' Satan's Harvest'' (1970) - Trigger *''

The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins ''The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins'' is a 1971 British sketch 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 ...

'' (1971) - Guest Appearance (segment "Sloth") *'' Carry On at Your Convenience'' (1971) - Benny *''

'' (1972) - Mouse *'' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' (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 Actors from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Male actors from London Comedians from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Jewish male comedians People from Mile End