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

Early life

East End of London The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

to Jewish 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, 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 camps, as well as on BBC radio where he was a regular with such shows as ''

Midday Music Hall Noon (or midday) is 12 o'clock in the daytime. It is written as 12 noon, 12:00 m. (for meridiem, literally 12:00 noon), 12 p.m. (for post meridiem, literally "after noon"), 12 pm, or 12:00 (using a 24-hour clock) or 1200 ( military time). Sola ...

'' and '' Variety Bandbox''.Davy Kaye Obituary
- '' The Independent'' 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 in a partnership which lasted for more than thirty years. He played Benny Southstreet in the original 1953 London production of '' Guys and Dolls'' at the London Coliseum, and played five different characters in the 1961 Wolf Mankowitz musical ''Belle'' (based on the case of Dr Crippen) at the Strand Theatre.Kaye
on The Grand Order of Water Rats website

Career

From 1954 to 1968 Kaye presented a new show each month at London's Embassy Club, and also starred in ''

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'' and ''The Bishop's Bonfire'' at the Mermaid Theatre. 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 musical-fantasy film directed by Ken Hughes with a screenplay co-written by Roald Dahl and Hughes, loosely based on Ian Fleming's novel '' Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car'' (1964). The film stars ...

'' (1968), '' Carry On at Your Convenience'' (1971) and '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1972). On television he appeared in '' Sapphire and Steel''. He also appeared in pantomime.The Granada Theatre pantomimes
/ref> Kaye's last British television appearance was on the '' Barrymore Show'' where he performed his famous One Man Band 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 gave a lunch in his honour at the

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

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 Fund,

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (commonly abbreviated DofE) is a youth awards programme founded in the United Kingdom in 1956 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, that has since expanded to 144 nations. The awards recognise adolescents and young ...

, 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 Grand Order of Water Rats (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 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 located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of ...

in the Bahamas.

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 of St Fanny's private school, particularly the pupil Cardew t ...

'' (1955) - Ferdy *'' The Millionairess'' (1960) - Tommy True (uncredited) *'' The Pot Carriers'' (1962) - Mouse *'' The Wrong Arm of the Law'' (1963) - Trainer King *''

The World Ten Times Over ''The World Ten Times Over'' is a 1963 British drama film written and directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Sylvia Syms, June Ritchie, Edward Judd and William Hartnell. Donald Sutherland makes a brief appearance in a night club scene, one of his ...

'' (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'' (1968) - Davey Collins *''

'' (1968) - Admiral *''

Satan's Harvest ''Satan's Harvest'' is a 1970 South African adventure film directed by George Montgomery who also starred along with Tippi Hedren and singer Matt Monro. Plot After inheriting a farm in South Africa, Cutter Murdock, an American private detectiv ...

'' (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 r ...

'' (1971) - Guest Appearance (segment "Sloth") *'' Carry On at Your Convenience'' (1971) - Benny *'' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1972) - Mouse *'' A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square'' (1979) - Sid the Yid

References

External links

*
Davy Kaye
on the Grand Order of Water Rats 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