Harry Secombe
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Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE (8 September 1921–11 April 2001) was a Welsh entertainer, a noted fine tenor singing voice and a talent for comedy. Born at St. Thomas, Swansea<ref name="Gower"> Sir Harry Secombe - Swansea celebrity, accessed 2006-02-12.</ref>, he was one of the original Goons, appearing in the radio series as Neddie Seagoon, the protagonist of the show's ridiculous plots. He had first met Spike Milligan, the founder of the series, during British Army service in World War II in North Africa. He shared his birthday, 8 September, with the other member of the trio, Peter Sellers.
Secombe appeared in many stage musicals, including Pickwick (1963) and The Four Musketeers (1967), and had several chart successes, the song most associated with him being "If I Ruled the World" (from Pickwick). He also appeared as Mr. Bumble in Carol Reed's film of Lionel Bart's Oliver! (1968).
Later in life, Secombe (whose brother was a vicar) attracted new audiences as a presenter of religious programmes, such as the BBC's Songs of Praise and ITV's Highway. He was also a special programming consultant to Harlech Television.<ref name="Guardian">Template:Cite web</ref>
He was knighted in 1981, and jokingly referred to himself as Sir Cumference (in recognition of his rotund figure).
Secombe suffered a stroke in 1997, from which he made a slow recovery, only to be diagnosed with prostate cancer the following September. After suffering a second stroke in 1999, he was forced to abandon his television career, but made a documentary about his condition in the hope of giving encouragement to other sufferers.<ref name="TVHeaven"> Television Heaven: Harry Secombe, accessed 2006-02-12.</ref>
Secombe and his wife, Myra Atherton, had four children:
- Jennifer Secombe, married to actor Alex Giannini. She was also her father's agent.<ref name=Guardian/>
- Andy Secombe, an accomplished voice and film actor, as well as an author
- David Secombe, a writer and photographer
- Katy Secombe, an actress<ref name=Gower/>
He died at the age of 79, from prostate cancer, at his home in England.
Singles
- On with the Motley (1955) UK #16
- If I Ruled the World (1963) UK #18
- This Is My Song (1967) UK #2<ref name"Singles">Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 7th ed., 1989</ref>
Albums
- Sacred Songs (1962) UK #16
- Secombe's Personal Choice (1967) UK #6
- If I Ruled the World (1971) UK #17
- 20 Songs of Joy (1978) UK #8<ref name"Albums">Guinness Book of British Hit Albums 1st ed., 1983 ISBN 0851122469</ref>
References
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