Eric Morley facts for kids

Eric Douglas Morley (born 26 September 1918 – died 9 November 2000) was a British TV host and a very successful businessman. He is best known for creating the famous Miss World beauty pageant and the popular TV show Come Dancing. After his death, his wife, Julia Morley, took over running the Miss World pageant.

Life and Career Highlights

Eric Morley was born in Holborn, a part of London, England. His early life was tough. He became an orphan at age 11 when both his mother and stepfather died from tuberculosis. He went to Whitstable Boys’ School. The London County Council then sent him to a special training ship for the Royal Navy called HMS Exmouth. Even as a young boy, he showed his business skills by selling chocolate to his friends on the ship!

At 14, he joined the Royal Fusiliers and played the french horn in their band. During World War II, he became a captain in the Royal Army Service Corps. His job was to organize fun activities for the soldiers. He even fought in the famous Battle of Dunkirk.

Starting in Entertainment

After the war in 1945, Morley left the army. He started managing a traveling show in Scotland. Then, in 1946, he joined a big entertainment company called Mecca. He became their publicity manager.

In 1949, Eric Morley helped bring ballroom dancing to BBC television with the Come Dancing show. This show encouraged people to visit Mecca's dance halls.

Creating Miss World

Morley had a clever idea to turn small beauty contests held at Mecca dance halls into a big national event. This became the 'Miss Festival of Britain' in 1951. When international contestants came to London for the event, the newspapers started calling it 'Miss World'. The first competition happened at the same time as the Festival of Britain.

Eric Morley quickly moved up at Mecca. By 1952, he was the general manager for dancing, and in 1953, he became a director. He also helped make bingo very popular in the UK. Mecca grew into a huge company with 15,000 employees. It ran dance halls, restaurants, bingo halls, ice-skating rinks, and bowling alleys. They even provided food and entertainment for big London football clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur.

In 1978, he left Mecca after a disagreement with the company that owned it at the time.

Miss World's Global Success

When an American beauty contest called Miss Universe started, Morley decided to make Miss World an annual event. It was held every November. The competition was first shown on TV in 1959. It became very popular, especially when Morley would announce the winners in reverse order.

At its most popular in the 1970s and 1980s, over 20 million people in Britain watched Miss World. In 1970, some protestors threw flour bombs during the show. Morley responded to critics by saying that if people didn't like it, they could simply turn off their TVs. The competition also raised more than £30 million for different charities.

In 1983, he made Miss World Group a public company on the London Stock Exchange. He tried to make the show focus less on the swimsuit part and more on the women's other talents and qualities. Even though British TV channels no longer show it, Miss World is still very popular around the world. In 1997, about 2.5 billion people in 155 countries watched it!

Eric Morley was very strict with the winners of Miss World. He even removed one winner from her title in 1973 because he felt she had not acted properly.

Helping Charities

Eric Morley was a big supporter of charity work. He helped both the Variety Club of Great Britain and Variety Clubs International. He was a leader for these groups, raising a lot of money for good causes. Before becoming Chief Barker (a special title in the Variety Club) in 1973, he had already raised over $700,000!

Even at 63 years old, Morley showed his determination by completing the London Marathon, even though he had a leg injury.

Political Interests

Morley was a strong supporter of Margaret Thatcher, who was a famous British Prime Minister. He also wanted to be a politician himself. He ran for election twice for the Conservatives in a place called Dulwich. In 1979, he almost won, losing by only 122 votes.

Personal Life

Eric Morley married his wife, Julia Morley, in 1960. They met at a dance hall. In 1968, Julia started helping with the daily running of Miss World. After Eric's death in 2000, she became the head of the pageant. His family now benefits from the Dancing with the Stars TV show around the world.

His Passing

Eric Morley passed away on 9 November 2000. He had a heart attack in a London hospital. This was just one day after the contestants for the 2000 Miss World finals had their first parade. A special service was held for him, and important people like the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Edinburgh were represented. He left a large estate and was buried in West Norwood Cemetery in London.

Portrayal in Film

Eric Morley is played by actor Rhys Ifans in the 2020 British comedy-drama movie Misbehaviour. This film is about the feminist protest that happened at the Miss World 1970 competition.

See also

In Spanish: Eric Morley para niños