Keith Duffy facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keith Duffy
Duffy in 2012
Born	Keith Peter Thomas Francis John Duffy (1974-10-01) 1 October 1974 (age 50) Donaghmede, Dublin, Ireland
Occupation	Singer, actor, drummer, television presenter
Spouse(s)	Lisa Smith ​ (m. 1998)​
Children	2
Musical career
Genres	Pop, rock
Years active	1993–present
Labels	Universal Warner Bros.

Keith Duffy (born 1 October 1974) is an Irish singer, actor, and television presenter. He is famous for being a member of the Irish boy band Boyzone. The band also included Ronan Keating, Mikey Graham, Shane Lynch, and Stephen Gately.

After Boyzone took a break in 2000, Keith started an acting career. He appeared in popular soap operas like Coronation Street and Fair City. He also hosted TV shows like The Box and You're a Star.

Keith is also a dedicated campaigner for autism awareness. His daughter was diagnosed with autism when she was a toddler. He is a patron for Irish Autism Action and often hosts events to raise money and awareness.

He has also appeared on several reality TV shows. He won The Door in 2010 and placed third on Celebrity Big Brother in 2001.

Early Life and Hobbies

Keith Duffy was born in Donaghmede, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. As a child, he was very active in sports. He played hurling and Gaelic football for Dublin's under-16 team for three years.

When he was 16, he bought a drum kit and started playing in local bands. Before his music career took off, he studied architecture in college for a year.

Music and Acting Career

Duffy (right) performing with Boyzone in 2009

Duffy playing drums in 2009

Joining Boyzone

Duffy learned that a new boy band was holding auditions. He didn't get an audition at first. But later, manager Louis Walsh saw him dancing in a Dublin nightclub and invited him to try out. He was chosen to be one of the original members of Boyzone.

In Boyzone, Duffy often sang backing vocals, while Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately sang most of the lead parts. The band became incredibly successful. They sold over 13 million records and had 16 singles in the top five of the UK Singles Chart. They were the first Irish group to have four number-one hits in the UK.

In 1994, Duffy and his bandmate Shane Lynch were in a serious car accident but thankfully were not badly hurt. Boyzone took a break in 2000 to work on their own projects.

Acting and Television

After Boyzone's break, Duffy appeared on the first series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001, which made him even more famous.

He then started acting. His most famous role was playing Ciaran McCarthy in the soap opera Coronation Street. He was originally supposed to be on the show for only three weeks, but he stayed for three years, from 2002 to 2005. He later returned to the show from 2010 to 2011.

In 2008, he also had a role in the Irish soap opera Fair City. Over the years, he has appeared in many plays and TV shows, including Mrs. Brown's Boys D'Movie and Death in Paradise.

Boyzone's Reunion

In 2008, Boyzone got back together for a reunion tour called "Back Again... No Matter What." The tour was a huge success, selling over 200,000 tickets in just a few hours.

The band continued to tour and record music. Sadly, band member Stephen Gately passed away in 2009. Duffy was a pall-bearer at his funeral and remembered him as a "true giant of a man."

Boyzone toured again in 2011 with their "Brother" Tour to honor Stephen's memory.

Boyzlife

Since 2016, Duffy has been part of a duo called Boyzlife with Brian McFadden, who was a member of the band Westlife. They tour together, performing hits from both Boyzone and Westlife. In 2022, they released their second album, Old School.

Personal Life and Charity Work

Duffy married Lisa Smith in 1998 in Las Vegas. They have two children, a son named Jordan and a daughter named Mia.

When Mia was diagnosed with autism, Duffy became very involved in raising awareness about the condition. He has helped raise millions of euros for autism charities in Ireland. In 2014, he received an Honorary Fellowship from a university in Dublin for his charity work.

He started his own charity, the Keith Duffy Foundation, to help support different autism organizations. He also participates in charity sports events, like golf tournaments, to raise money for good causes.

Filmography

Film and television