Keith Harris (ventriloquist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Keith Harris
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Keith Harris and Orville performing "Orville's Song" in 1982 on Top of the Pops
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| Born | 21 September 1947 Lyndhurst, Hampshire, England
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| Died | 28 April 2015 (aged 67) Blackpool, Lancashire, England
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| Occupation | Ventriloquist, puppeteer, voice actor |
| Years active | 1965–2014 |
Keith Shenton Harris (born September 21, 1947 – died April 28, 2015) was a famous English ventriloquist. A ventriloquist is someone who can make their voice seem to come from a puppet or another source, making it look like the puppet is talking!
Keith Harris was best known for his fun television show, The Keith Harris Show, which ran from 1982 to 1986. He also made many audio recordings and performed live with his beloved puppets, Orville the Duck and Cuddles the Monkey. In 1982, he had a big hit song called "Orville's Song," which reached number 4 on the UK music charts.
Keith's parents were also performers, and he started helping his dad with ventriloquist acts when he was just a child. As a teenager, he created his own puppet characters. He performed them at holiday resorts, which helped him get noticed by TV producers. He first appeared on TV in 1965 and quickly became a popular guest on many shows. He had his first solo show, Cuddles and Company, in the 1970s. But his biggest success came in 1982 with The Keith Harris Show. He, Orville, and Cuddles became very popular on TV.
After a challenging time in the early 1990s, Keith Harris had a busy career performing on stage, especially in pantomimes. He became popular again in the 2000s, appearing as a guest on several TV shows. He was diagnosed with cancer in 2013 and sadly passed away two years later.
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Growing Up and Early Days
Keith Harris was born in Lyndhurst, Hampshire, on September 21, 1947. He grew up in North Baddesley in Hampshire and later near Chester. His parents were both performers. His mother, Lilian, was a dancer, and his father, Norman, was a singer, comedian, and ventriloquist.
From the age of nine, Keith would sit on his father's knee and act as the "dummy" in his dad's ventriloquist show. This was how he first learned about performing! Keith had dyslexia at school, which is a learning difficulty that can make reading and writing harder. In 2014, he shared that his dyslexia had caused him problems with understanding contracts.
A Star is Born: Keith's Career
Keith Harris started making his own ventriloquist characters when he was a teenager. After performing at holiday resorts during the summer, he got spots on a TV show called Let's Laugh in 1965.
Keith became a popular act on many TV variety shows. After hosting The Black and White Minstrel Show for a while, he got his own show called Cuddles and Company. He also appeared many times on the BBC TV show The Good Old Days.
The Creation of Orville
Keith's most famous puppet, Orville the Duck, came about in a fun way. Keith saw some green fur backstage at a show and got an idea! Orville was a large, green duckling with a silly voice. He wore a nappy (diaper) held on by a giant safety pin.
Keith recorded "Orville's Song," which was written by Bobby Crush. This song became a huge hit, reaching number 4 on the UK singles chart in 1983. It sold 400,000 copies! Interestingly, the song was later voted one of the worst songs ever recorded, but it was still very popular.
TV Fame and Royal Performances
The Keith Harris Show was shown on Saturday evenings on BBC1 from 1982 to 1986. He also had a children's series called The Quack Chat Show (1989–90) on BBC1.
Keith Harris performed in several Royal Variety Performances, which are special shows for the Royal Family. He even performed privately for them! At the request of Diana, Princess of Wales, he performed for Prince William and Prince Harry at their third birthday parties.
A New Era of Popularity
From the late 1990s, Keith Harris and Orville became popular again. They appeared on TV shows that enjoyed looking back at classic acts in a new, funny way. Keith was a guest on many TV shows in the 2000s, including Harry Hill, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, Little Britain, and The Weakest Link.
In 2002, he was featured in a documentary called When Louis Met... Keith Harris. In 2005, he and Orville won the Channel 5 reality TV show The Farm. That same year, he was in the music video for Peter Kay and Tony Christie's song "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo".
Later Years and Challenges
After his TV show ended, Keith faced some difficult times. He opened clubs in Blackpool and Portugal, but they didn't succeed. However, he bounced back and started performing again in clubs, pantomimes, and holiday camps all over the United Kingdom. He even wrote 17 of his own pantomimes and had his own company, Keith Harris Productions, which he sold in 2009.
He also worked as an auctioneer on Bid TV and appeared in an episode of the children's TV show The Slammer in 2006. This renewed attention helped Keith and Orville become popular again. He appeared in TV shows like Ashes to Ashes (2009) and Shameless (2011). He also performed for the housemates in Celebrity Big Brother in 2012.
Personal Life
Keith Harris lived with his fourth wife, Sarah Metcalf, and his two youngest children in Poulton-le-Fylde. He turned a local cinema and bingo hall into a jazz nightclub called "Club L’Orange."
Illness and Death
In 2013, Keith Harris was diagnosed with cancer and had surgery and chemotherapy. He returned to work after this. Sadly, the cancer came back in 2014. He passed away at Blackpool Victoria Hospital on April 28, 2015, at the age of 67.
Legacy and Impact
Keith Harris was one of the biggest stars in entertainment for over ten years. His puppets, Orville (the sweet duck) and Cuddles (the cheeky monkey), along with Keith, were one of the most famous acts of the 1980s. Even though their TV popularity changed after that decade, Keith remained loved by audiences until he retired.
In the 2002 Louis Theroux documentary, Keith Harris said that he had "created a monster" with Orville. He felt that everyone knew Orville, but not everyone knew Keith Harris. However, he also knew that Orville had helped him achieve great success.
Discography
Albums
- At the End of the Rainbow (1983) – UK No. 92
Singles
- "Orville's Song" (1982) – UK No. 4
- "Come to My Party" (1983) – UK No. 44
- "White Christmas" (1985) – UK No. 40
