Billy Dainty

Infobox Person
name = Billy Dainty

---

image_size =
caption =
birth_name = William Hooper Frank John Dainty
birth_date = birth date|1927|02|22
birth_place = Dudley, Worcestershire, England
death_date = death date and age|1986|11|18|1927|02|22
death_place = 'Cobblers', Godalming, Surrey
death_cause =
resting_place =
resting_place_coordinates =
residence =
nationality = British
other_names =
known_for =
education =
employer =
occupation = Comedian
title =
salary =
networth =
height =
weight =
term =
predecessor =
successor =
party =
boards =
religion =
spouse =
partner =
children =
parents =
relatives =


website =
footnotes =

William Hooper Frank John (Billy) Dainty (22 February 1927 - 19 November 1986) was a British comedian, dancer, physical comedian and pantomime and TV star.

Dainty was born at Wolverhampton Street, Dudley, Worcestershire (now in the West Midlands), the son of a shopkeeper who was based in a shop at the front of the family home. He made his stage debut as the only boy dancer in a troupe of girls. Later, his family moved to London, where the young Billy received tap-dancing lessons from the American-born hoofer Buddy Bradley. He then won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He trained as a comedian with RADA, but was also known for his dancing skills. From childhood he had the ambition to be a dancer, but his nimble feet were most famous for his "funny walks", a well-loved part of his act.

In 1942 at 15 he made his stage debut in the pantomime "Mother Goose", starring Norman Evans and Patricia Burke, where he played the back end of a dancing pantomime donkey called "Asbestos". His next part was as a chorus boy in "Strike a New Note" at the Prince of Wales Theatre, with Sid Field and Jerry Desmonde, along with the newly formed pairing of Morecambe and Wise.

Called up for National Service in 1945, he toured the Far East with the "Stars In Battledress" for two years. His first work after the war was in a show called "Gaytime" in Torquay. He spent the next two decades in variety theatre, before getting his TV break on "Sunday Night at the London Palladium" in the late 1950s. [ [http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/hippodrome/Dainty.htm Local history article on Billy Dainty] ]

Dainty's repertoire of silly walks was unrivalled at the time. He could travel down the stage on his right foot, with his right leg raised throughout. He was also known for his impersonations of fellow stars, including parodies of Shirley Bassey, Fred Astaire, and a ballet dancer, whom he called Rudolph Nearenough based loosely on Rudolph Nureyev. He embodied the authentic, original and exuberant spirit of the old style music hall tradition; the theatre was his domain - although he also successfully moved into television. He was notably successful in Royal Variety Shows and was reputed to be a particular favourite of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Although he was described as looking like a 'plumber's mate', he was in fact an extraordinarily skilled dancer; his nimble footwork and bursts of physical activity always surprising and delighting the audiences who had gone to see him.

After appearing in over a dozen pantomimes, often in unremarkable or unfulfilling roles, Dainty was finally persuaded, in 1964, to play the dame opposite Harry Worth's Old King Cole at the Bristol Hippodrome, where he was hailed a huge success. He also played the dame at the London Palladium in "Dick Whittington" with the then rising star Tommy Steele. He was proclaimed as "one of the last of the genuine music-hall peformers" and as "one of the outstanding artists of his generation".

In 1975 he had his own Thames Television series "Billy Dainty, Esq". [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/guide/talent/d/dainty_billy.shtml BBC Comedy Guide on Billy Dainty] ] Between 1975 and 1980 he starred with Rod Hull and Emu, in "Emu's Broadcasting Company" on BBC1. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0824931/ "EBC1: Emu's Broadcasting Company" (1975) ] ] Throughout this time his pantomime career blossomed. But halfway through the next decade he had to pull out of "Aladdin" in Nottingham due to poor health. [ [http://www.localhistory.scit.wlv.ac.uk/articles/hippodrome/Dainty.htm Local history article on Billy Dainty] ]

He died, aged 59, at his home ('Cobblers') in Godalming, Surrey on 19 November 1986. His talent, versatility and professionalism had made him a family favourite for more than 30 years. Dainty had been married and had one son.

References and External links

* [http://www.its-behind-you.com/damesarticle.html#BILLY%20DAINTY It's Behind You - Billy Dainty section of Pantomime Dame tribute site]
*
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LObE4WzGILI Billy Dainty dance number as Mr Pastry on Youtube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ImFpiXUZeM&feature=related Billy on The Good Old Days 1980]

Persondata
NAME = Dainty, Billy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Dainty, William Hooper Frank John
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Comedian, comic actor
DATE OF BIRTH = 1927-02-22
PLACE OF BIRTH = Dudley, England
DATE OF DEATH = 1986-11-18
PLACE OF DEATH = Cobblers, Godalming, Surrey