Bill Kenwright

Infobox Person

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name = Bill Kenwright
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birth_date = birth date and age|1945|09|4|df=yes
birth_place = Liverpool, England
death_date =
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other_names =
known_for =
occupation = actor and theatrical producer, football chairman
website = http://www.kenwright.com
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Bill Kenwright CBE (born 4 September, 1945, in Liverpool, Merseyside, England) is an actor and theatrical producer.

Early life

He attended Booker Avenue County Primary School, and then Liverpool Institute High School from 1957 to 1964 and appeared in school productions (including Shylock in Merchant of Venice) on the stage in the Mount St. building (predecessor to LIPA. He was also treasurer of the Christian Union at school.

Actor

As a young man, he became an actor. He was not spectacularly successful, though he did hold down a role in "Coronation Street" for almost a year, as Gordon Clegg who was introduced in April 1968, Kenwright resigned in March 1969, after brief stints in other shows, such as "The Villains" and "The Liver Birds" and Carry On films.

Theatrical producer

Kenwright is now a successful theatrical producer, best known for the long-running West End hit "Blood Brothers" and the record breaking tour of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat". Other recent productions have included West End runs of "Whistle Down The Wind" at the Palace Theatre, "Festen" in London, on a UK tour and now on Broadway, "The Big Life", "Elmina's Kitchen", "Scrooge - The Musical", "The Night Of The Iguana", "A Few Good Men", "A Man For All Seasons" alongside UK tours of "Jesus Christ Superstar", "Tommy", "Whistle Down The Wind", "Tell Me On A Sunday", and "This Is Elvis".

He produced the London revival of "Cabaret" at the Lyric Theatre in September 2006, starring Anna Maxwell Martin, James Dreyfus and Sheila Hancock.

Current and recent productions

*Blood Brothers - Phoenix Theatre (London) and on UK National Tour, "starring Helen Hobson and Steven Houghton"
*"Fur Coat and No Knickers" starring Harold Pinter 2008.
*The Letter - Wyndham's Theatre (London), "starring Jenny Seagrove and Anthony Andrews"
*Cabaret - UK Tour, "starring Wayne Sleep"
*The Glass Menagerie - Apollo Theatre (London), "starring Jessica Lange and Ed Stoppard"
*Treats - Garrick Theatre (London), "starring Billie Piper, Laurence Fox and Kris Marshall"
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - Adelphi Theatre (London), with Andrew Lloyd Webber. First night: July 17, 2007. "Star: Lee Mead," winner of BBC One's Any Dream Will Do hunt for a new lead actor

*The Unexpected Guest - UK National Tour, "starring Simon MacCorkindale and Dean Gaffney"
*Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat - UK National Tour - Currently Starring Craig Chalmers, Antony Hansen, Henry Metcalfe and Tara Bethan
*Hay Fever - UK National Tour, "starring Stephanie Beecham"
*An Ideal Husband - UK National Tour, "starring Kate O'Mara, Michael Praed, Carol Royle, Robert Duncan, Fenella Fielding, and Tony Britton"
*Can't Smile Without You - UK National Tour (Prior to West End) - Starring Chesney Hawkes, Siobhan Dillon and Francesca Jackson

Music

Bill Kenwright has his own record label (Bill Kenwright Records), which has released three albums as of February 2008. The London Palladium cast recording of "Scrooge" starring Tommy Steele and the 2006 Lyric Theatre Recording of "Cabaret" were joined in February 2008 by the debut album of Kenwright's new boy group Dream On.

Dream On, comprising five runners up from the BBC's Any Dream Will Do - Craig Chalmers, Lewis Bradley, Chris Crosby, Chris Barton and Antony Hansen was formed in January 2008.

Perhaps less known is Bill's recording career both solo and with a group"Bill Kenwright and the Runaways":

*"I want to go back there again"/"Walk through dreams" Columbia DB8239 (Aug 1967)

and solo, as "Bill Kenwright":

*"Love's Black & White"/"Giving Up" MGM 1430 (July 1968)
*"Tiggy"/"House That Fell On Its Face" MGM 1463 (Nov 1968)

*"Baby I could be so good at loving"/"Boy & A Girl" MGM 1478 (Jan 1969)

*"Sugar Man"/"Epitaph"/"When Times Were Good" Fontana H1065 (Oct 1969)

Everton

In 2004 he became Chairman of Everton, the football club he has supported all his life, succeeding Sir Phillip Carter in the role, who stepped down from his second stint as Everton Chairman, a position he had regained after Kenwright's takeover of the club in 1999. Bill Kenwright is one of only two Premier League chairman not to take a salary (Steve Gibson of Middlesbrough F.C. being the other), or take any payments for his role. In 2007, Kenwright launched a new professional basketball team as part of the mass-expansion of the British Basketball League. The Everton Tigers, have started competing this season.

Personal life

He was married to Anouska Hempel from 1978 to 1980.

He has one daughter and one granddaughter.

He is currently in a long-term relationship with actress Jenny Seagrove.

Honours

In the year 2000 he was awarded the CBE for his services to film and theatre.

Other information

*In 2007 Kenwright was a judge in the BBC1 television series "Any Dream Will Do."

References

External links

* [http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/sections/news/newsdb.php?article=83| June 9 video of Kenwright on "great" new "musical star" Lee Mead, whom BBC One viewers had chosen by phone vote minutes earlier to play the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat]