Biography

Keith Harris

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Keith made his pantomime debut at the age of nine as Babe in Babe in the Woods, followed the next year as Puss in Puss in Boots. Having followed his parents into a life of show business (his mother was a dancer and his father a comedian), his backstage childhood of touring led him to join his parents on stage whenever he could. His parents retired to Chester where his mother made panto costumes. His first ventriloquist act at fourteen was with a frog as his dummy. In 1983, he co wrote a panto on Humpty Dumpty around himself and his dummy, Orville. He had Orville since 1977 and Cuddles since 1967. He was married to the singer Jacqui Scott.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tonyman 5

Married four times, he successfully overcame an alcohol addiction which affected him at the peak of his stardom.
At the height of his fame, he enjoyed his own Saturday night showcase along with frequent appearances on panel shows, eventually achieving the accolade of Britain's highest-earning ventriloquist. His television programmes tended to pigeon-hole him in the role of children's performer, however, an image he found difficult to shed when his style of entertainment eventually went out of vogue.
British television ventriloquist and puppeteer, popular in the 1970s and 80s, best remembered for his "Orville" the duck creation - a bizarre, green-feathered, squeaky-voiced bird. His other notable success was "Cuddles" - an aggressive, blunt-speaking monkey.
More recently, he had sought to re-invent himself with an x-rated act on the university circuit.
Children: Skye, from a previous marriage, and Kitty and Shenton with fourth wife, ex-model Sarah.

[on Extras (2005)] I read the script and thought, 'This isn't clever writing, it's pure filth'. I turned it down. I'm not desperate.
You don't give up showbusiness, it gives you up.
I've made about £7 million throughout my career, but I've lost it all too. It's all down to the dyslexia. I can't read or write. Reading contracts? I didn't, I just signed them. I got into trouble many times. I signed myself away for 14 years to someone once - 25 per cent I was paying. I had no idea.
I did hear that Michael McIntyre earned £21 million in a year. I don't get how they've become so successful in such a short time. McIntyre doesn't make me laugh whereas Les Dawson and Ken Dodd do make me laugh. Jimmy Carr? I don't find it funny when somebody in a nice suit stands there and talks about basically nothing. There's nothing for kids to laugh at now, but I'm not complaining. I've done very well and I still do very well. I'm one of the highest paid people at Butlin's.

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