Jim Dale | |
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 Dale with hisBarnum co-starGlenn Close in 2006 | |
| Born | James Smith (1935-08-15)15 August 1935 (age 90) Rothwell,Northamptonshire, England |
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| Years active | 1951–present |
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| Children | 4 |
| Website | jim-dale |
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Jim Dale (bornJames Smith; 15 August 1935) is an English actor, composer, director, narrator, singer and songwriter. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at theNational Theatre. In British film, along withTina Simmons,Larry Dann,Angela Douglas,Patricia Franklin,Hugh Futcher,Alexandra Dane,Jill Goldston,Valerie Leon,Jacki Piper,Anita Harris,Peter Jesson,Bill Cornelius,Marian Collins,Dominique Don,Valerie Shute and others, he is now among the surviving actors to star in multipleCarry On films.
Dale was also a leading actor onBroadway, where he had roles inScapino,Barnum,Candide andMe and My Girl. He also narrated the U.S.audiobooks for all seven novels in theHarry Potter series, for which he won twoGrammy Awards. Dale appeared in theABC seriesPushing Daisies (2007–2009); he also starred in theDisney filmPete's Dragon (1977). He was nominated for aBAFTA Award for portraying a youngSpike Milligan inAdolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall (1973).
As a lyricist, Dale was nominated for both anAcademy Award andGolden Globe Award for the song "Georgy Girl", the theme for the 1966film of the same title.
Dale was born James Smith, to William Henry and Miriam Jean (née Wells) Smith inRothwell, Northamptonshire.[1] He was educated atKettering Grammar School. He trained as a dancer for six years before his debut as a stage comic in 1951.[2] He completed two years ofnational service in theRoyal Air Force.[2][3]
At the age of 22, Dale became the first pop singer to work withParlophone headGeorge Martin. He achieved four hits on theUK singles chart; "Be My Girl" (1957, UK No. 2), "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)" (1958, UK No. 27), "Crazy Dream" (1958, UK No. 24), and "Sugartime" (1958, UK No. 25).[4] Dale recorded an album with Martin,Jim! (1958), and appeared contemporaneously as a presenter and performer onBBC Television'sSix-Five Special, but he was vocal about comedy aspirations and his career as ateen idol was ultimately short-lived.[2][5]
As a songwriter, Dale is best remembered as the lyricist for the film theme "Georgy Girl", for which he was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Original Song[3] and theGolden Globe Award for Best Original Song in 1966. The song (performed bythe Seekers) reached number 2 in the USBillboard Hot 100chart the following year, it also made number 3 in Dale's native UK and Number 1 in Australia, going on to sell over 11 million records around the world. He also wrote lyrics for the title songs of the filmsThe Winter's Tale,Shalako,Twinky (Lola in the United States) andJoseph Andrews. He also wrote and recorded the song "Dick-a-Dum-Dum (King's Road)", which became a hit forDes O'Connor in 1969.[6]
Between 1957 and 1958, Dale was the compère forStanley Dale's National Skiffle Contest, a touring music competition.[7][8]
Dale's film debut was inBreak-In (1956), aWar Office information film. He next appeared inSix Five Special (1958), a spin-off from the BBC TV series of the same title.[9] This film was also released under the nameCalling All Cats. He then had a tiny role in the comedyRaising the Wind (1961) as a trombone player who thwarts orchestral conductorKenneth Williams.[10] However, he is best known in Britain for his appearances in elevenCarry On films,[3] a long-running series of comedy farces, generally playing the hapless romantic lead. HisCarry On career began in small roles: first as an expectant father inCarry On Cabby (1963), which was followed byCarry On Jack (1964). FromCarry On Spying (1964) onwards, his roles were more substantial. FollowingCarry On Cleo (1964), his first principal role wasCarry On Cowboy (1965), set in theWild West, where he played an immigrant English sanitary engineer called Marshall P. Knutt who is mistakenly hired as a policemarshal. Then cameCarry On Screaming! (1966),[2]Don't Lose Your Head (1966),Follow That Camel (1967),Carry On Doctor (1967),Carry On Again Doctor (1969) and the 1992 revivalCarry On Columbus.
Dale played Harold, the policeman in the 1965 comedy filmThe Big Job with two of his regular Carry On co-stars,Sidney James andJoan Sims.
In 1973, Dale appeared in the role ofSpike Milligan inAdolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall, the film adaptation of thefirst volume ofSpike Milligan's autobiography. It starred Dale as the young Terence "Spike" Milligan, while Milligan himself plays the part of his father, Leo.[11] Dale was nominated for theBAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his performance.
Dale played Dr. Terminus inWalt Disney'sPete's Dragon (1977).[12] In the 1978Walt Disney comedy filmHot Lead and Cold Feet[2] he played three characters, including both lead male parts, whilst 1973 saw him co-star inThe National Health.
At the age of 17, Dale became one of the youngest professional comedians in Britain, touring all the variety music halls.[13][14]
In 1970Laurence Olivier[15] invited Dale to join theNational Theatre Company in London, then based at theOld Vic. At theYoung Vic Theatre, he created the title role inScapino (ca. 1970), which he co-adapted withFrank Dunlop,[16][17] and played Petruchio inThe Taming of the Shrew.[17]
His other UK credits includeThe Card (1973),[18] andThe Wayward Way in London. He appeared inThe Winter's Tale as Autolycus andA Midsummer Night's Dream as Bottom at the Edinburgh Festivals in 1966 and 1967 for Frank Dunlop's Pop Theatre.[19] He took over the part ofFagin inCameron Mackintosh'sOliver! at theLondon Palladium in September 1995.[20]
For his Broadway performances, Dale has been nominated for fiveTony Awards, winning one forBarnum (1980) for which theNew York Times described him as "The Toast of Broadway",[15] also winning the second of five Drama Desk Awards, and the second of five Outer Critics Awards.[21] Other work includesScapino (1974) (Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Award, Tony Award Nomination),A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (1985) (Outer Critics Award, Tony Award Nomination),Me and My Girl (1986)Candide (1997) (Tony Award Nomination) andThe Threepenny Opera (2006) for the Roundabout Theatre Company. Dale played Mister Peacham and won a Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics' Award, The Richard Seff Award and a Tony Award nomination.
Dale's credits Off-Broadway includeTravels with My Aunt (1995)[22] (Drama Desk Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Outer Critics Award),Privates On Parade (1989),[23]Comedians (2003)[24] (Drama Desk Award nomination and a Lucille Lortel Award nomination) andAddress Unknown (2004). In 1988, he performed as Oscar inSweet Charity atAvery Fisher Hall.[25]
Dale's other stage work includesThe Taming of the Shrew as Petruchio with the Young Vic, London (1970) and the Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York (1974);The Music Man U.S. tour (1984),[1] andThe Invisible Man at the Cleveland Play House (1998).[26] He played the part of Ebenezer Scrooge inA Christmas Carol at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, New York City, from 28 November to 27 December 2003.[2][27]
In November 2006 Dale starred as Charlie Baxter in a one-night only concert version of the Sherman brothers musicalBusker Alley alongsideGlenn Close. This was a benefit for the York Theatre Company, and was held at Hunter College in New York City.[28] He wrote and appeared in his one-man show,Just Jim Dale, looking back over nearly sixty years in show business. It opened on 15 May 2014 at theRoundabout Theatre Company Laura Pels Theatre, winning Dale his fifth Outer Critics Circle Award, and his fifth Drama Desk Award.[29] It opened at theVaudeville Theatre in theWest End in May 2015.
Source:The New York Times[30]
Dale opened every episode of theABC dramaPushing Daisies (2009) as theunseen narrator.[15][36]
In the United States, Dale is known as the voice of theHarry Potter audiobooks, narrating the U.S. versions of all seven novels in the series.[37] Dale'sHarry Potter narrations are universally acclaimed. He won twoGrammy Awards (in 2001 and 2008) and received seven Grammy nominations[38] and a record tenAudie Awards[2] including "Audio Book of the Year 2004" forHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Best Children's Narrator 2001/2005/2007/2008," "Best Children's Audio Book 2005," two Benjamin Franklin Awards from theIndependent Book Publishers Association[15] (one of these was in 2001 forHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)[39] and 23AudioFile Earphone Awards. The audio short seriesDirty Potter uses sound editing of Dale's past voice work to narrate the series. The series is a parody narrated by a "re-imagined" version of Dale, and its content was created without Dale's input.[40]
Dale narrates theHarry Potter video games and many of the interactive "extras" on theHarry Potter DVD releases. He also holds one current and two formerGuinness World Records. He holds one current record for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005.[41] Previously, he held records for creating the most character voices for an audiobook (134 forHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2003, followed by 146 voices forHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007),[42] though the record was later awarded toRoy Dotrice for his 2004 recording ofA Game of Thrones.[43] Dale opened every episode of theABC dramaPushing Daisies as theunseen narrator.[15][36]
In the mid-1960s, Dale presentedChildren's Favourites onBBC Radio for a year.[44]
Dale narrated thePeter and the Starcatchers (2004) audio book,[45] and its three sequels. In 2018, Dale narratedSPIN: The Rumpelstiltskin Musical byEdelman and Fishman, noted as being the first audiobook musical of its kind.SPIN was released byHarper Audio on 9 January 2018.[46] The following year, Dale narratedPuss In Boots a Musical byEdelman and Fishman, adapted for the audiobook by Edelman, Fishman, and Khristine Hvam. It was released byHarper Audio on 27 August 2019.
In 2003, Dale was awarded theMBE, as part of the Queen's Birthday Honours List, for his work in promoting children's English literature.[47]
Source:The New York Times[30]
Sources: allmusic.com;[2] Playbillvault;[21] Audio Publisher[48]
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