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Des O'Connor
English comedian, singer and television presenter (1932–2020) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Desmond Bernard O'Connor CBE (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.
Des O'Connor | |
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![]() O'Connor performing in 1974 | |
Born | Desmond Bernard O'Connor (1932-01-12)12 January 1932 |
Died | 14 November 2020(2020-11-14) (aged 88) Buckinghamshire, England |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1954–2019 |
Television | The Des O'Connor Show (1963–1973) Des O'Connor Entertains (1974–1976) Des O'Connor Tonight (1977–2002) Take Your Pick (1992–1999) Today with Des and Mel (2002–2006) Countdown (2007–2008) |
Spouses | Phyllis Gill
(m. 1953; div. 1959)Gillian Vaughan
(m. 1960; div. 1982)Jay Rufer
(m. 1985; div. 1990)Jodie Brooke Wilson (m. 2007) |
Children | 5 |
He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with The Des O'Connor Show in 1963, which ran for ten years. He also presented several UK television game shows, including Take Your Pick! from 1992 to 1999, and the long-running Channel 4 game show Countdown for two years between 2007 and 2008.
O'Connor recorded 36 albums and had four top-ten UK singles, including a number-one hit with "I Pretend", with global sales of more than sixteen million records.[1] Well known for his friendship with comedians Morecambe and Wise, his singing ability was often light-heartedly mocked on their show, with O'Connor taking part in the sketches.[2]