Les Dennis

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Les Dennis bigraphy, stories - Comedian, TV host, and actor

Les Dennis : biography

12 October 1953 –

Les Dennis (born Leslie Dennis Heseltine; on 12 October 1953) is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. He was best known as the host of Family Fortunes for 15 years.

Personal life

Dennis married actress Amanda Holden on 4 June 1995. They had a temporary split in 2000 when Holden’s affair with actor Neil Morrissey was exposed in the press, before eventually separating in December 2002 and divorcing in 2003.

Dennis met Claire Nicholson in 2005. The couple have a daughter, Eleanor Grace, who was born on 24 April 2008; Dennis and Nicholson were married on 23 November 2009 in Highgate. Their son Thomas Christopher was born on 14 April 2011.

Dennis is a Liverpool fan, despite the fact that his mother was a Manchester United supporter.

Early life

Dennis was born in Garston, Liverpool, Lancashire. His father worked in a betting shop after service in the Royal Navy during World War II and a period as a football player on the books of Liverpool F.C. (but did not play for the first team), whilst his mother worked in a factory. He attended the Stockton Wood and Joseph Williams primary schools and then Quarry Bank High School after passing the Eleven plus exam. He had a Saturday job in Burton’s clothes store whilst still at school and started in entertainment as a stand-up comedian in working men’s clubs.

Career

Early work and Family Fortunes

As a comedian Dennis worked the North West social and working men’s clubs. He was given his earliest opportunities by Liverpool based husband and wife theatrical agents Stuart and Dorene Gillespie ( Stuart and Dorene had been a successful act themselves in Variety ) and in his autobiography he credits them with discovering him. His first radio appearance was in 1971 on Stuart’s BBC Radio Merseyside series Variety Time (The programmes were taped in front of a live audience in Merseyside Clubs ). In 1974, he won "New Faces", an ITV talent show and appeared on numerous light-entertainment shows. In 1982, he joined as one of the team on Russ Abbot’s Madhouse and The Russ Abbot Show before forming a comedy partnership with fellow impressionist Dustin Gee, which in turn led to a series of their own, The Laughter Show. Following Gee’s death in 1986, Les carried on The Laughter Show as a solo performer and became the third host of Family Fortunes for a fifteen-year run from 1987 to 2002.

Theatre work

His theatre work included Amos Hart in Chicago, Bill Snibson in Me and My Girl in the West End. He had starred in Skylight at the Water Mill Theatre, Newbury, Berkshire; Mr Wonderful at the Gateway Theatre, Chester, Misery at the Coliseum Theatre, Oldham; toured in the play Just Between Ourselves and appeared with Janet Suzman in Cherished Disappointments In Love at London’s Soho Theatre. He starred with Christopher Cazenove and John Duttine in a national tour of ‘Art’ and as Norman Bartholomew in Anthony Shaffer’s dark comedy Murderer at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory. He also starred in a hit season in Neville’s Island at Birmingham Repertory Theatre. He appeared in the role of Mr. Fulton in "High School Musical 2" in a UK tour from late August 2009 to February 2010. He had also made an appearance on two episodes of Bang Bang, It’s Reeves and Mortimer in The Club sketch, where he played himself. He also took part in a video-only special of Shooting Stars in 1993, where Vic Reeves introduced him pronouncing his name as if it were French saying "Les Dennis, the French fire engine". He toured in Hairspray as Wilbur Turnblad alongside Michael Ball, Brian Conley and Michael Starke – who alternated the role of Edna Turnblad. He is currently starring in the touring production of Legally Blonde The Musical playing the role of Professor Callahan.

Film work

Dennis’ big screen debut was in the film Intimate Relations with Julie Walters, Rupert Graves and Laura Sadler and he appeared in the comedy feature film Large and in Wildlife, a short directed by Nick Allsop.