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Life and career

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{{Infobox person
| name = Dick Henderson
| image = Dick_Henderson_comedian.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Autographed photo
| birth_name = Richard Henderson
| birth_date = {{birth date|1891|3|20|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Sculcoates]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1958|10|15|1891|3|20|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Paddington]], London, England
| nationality =
| other_names =
| known_for =
| occupation = Comedian, singer, actor
}}
'''Richard Henderson''' (20 March 1891 – 15 October 1958) was an English [[music hall]] comedian, singer and [[character actor]].

==Life and career==
Dick Henderson was born in [[Sculcoates]], [[Kingston upon Hull|Hull]], [[East Riding of Yorkshire]], the son of a [[machinist]]. He was an [[apprentice]] [[Fitter (occupation)|fitter]] at a shipyard, before leaving to join a [[pierrot troupe]] at [[Withernsea]]. He made his first London appearance in 1914. He was heavily built, smoked a cigar on stage, and wore tight suits to emphasise his girth, together with ill-matched shoes and a [[bowler hat]] several sizes too small.<ref name=mhs>{{cite journal |last1=Baker |first1=Richard Anthony |date=2013|title= The Hendersons: their success and heartache|url= |journal=Music Hall Studies |volume= |issue=12 |pages=495–506 |doi= |access-date=}}</ref>

He found success with his quick-fire patter, often joking in a marked Yorkshire accent about his fictional wife or mother-in-law. He was billed as "The Yorkshire Comedian" or sometimes "The Yorkshire Nightingale", and was known for his [[baritone]] singing as well as his comedy. He entered the stage singing and playing "[[Tiptoe Through the Tulips]]" – a song which he was the first in Britain to record – on the [[ukulele]]. He sang both comedy songs such as "Have You Ever Seen a Straight Banana", and sentimental songs, and was reputedly the first comedian to end his performances with a 'straight' song.<ref name=baker>Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, {{ISBN|978-1-78383-118-0}}, p.254</ref><ref name=double>[https://books.google.co.uk/books?redir_esc=y&id=OyjM8ukfe7wC&q=Dick+Henderson#v=snippet&q=Dick%20Henderson&f=false Oliver Double, ''Stand Up: On Being a Comedian'', A&C Black, 1997]</ref><ref name=nickel>[http://www.nickelinthemachine.com/2017/09/the-prince-of-wales-theatre-dickie-henderson-and-the-ross-sisters/ "The Prince of Wales Theatre, Dickie Henderson and the Ross Sisters", ''Nickel in the Machine'', 19 September 2017]. Retrieved 30 September 2020</ref>

According to [[Roger Wilmut]], Henderson "bridged the gap between character and gag comedians.... [His] gags were always personalized — linked into a loose structure, and told in the first person, rather than presented as a string of isolated gags. When he included a particularly obvious joke, he would follow it with his [[catchphrase]]: 'Ha! Ha! – joke over!'"<ref name=wilmut>Roger Wilmut, ''Kindly Leave the Stage: The Story of Variety 1919-1960'', Methuen, 1985, {{isbn|0-413-48960-4}}, pp.34-35</ref>

He appeared in the [[Royal Variety Performance]]s in 1926, which consolidated his success. He also became popular in the United States, first visiting in 1924,<ref>[https://travsd.wordpress.com/2012/10/30/stars-of-vaudeville-508-and-509-dick-henderson-pere-et-fils/ "Dick Henderson, Pere et Fils", ''Travalanche'', 30 October 2012]. Retrieved 30 September 2020</ref> and again in 1930, and made several [[Vitaphone Varieties|Vitaphone short films]]. He appeared in the now-lost 1930 film ''[[The Man from Blankley's]]'', and in the 1935 musical comedy film ''[[Things Are Looking Up (film)|Things Are Looking Up]]''. In the latter film he performed with his son, [[Dickie Henderson]], who later also became a popular entertainer.<ref name=nickel/>

Dick continued to perform through the 1930s, making few changes to his established routines, and appeared in his second Royal Variety Performance in 1946.<ref name=mhs/> He married Winifred Dunn in 1918; she outlived him. They had twin daughters, Winifred (Wyn) and Clare (known as Triss) in 1920; they became singers and dancers with the [[Jack Hylton]] orchestra. Their son [[Dickie Henderson|Dickie]] was born in 1922, and his father actively supported his career.<ref name=mhs/>

Dick Henderson died in [[Paddington]], London in 1958, aged 67 and was buried at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, [[Kensal Green]].<ref name=baker/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{imdb name|0376402}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Dick}}
[[Category:1891 births]]
[[Category:1958 deaths]]
[[Category:Music hall performers]]
[[Category:Comedians from Yorkshire]]

Dick Henderson - Revision history

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