Frank Carson: Difference between revisions
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| caption = | | caption = | ||
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|11|6|df=y}} | | birth_date = {{birth date|1926|11|6|df=y}} | ||
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012| | | death_date = {{death date and age|2012|02|22|1926|11|6|df=y}} | ||
| death_place = [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]], England | | death_place = [[Blackpool]], [[Lancashire]], England | ||
| birth_place = [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] | | birth_place = [[Belfast]], [[Northern Ireland]] | ||
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==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Carson was one of six children born to a working-class Catholic family from the inner-city Belfast locality known as the Half Bap (now called Cathedral Quarter). He attended St Patrick's [[Elementary School#United Kingdom|Elementary School]]. The family later moved to 94 Corporation St<ref name=LennonWylie>{{Cite web|url=https://lennonwylie.co.uk/ccomplete1939_c.htm|title=1939 BSD c complete 3|website=lennonwylie.co.uk}}</ref> in the Little Italy area, close to [[Sailortown (Belfast)|Sailortown]]. Carson worked as an electrician and later a [[plasterer]] in the building trade.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Barker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/feb/23/frank-carson-obituary |title=Frank Carson obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 February 2012 |location=London}}</ref> Carson's family were of Italian descent,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9120944/Comedian-Frank-Carson-laid-to-rest-in-Belfast.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Roya | last=Nikkhah | title=Comedian Frank Carson laid to rest in Belfast | date=3 March 2012}}</ref> with his grandmother hailing from [[Sicily]] | Carson was one of six children born to a working-class Catholic family from the inner-city Belfast locality known as the Half Bap (now called Cathedral Quarter). He attended St Patrick's [[Elementary School#United Kingdom|Elementary School]]. The family later moved to 94 Corporation St<ref name=LennonWylie>{{Cite web|url=https://lennonwylie.co.uk/ccomplete1939_c.htm|title=1939 BSD c complete 3|website=lennonwylie.co.uk}}</ref> in the Little Italy area, close to [[Sailortown (Belfast)|Sailortown]]. Carson worked as an electrician and later a [[plasterer]] in the building trade.<ref>{{cite news |first=Dennis |last=Barker |url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/feb/23/frank-carson-obituary |title=Frank Carson obituary |newspaper=The Guardian |date=23 February 2012 |location=London}}</ref> Carson's family were of Italian descent,<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/9120944/Comedian-Frank-Carson-laid-to-rest-in-Belfast.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Roya | last=Nikkhah | title=Comedian Frank Carson laid to rest in Belfast | date=3 March 2012}}</ref> with his grandmother hailing from [[Sicily]]. In his early days Carson was a choirboy at St Patrick's Catholic church on Donegall Street.<ref name="BBC Legacies">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/immig_emig/northern_ireland/ni_4/article_2.shtml|publisher=BBC.co.uk|title=Immigration and Emigration in Northern Ireland|access-date=12 March 2008}}</ref> | ||
Carson spent three years in the British Army's [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]], mainly in the Middle East in the late 1940s. During his service he shot dead an armed Zionist terrorist.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/feb/23/frank-carson-obituary|title=Frank Carson obituary|first=Dennis|last=Barker|date=23 February 2012|website=The Guardian|access-date=9 August 2018}}</ref> He himself was shot in the leg and on another occasion narrowly escaped death when a bomb went off outside a cinema. The seven RAF men he was with were all killed.<ref name="theguardian.com"/> He also assisted with the clear up after the [[King David Hotel bombing]] in [[Jerusalem]] and made 40 parachute descents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141233/bio|title=Frank Carson IMDb profile|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|access-date=14 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Frank Carson obituary|newspaper=[[The Times]] |page=60 |date=24 February 2012}}</ref> | Carson spent three years in the British Army's [[Parachute Regiment (United Kingdom)|Parachute Regiment]], mainly in the Middle East in the late 1940s. During his service he shot dead an armed Zionist terrorist.<ref name="theguardian.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2012/feb/23/frank-carson-obituary|title=Frank Carson obituary|first=Dennis|last=Barker|date=23 February 2012|website=The Guardian|access-date=9 August 2018}}</ref> He himself was shot in the leg and on another occasion narrowly escaped death when a bomb went off outside a cinema. The seven RAF men he was with were all killed.<ref name="theguardian.com"/> He also assisted with the clear up after the [[King David Hotel bombing]] in [[Jerusalem]] and made 40 parachute descents.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0141233/bio|title=Frank Carson IMDb profile|publisher=[[Internet Movie Database]]|access-date=14 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Frank Carson obituary|newspaper=[[The Times]] |page=60 |date=24 February 2012}}</ref> | ||
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He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1985 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at Heathrow Airport after the two had flown over together from Dublin.<ref name=Andrews>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjKpYr_EYgM|title=Frank Carson | This Is Your Life | 1985 Intro|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> | He was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (UK TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1985 when he was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at Heathrow Airport after the two had flown over together from Dublin.<ref name=Andrews>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjKpYr_EYgM|title=Frank Carson | This Is Your Life | 1985 Intro|via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> | ||
When he had [[cardiac surgery|heart surgery]] in 1976 it was suggested this meant he would retire. However, he continued working and became a regular on the [[Associated TeleVision|ATV]] children's series ''[[Tiswas]]''. He began making acting appearances on television as well as in two cinema films in the 1990s. In 1998, he was the opening act for [[Mary Black]]'s musical concert at the English Village in [[Dubai]]. | When he had [[cardiac surgery|heart surgery]] in 1976 it was suggested this meant he would retire. However, he continued working and became a regular on the [[Associated TeleVision|ATV]] children's series ''[[Tiswas]]''. He began making acting appearances on television as well as in two cinema films in the 1990s. In 1998, he was the opening act for [[Mary Black]]'s musical concert at the English Village in [[Dubai]]. | ||
==Later life and death== | ==Later life and death== | ||
Carson was still working, making live appearances, in cabaret, pantomime and the summer season throughout the UK. He spent much of his time helping the needy which included raising £130,000 for the Royal Victoria Hospital Children's Cancer Ward in 1986. | Carson was still working, making live appearances, in cabaret, pantomime and the summer season throughout the UK. He spent much of his time helping the needy which included raising £130,000 for the Royal Victoria Hospital Children's Cancer Ward in 1986. | ||
A theft from Carson's dressing room in Blackpool in 1995 [[Linda Nolan#Celebrity Big Brother|caused ill feeling]] between entertainers [[Jim Davidson]] and [[Linda Nolan]] and this was revived in 2014 during an episode of [[Celebrity Big Brother 13|''Celebrity Big Brother'']].<ref name="express">{{cite web|last=McNally |first=Kelby |url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/454437/Linda-Nolan-in-tears-after-row-with-Jim-Davidson-over-Frank-Carson-s-dressing-room |title=Linda Nolan in tears after row with Jim Davidson over 'Frank Carson's dressing room' | Showbiz |work=Daily Express |access-date=4 May 2014|date=17 January 2014 }}</ref> | A theft from Carson's dressing room in Blackpool in 1995 [[Linda Nolan#Celebrity Big Brother|caused ill feeling]] between entertainers [[Jim Davidson]] and [[Linda Nolan]] and this was revived in 2014 during an episode of [[Celebrity Big Brother 13|''Celebrity Big Brother'']].<ref name="express">{{cite web|last=McNally |first=Kelby |url=http://www.express.co.uk/news/showbiz/454437/Linda-Nolan-in-tears-after-row-with-Jim-Davidson-over-Frank-Carson-s-dressing-room |title=Linda Nolan in tears after row with Jim Davidson over 'Frank Carson's dressing room' | Showbiz |work=Daily Express |access-date=4 May 2014|date=17 January 2014 }}</ref> | ||
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On 2 September 2009, aged 82, Carson returned to the stage appearing at the [[North Pier, Blackpool|North Pier Theatre]] midweek season run of ''The Comedians'' in Blackpool, where he lived.<ref name="gazette5610055"/> On 30 October 2009, he appeared at the Velvet Hall in [[Paphos]], Cyprus.<ref name="paphos">{{cite news|url=http://www.paphospeople.com/frank_carson.html|title=Paphos People: The Big Night Out with Frank Carson|publisher=paphospeople.com|access-date=10 November 2009}}</ref> | On 2 September 2009, aged 82, Carson returned to the stage appearing at the [[North Pier, Blackpool|North Pier Theatre]] midweek season run of ''The Comedians'' in Blackpool, where he lived.<ref name="gazette5610055"/> On 30 October 2009, he appeared at the Velvet Hall in [[Paphos]], Cyprus.<ref name="paphos">{{cite news|url=http://www.paphospeople.com/frank_carson.html|title=Paphos People: The Big Night Out with Frank Carson|publisher=paphospeople.com|access-date=10 November 2009}}</ref> | ||
A routine hernia operation left Carson, who had a heart pacemaker, seriously ill and he underwent a knee replacement operation in July 2009.<ref name="gazette5610055">{{cite news|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/entertainment-news/Frank-ready-to-make-39em.5610055.jp|title=Frank ready to make 'em laugh|date=2 September 2009|newspaper=[[Blackpool Gazette]]|access-date=1 November 2009}}</ref> Subsequent [[x-ray]]s, 14 days after being discharged from hospital, showed that he had a previously undetected cracked rib, which may have been the cause of the hernia. In August 2011, Carson had an operation to remove a [[stomach cancer|malignant tumour]] from his [[stomach]]. | A routine hernia operation left Carson, who had a heart pacemaker, seriously ill and he underwent a knee replacement operation in July 2009.<ref name="gazette5610055">{{cite news|url=http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/entertainment-news/Frank-ready-to-make-39em.5610055.jp|title=Frank ready to make 'em laugh|date=2 September 2009|newspaper=[[Blackpool Gazette]]|access-date=1 November 2009}}</ref> Subsequent [[x-ray]]s, 14 days after being discharged from hospital, showed that he had a previously undetected cracked rib, which may have been the cause of the hernia. In August 2011, Carson had an operation to remove a [[stomach cancer|malignant tumour]] from his [[stomach]]. | ||
Carson died on 22 February 2012, aged 85, at his Blackpool home. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, whom he married on 21 January 1950 and who died in 2015, aged 87, his daughter Majella and his sons Tony and Aidan, in addition to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17046201|title=Comic Frank Carson dies aged 85|date=22 February 2012|access-date=22 February 2012|work=BBC News}}</ref> His funeral was held on 3 March 2012 at St Patrick's Church, Donegall Street, Belfast, where he had married his wife Ruth over 60 years earlier. Mourners included [[Stan Boardman]], [[Dennis Taylor]], [[Eamonn Holmes]], [[Martin McGuinness]], [[Lenny Henry]], [[Dana Rosemary Scallon|Dana]], [[Roy Walker (television personality)|Roy Walker]] and a large crowd of fans.<ref>[http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16181297 Funeral Procession For Comedian Frank Carson] ''Sky News''</ref> | Carson died on 22 February 2012, aged 85, at his Blackpool home. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, whom he married on 21 January 1950 and who died in 2015, aged 87, his daughter Majella and his sons Tony and Aidan, in addition to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17046201|title=Comic Frank Carson dies aged 85|date=22 February 2012|access-date=22 February 2012|work=BBC News}}</ref> His funeral was held on 3 March 2012 at St Patrick's Church, Donegall Street, Belfast, where he had married his wife Ruth over 60 years earlier. Mourners included [[Stan Boardman]], [[Dennis Taylor]], [[Eamonn Holmes]], [[Martin McGuinness]], [[Lenny Henry]], [[Dana Rosemary Scallon|Dana]], [[Roy Walker (television personality)|Roy Walker]] and a large crowd of fans.<ref>[http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16181297 Funeral Procession For Comedian Frank Carson] ''Sky News''</ref> | ||
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* {{IMDb name|id=0141233|name=Frank Carson}} | * {{IMDb name|id=0141233|name=Frank Carson}} | ||
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011062856/http://comedycv.co.uk/frankcarson/index.htm Comedy CV – Frank Carson] | * [https://web.archive.org/web/20071011062856/http://comedycv.co.uk/frankcarson/index.htm Comedy CV – Frank Carson] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Frank}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Carson, Frank}} | ||
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[[Category:Irish male comedians]] | [[Category:Irish male comedians]] | ||
[[Category:Catholic Unionists]] | [[Category:Catholic Unionists]] | ||
[[Category:Male comedians from Northern Ireland]] | [[Category:Male comedians from Northern Ireland]] | ||
[[Category:Male actors from Belfast]] | [[Category:Male actors from Belfast]] |
Latest revision as of 21:28, 1 October 2024
Frank Carson KSG | |
---|---|
Birth name | Hugh Francis Carson |
Born | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 6 November 1926
Died | 22 February 2012 Blackpool, Lancashire, England | (aged 85)
Medium | Television |
Genres | comedy |
Notable works and roles | The Comedians |
Hugh Francis Carson KSG (6 November 1926[1] – 22 February 2012[1]) was a Northern Irish comedian and actor from Belfast. He was best known for being a regular face on television for many years from the 1970s onwards, appearing in series such as The Comedians and Tiswas. His trademark line was "It's the way I tell them!" Carson was a member of the entertainment charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.[2]
Early life
Carson was one of six children born to a working-class Catholic family from the inner-city Belfast locality known as the Half Bap (now called Cathedral Quarter). He attended St Patrick's Elementary School. The family later moved to 94 Corporation St[3] in the Little Italy area, close to Sailortown. Carson worked as an electrician and later a plasterer in the building trade.[4] Carson's family were of Italian descent,[5] with his grandmother hailing from Sicily. In his early days Carson was a choirboy at St Patrick's Catholic church on Donegall Street.[6]
Carson spent three years in the British Army's Parachute Regiment, mainly in the Middle East in the late 1940s. During his service he shot dead an armed Zionist terrorist.[7] He himself was shot in the leg and on another occasion narrowly escaped death when a bomb went off outside a cinema. The seven RAF men he was with were all killed.[7] He also assisted with the clear up after the King David Hotel bombing in Jerusalem and made 40 parachute descents.[8][9]
Television career
Carson became a popular performer on Irish television, before moving to England to work as a stand-up club comedian. He had success on the long-running television music-hall revival show, The Good Old Days. He then went on to win the peak-viewing national favourite talent show Opportunity Knocks, presented by Hughie Green, three times. He was one of the more prominent acts on The Comedians alongside the likes of Charlie Williams, Bernard Manning, Mike Reid and Jim Bowen. The show consisted of 30 minutes of non-stop stand-up comedy from several comedians in each show, became a ratings hit in Britain and helped establish Carson's career.
Granada Television's The Comedians led to similar shows, such as The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, which was an attempt to bring the northern English working man's club show to television. Carson was a regular on television for a number of years after The Comedians, whilst also working as a stage entertainer and appearing before the Royal Family in shows.
In 1975, Carson took the part of Paddy O'Brien, described as "an Irish Republican landlord and coalman", in The Melting Pot, a sitcom written by Spike Milligan and Neil Shand, which was cancelled by the BBC after just one episode had been broadcast.[10]
He was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1985 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at Heathrow Airport after the two had flown over together from Dublin.[11]
When he had heart surgery in 1976 it was suggested this meant he would retire. However, he continued working and became a regular on the ATV children's series Tiswas. He began making acting appearances on television as well as in two cinema films in the 1990s. In 1998, he was the opening act for Mary Black's musical concert at the English Village in Dubai.
Later life and death
Carson was still working, making live appearances, in cabaret, pantomime and the summer season throughout the UK. He spent much of his time helping the needy which included raising £130,000 for the Royal Victoria Hospital Children's Cancer Ward in 1986.
A theft from Carson's dressing room in Blackpool in 1995 caused ill feeling between entertainers Jim Davidson and Linda Nolan and this was revived in 2014 during an episode of Celebrity Big Brother.[12]
On 2 September 2009, aged 82, Carson returned to the stage appearing at the North Pier Theatre midweek season run of The Comedians in Blackpool, where he lived.[13] On 30 October 2009, he appeared at the Velvet Hall in Paphos, Cyprus.[14]
A routine hernia operation left Carson, who had a heart pacemaker, seriously ill and he underwent a knee replacement operation in July 2009.[13] Subsequent x-rays, 14 days after being discharged from hospital, showed that he had a previously undetected cracked rib, which may have been the cause of the hernia. In August 2011, Carson had an operation to remove a malignant tumour from his stomach.
Carson died on 22 February 2012, aged 85, at his Blackpool home. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, whom he married on 21 January 1950 and who died in 2015, aged 87, his daughter Majella and his sons Tony and Aidan, in addition to numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.[15] His funeral was held on 3 March 2012 at St Patrick's Church, Donegall Street, Belfast, where he had married his wife Ruth over 60 years earlier. Mourners included Stan Boardman, Dennis Taylor, Eamonn Holmes, Martin McGuinness, Lenny Henry, Dana, Roy Walker and a large crowd of fans.[16]
Personal life
Carson was a Roman Catholic.[7] In 1987 his dedication to charity was recognised by the Catholic Church when he was awarded a papal knighthood of the Order of St. Gregory by Pope John Paul II.[17]
Although he stayed out of Northern Irish politics, he openly supported UKIP in later years.[18]
He lived in Layton, Blackpool,[19] where he attended Blackpool F.C. matches at Bloomfield Road.[20] He was a director of Staffordshire football club Chasetown F.C.[21] and in the 1970s and 1980s he was appointed a Director and Vice-President of Newport County football club in South Wales to raise the profile of the club.[22]
In 2009 Carson took part in the TV show Cash in the Celebrity Attic to raise money for a local hospice, raising over £900 in the process.
Carson lived for many years in Balbriggan in the north of County Dublin, and served two terms as mayor of the town.[23]
References
- ^ a b "Comic Frank Carson dies aged 85". BBC News. BBC. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Frank Carson Obituary". The Telegraph. 23 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
- ^ "1939 BSD c complete 3". lennonwylie.co.uk.
- ^ Barker, Dennis (23 February 2012). "Frank Carson obituary". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Nikkhah, Roya (3 March 2012). "Comedian Frank Carson laid to rest in Belfast". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- ^ "Immigration and Emigration in Northern Ireland". BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 12 March 2008.
- ^ a b c Barker, Dennis (23 February 2012). "Frank Carson obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ "Frank Carson IMDb profile". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
- ^ "Frank Carson obituary". The Times. 24 February 2012. p. 60.
- ^ Milligan, Spike; Shand, Neil (1983). The Melting Pot. London: Robson Books. introductory pages. ISBN 0-86051-195-2.
- ^ "Frank Carson | This Is Your Life | 1985 Intro" – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ McNally, Kelby (17 January 2014). "Linda Nolan in tears after row with Jim Davidson over 'Frank Carson's dressing room' | Showbiz". Daily Express. Retrieved 4 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Frank ready to make 'em laugh". Blackpool Gazette. 2 September 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ^ "Paphos People: The Big Night Out with Frank Carson". paphospeople.com. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
- ^ "Comic Frank Carson dies aged 85". BBC News. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ Funeral Procession For Comedian Frank Carson Sky News
- ^ Borislav Todorov for Eligo International. "Association of Papal Orders in Great Britain". PapalKnights.org.uk. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
- ^ "Comedian Frank Carson backs UKIP". BBC News. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ Robinson, Joe (23 October 2009). "Stars hail Variety line-up". Blackpool Gazette. Retrieved 1 November 2009.
- ^ "It's A Cracker!". Up the Pool. 2009–10 season (Blackpool vs Derby County). Blackpool F.C. 18 August 2009.
- ^ Cheese, Caroline (5 January 2008). "Live – FA Cup fifth round". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
- ^ "Frank Carson laugh 'lifted club'". BBC News. BBC. 23 February 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
- ^ Balbriggan Will Miss Frank Carson Archived 14 July 2012 at archive.today Monday, 27 February 2012 15:20.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- CS1: long volume value
- Webarchive template archiveis links
- 1926 births
- 2012 deaths
- British Parachute Regiment soldiers
- Knights of St. Gregory the Great
- Irish male comedians
- Catholic Unionists
- Male comedians from Northern Ireland
- Male actors from Belfast
- People from Northern Ireland of Italian descent
- Stand-up comedians from Northern Ireland
- UK Independence Party people
- 20th-century comedians from Northern Ireland
- 21st-century comedians from Northern Ireland
- Comedians from Belfast
- 20th-century British Army personnel