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==Biography== |
==Biography== |
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===Early life=== |
===Early life=== |
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Whitehouse was born in [[Stanleytown, Rhondda Cynon Taff|Stanleytown]] in the [[Rhondda Fawr]] valley of [[Glamorgan]], [[Wales]]. His father worked for the [[National Coal Board]] and his mother was a singer with the [[Welsh National Opera]].<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/showbiz/paul_whitehouse.shtml</ref> The family moved to [[Essex]] when he was four years old |
Whitehouse was born in [[Stanleytown, Rhondda Cynon Taff|Stanleytown]] in the [[Rhondda Fawr]] valley of [[Glamorgan]], [[Wales]]. His father worked for the [[National Coal Board]] and his mother was a singer with the [[Welsh National Opera]].<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/showbiz/paul_whitehouse.shtml</ref> The family moved to [[Essex]] when he was four years old, which lead to him discovering his talent for [[mimicery]]: |
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"At school I didn’t say a word for the first four weeks - I called it my Silent Month. I think it was because everyone was speaking so differently from how it had been in Wales. Then, after four weeks, I came home one day and said, ‘Muumm, I wanna go to Sarfend!’ For her that was the end because I had lost my lovely Welsh lilt. So I became very conscious of speech and the effects it can have. But when I went back to Wales I would start talking all Welsh, ‘lyke that you see’ before going all Alf Garnett while coming back the other way.” |
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===Career=== |
===Career=== |
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Revision as of 19:21, 5 December 2007
Paul Whitehouse |
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Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958 in Stanleytown, Glamorgan, Wales),[1] is a British comedian and actor. He became known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, he was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.
Biography
Early life
Whitehouse was born in Stanleytown in the Rhondda Fawr valley of Glamorgan, Wales. His father worked for the National Coal Board and his mother was a singer with the Welsh National Opera.[2] The family moved to Essex when he was four years old, which lead to him discovering his talent for mimicery:
"At school I didn’t say a word for the first four weeks - I called it my Silent Month. I think it was because everyone was speaking so differently from how it had been in Wales. Then, after four weeks, I came home one day and said, ‘Muumm, I wanna go to Sarfend!’ For her that was the end because I had lost my lovely Welsh lilt. So I became very conscious of speech and the effects it can have. But when I went back to Wales I would start talking all Welsh, ‘lyke that you see’ before going all Alf Garnett while coming back the other way.”
Career
Whitehouse was co-creator with Enfield of the character 'Loadsamoney' and appeared as his sidekick Lance on Channel 4's Saturday Live. Whitehouse has worked extensively for the BBC, firstly as a writer and then a performer on shows such as Harry Enfield's Television Programme, where he developed numerous characters including DJ 'Mike Smash' of Smashie and Nicey alongside Harry Enfield as Nicey.
In 1994 he found wider fame as part of the cast of The Fast Show with former friend from the University of East Anglia, Charlie Higson. His Fast Show characters included:
- Rowley Birkin QC
- The 13th Duke of Wymbourne
- Archie (hardest game in the world)
- Chris Jackson
- Unlucky Alf
- Arthur Atkinson
- 'Brilliant'
- Ron Manager
- Ken, one of the Suit You tailors
- Lindsey, one of the Offroaders
- Poutremos Poutra-Poutremos, anchor of the foreign TV station Chanel 9 sketch
Due to his array of comedy characters, Johnny Depp has been cited saying Paul Whitehouse is one of, if not, the best actor he has ever seen; and resultantly became a huge fan of the The Fast Show and made an appearance.
In 2001 and 2002 Whitehouse wrote and performed in two series of the BBC comedy drama Happiness, in which he played a voice-over actor with a mid-life crisis.
Whitehouse wrote, produced and appeared (with Chris Langham) in the 2005 comedy drama Help, also for the BBC. In this show he takes 25 different roles, all patients of Langham's psychotherapist (except one, who is Langham's psychotherapist's psychotherapist).
The pair's collaboration on this project later resulted in Whitehouse taking the witness stand on 24 July 2007 in the trial of Langham, specifically in regard to the charge of holding explicit images and videos of minors. Langham had claimed he downloaded this material as research for a character included in the second series of Help, but Whitehouse's testimony did not corroborate this explanation.[3]
Whitehouse is appearing in the BBC sketch show Ruddy Hell! It's Harry and Paul, starring alongside Harry Enfield once again.[4]
Whitehouse and Charlie Higson produced and appeared in a spoof phone-in show, Down the Line, on BBC Radio 4. The first series was broadcast May-June 2006. A second series was broadcast 16 January - 20 February 2007. A third series is due to be broadcast in January 2008.
Whitehouse has recently (Summer 2007) followed Victoria Wood in the latest ASDA advertising campaign.
It has been confirmed that he is working again with Higson on a television project, designed to be a spoof of celebrity travel programmes.[5]
Personal life
Divorced, he and his ex-wife have three daughters: Molly, Sophie and Lauren. Molly and Sophie had non-speaking roles in "Finding Neverland," while dancing fan Molly and her father appeared on "Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two" on 5 December, 2007.
Whitehouse is a supporter of English Premiership football team Tottenham Hotspur, and guested on fellow comedian Phil Cornwell's Spurs Show podcast to discuss it.[6]
Filmography
Whitehouse has had a number of small roles in film, principally:
- Kevin and Perry Go Large - 'Bouncer', with Harry Enfield
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 'Sir Cadogan'.
- Finding Neverland - 'Stage Manager' (with his friend and admirer Johnny Depp; Whitehouse's daughters Molly and Sophie have non-speaking roles as orphans in the film)
- Corpse Bride - 'William Van Dort' (again, with Johnny Depp)
References
- ^ a b Comic Paul tells of talent change Wales on Sunday - October 28, 2007
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/halloffame/showbiz/paul_whitehouse.shtml
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/6913530.stm
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/harryandpaul/
- ^ Byrne, Ciar (2007-10-01). "Paul Whitehouse and Charlie Higson: Making (radio) waves". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
- ^ http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=261350282&s=143444&i=19613319