Michael Barrymore
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Michael Barrymore, (born Michael Parker 1952, Bermondsey, South London, England, United Kingdom) is a lanky British comedian. Best known as the star of the eponymous Saturday night entertainment series, Barrymore, produced by Maurice Leonard for LWT, he has hosted a number of game shows, among them Get Set Go, Strike It Lucky, Marry The Midwife and My Kind of Music. He also went straight for a short while taking the lead role in flop drama, Bob Martin which was penned by the comedian and quiz show emcee Bob Mills.
His on screen personality struck a cord with millions of people and he became the biggest star in the United Kingdom, becoming the highest paid person on Television.
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Early History
Michael Barrymore was born in Bermondsey, London. His father was an alcoholic and a gambler.
He spent his early career working as a RedCoat at Butlins holiday camps.
To great surprise, Barrymore announced that he was gay and split from his wife Cheryl in 1995 whom he had married in 1976. Cheryl had also been his manager for 20 years. They later divorced in 1997 and Cheryl went on to publish an autobiograhpy which contained details of their acrimonious split. The couple subsequently had no contact. On 1 April 2005 Cheryl Barrymore died suddenly at the age of 56, having been diagnosed with lung cancer just six weeks earlier. Shortly before her untimely death she asked that details of her condition be kept secret from her former husband and also left instructions that he should not be invited to attend her funeral.
Catchphrase
His catchphrase is "Aw-wight!"
Controversy
In April 2001 Michael Barrymore's home in Roydon, Essex was searched when Stuart Lubbock drowned in his swimming pool after a party. Many tabloid newspapers labelled Barrymore a murderer, and accused him of holding gay drug-fuelled orgies in his home.
Following a police investigation, Barrymore received a caution for possession and use of cannabis; no other charges were filed against him or anyone else. The inquest that took place in September 2002 reached an open verdict on Mr Lubbock's death. However, Mr Lubbock's father is seeking to sue Barrymore for a dereliction in his duty of care. In her autobiography, his former wife, Cheryl, also alleged that Barrymore had perjured himself during the inquest when he stated that he had been unable to dive into the pool to save (a drowning) Mr Lubbock because he could not swim. However, no action has ever (subsequently) been taken by the Crown Prosecution Service.
Career
The Lubbock incident severely damaged Barrymore's image as a wholesome family entertainer.
Following the revelations of Lubbock's death, ITV terminated Barrymore's contract and his UK TV career subsequently collapsed. A new series of Kids Say the Funniest Things recorded prior to the scandal was pulled from the ITV schedule and never broadcast. He has since tried to re-build his career with live stage shows in New Zealand and Australia with moderate success. As of 2005, he is appearing in the stage musical, Chicago, in Napier, New Zealand.
In September 2003 Barrymore's attempt to stage a one-man show at London's Wyndham Theatre failed due to poor ticket sales and he now resides in New Zealand on a permanent basis.
In May 2004 he filed for bankruptcy as a result of unpaid tax debts.