Freddie ‘Parrot Face’ Davies
Quote: ‘Princess Margaret had not noticed any other acts on the show – only the bleedin ‘orse! Magnificent beast though it was’.
IN Part 2 of Freddie ‘parrot-face’ Davies’s unique interview he talks to Andrew Atkinson about Princess Margaret; being defrauded out of £150,000; Homburg bowler-fashion hat ‘parrot-face’ fame; the movie business, co-starring with Jerry Lewis, Leslie Caron, Oliver Reed and Lee Evans. And an look as a speaking portrait in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
FORMER Butlin Redcoat Freddie noticed alternative knock – when he met legendary movie star Cary Grant in 1970.
Freddie starred in nationwide theatre excursions, together with the RSC manufacturing of The Secret Garden on the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, and in London’s West End on the Aldwych Theatre.
During one gala night, Freddie recalled: “Princess Margaret looked at me and said ‘don’t you like this horse’ at a Charity show, featuring Black Beauty the TV series. I was presented, standing next to Black Beauty!”.
“Princess Margaret had not noticed any other acts on the show – only the bleedin ‘orse! Magnificent beast though it was,” laughed Freddie.
Freddie, defrauded out of £150,000 by a Leicestershire promoter in 1987, mentioned: “The greatest disappointment in my profession was being defrauded.
“Conned into putting a huge pantomime on at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester – and the promoter refusing to pay for it!”.
Freddie, who has appeared at Benidorm Palace, requested the place the concept of the parrot’s line in his comedy got here from, mentioned: “It wasn’t parrots as such.
“Samuel (my character) called the man in the pet shop Parrotface. It was really all about the Budgie dying!”.
See Also Part One – ‘Told I’d by no means make it in present enterprise
On his trademark bowler hat: “It’s not a Bowler, it’s a Homburg, a bit more flexible for pulling down, but it looks bowlerish,” mentioned Freddie, who donned his Homburg, when topping the invoice within the UK Best of British Variety Tour, throughout 2013-14.
Freddie’s most well-known onscreen position is as Bruno Parker in Peter Chelsom’s 1994 cult traditional ‘Funny Bones’, a movie knowledgeable by Freddie’s data of comedy and impressed by his tales of his grandfather.
Freddie co-starred with Jerry Lewis, Leslie Caron, Oliver Reed and Lee Evans.
More lately, Freddie’s look as a speaking portrait was in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie.
“That brought fan letters from a new worldwide audience,” mentioned Freddie, whose autobiography Funny Bones: My life in Comedy, was revealed to coincide the 50th anniversary of his debut look on Opportunity Knocks.
Freddie’s signed autobiography Funny Bones: My life in Comedy could be bought from stageoneproductions.co.uk
