1. Larry Grayson, born William Sulley White, was an English comedian and television presenter.
23 Facts About Larry Grayson
1. 2.
Larry Grayson hosted the BBC's Saturday-night peak-time TV game show The Generation Game in the late 1970s and early 1980s, employing his high-camp, English music hall humour.
3.
Larry Grayson's parents were unmarried and he never met his father.
4.
When Larry Grayson was ten days old, his mother, Ethel White, arranged for him to be fostered by Alice and Jim Hammonds in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
5.
Larry Grayson recounted how his "one true love" had been his best friend from school days, Tom Proctor, who was killed at the age of 21 at the Battle of Monte Cassino during the Second World War.
6.
Larry Grayson said that he never got over this loss, and he is not known to have had any other significant relationships.
7.
Larry Grayson left school at the age of 14 and began working professionally as a supporting drag act on the comedy club circuit.
8.
Larry Grayson initially used the stage name Billy Breen, but changed it to Larry Grayson in the 1950s on the advice of his agent.
9.
Larry Grayson added stand-up comedy to his act and developed a gentle anecdotal style of comedy.
10.
Taylor struggled to find him the right opportunities and they parted, with Larry Grayson becoming a client of Michael Grade.
11.
An early TV appearance in the 1950s had led to complaints about his act being too outrageous, and Larry Grayson had resigned himself to a career off television.
12.
Larry Grayson made two cameo appearances in the Midlands-based soap opera Crossroads, as a flouncing, difficult customer at the Crossroads Motel and as the chauffeur at the wedding of Meg Richardson, played by his close friend Noele Gordon.
13.
Larry Grayson made a number of guest appearances in variety shows, chat shows and panel games.
14.
Larry Grayson's popularity peaked when he was hired by the BBC to present the Saturday night show The Generation Game in 1978, as the replacement for Bruce Forsyth.
15.
Larry Grayson was assisted by his co-star Isla St Clair, whom he frequently referred to as "my lovely Isla".
16.
Larry Grayson decided to leave The Generation Game in 1982 while it was still relatively successful, in the expectation that the BBC would offer him another high-profile Saturday night show; this did not materialise.
17.
Larry Grayson went into unintentional semi-retirement, living alone at his house in Nuneaton with his pet dogs, although he did return to television to present the game show Sweethearts for ITV in 1987.
18.
Larry Grayson made a number of other TV appearances and radio broadcasts, including the Tom O'Connor-hosted TV quiz show A Question of Entertainment, where he was one of the team captains in 1988.
19.
Larry Grayson moved with his adoptive older sister Flo to Torquay, Devon, where they lived in separate neighbouring bungalows, during his semi-retirement, but moved back to Nuneaton after a couple of years when he became bored and missed his close family and friends.
20.
On New Year's Eve 1994, Larry Grayson was rushed into hospital with a perforated appendix.
21.
Larry Grayson was discharged from hospital, but died on 7 January 1995 in Nuneaton, at the age of 71.
22.
Larry Grayson was buried alongside other members of his family at Oaston Road Cemetery in his home town of Nuneaton.
23.
Larry Grayson loved everybody and he wanted them to love him in return and yes, they did, they all loved Larry.