Michael Edward Yarwood was an English impressionist, comedian and actor.
17 Facts About Mike Yarwood
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Mike Yarwood was one of Britain's top-rated entertainers, regularly appearing on television from the 1960s to the 1980s.
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Michael Edward Mike Yarwood was born on 14 June 1941 in Bredbury, Cheshire.
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Mike Yarwood played football as a child and tried out for the professional team Oldham Athletic.
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Mike Yarwood appeared on British television shows in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Mike Yarwood owed his initial success to the Sunday Night at the London Palladium variety spectacular, on which he first appeared in 1964.
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Mike Yarwood's appearance coincided with the senior political career of Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Harold Wilson, whom Yarwood impersonated.
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The Mike Yarwood Christmas Show on BBC1 in 1977 was watched by 21.4 million people and was the highest-rated British television programme of that year.
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Mike Yarwood included Prince Charles as one of his regular impressions.
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Mike Yarwood's characterisations created catchphrases that came to be identified with famous figures, even if they never actually used them.
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Mike Yarwood was the subject of a This Is Your Life special, presented by Eamonn Andrews on 31 May 1978.
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Mike Yarwood claimed that one of the difficulties in impersonating John Major and Tony Blair was that they were "nice guys".
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In 2003, Mike Yarwood made a rare public appearance at the Albany comedy club in London, at the invitation of Bob Monkhouse.
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Mike Yarwood was married to the dancer Sandra Burville from 8 November 1969 until 1985.
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In May 1976, Mike Yarwood was appointed an OBE in Harold Wilson's retirement honours list.
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In October 1999, Mike Yarwood underwent treatment for depression at the Priory Clinic in Roehampton, London.
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Mike Yarwood died on 8 September 2023, at the age of 82.