1. Toyah Ann Willcox was born on 18 May 1958 and is an English singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter.
54 Facts About Toyah Willcox
1. 2.
Between 1977 and 1983, Willcox fronted the eponymous band Toyah, before embarking on a solo career in the mid-1980s.
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At the Brit Awards 1982, Willcox was nominated for British Breakthrough Act, and Best Female Solo Artist.
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Toyah Willcox was nominated a further two times in this category in 1983, and in 1984.
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Toyah Willcox was born on 18 May 1958 in Kings Heath, Birmingham.
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Toyah Willcox's mother Barbara Joy, nee Rollinson, was a professional dancer, with whom he had fallen in love after seeing her on stage in Weston-super-Mare with singing and comedy double act Flanagan and Allen, and married in 1949.
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Toyah Willcox's mother gave up her career after giving birth to Willcox's elder sister and brother.
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Toyah Willcox enjoyed a financially comfortable childhood, attending a private girls' school, but was bullied.
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In 1977, while playing Emma in Tales from the Vienna Woods at the National Theatre, Willcox, inspired by her role as a musician in Glitter, fronted a band called Toyah which featured Joel Bogen on guitar, Mark Henry on bass, Steve Bray on drums, Peter Bush on keyboards, and herself on vocals.
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Toyah Willcox went on to play 'Monkey' in the 1979 film of The Who's Quadrophenia, having been introduced to director Franc Roddam through an association with John Lydon.
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Toyah Willcox completed filming despite requiring medical attention for pneumonia.
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Toyah Willcox found her dual careers as a musician and actress frequently in conflict, leading to confusion as to which role constituted a 'compartment' to put her into.
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Toyah Willcox became one of the first acts to score regularly in the UK Singles Chart with EPs, which were successful on an international level.
14.
At the Brit Awards 1982, Toyah Willcox was nominated for British Breakthrough Act, and Best Female Solo Artist.
15.
The making of Love Is the Law was the happiest period of her life, according to Toyah Willcox, combining work in the critically acclaimed stage play Trafford Tanzi and the film The Ebony Tower with Laurence Olivier with work on the album.
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Toyah Willcox disbanded her group in 1983, and signed a recording contract with Portrait Records, and, in 1985, released the solo studio album Minx, which contained several cover versions including Alice Cooper's "School's Out", as well as her own hit, "Don't Fall in Love ".
17.
Toyah Willcox secretly married British guitarist Robert Fripp, founding member of King Crimson, in Witchampton, Dorset on his 40th birthday.
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Toyah Willcox starred opposite Laurence Olivier in The Ebony Tower, and opposite the Who's Roger Daltrey in Murder: Ultimate Grounds for Divorce.
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Toyah Willcox began by presenting arts programmes First Night and Time Off in 1993.
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Toyah Willcox worked on VH1 for three years, presenting Toyah and Toyah and Chase for the cable music station.
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IThe same year, Toyah Willcox released The Acoustic Album on Aardvark Records, featuring strings from Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and produced by Oliver Davis.
22.
Toyah Willcox provided the voices for the children's television programmes Teletubbies and Brum.
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In 2001, Toyah Willcox was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Central England in recognition of her achievements in performing arts, media and broadcasting.
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Toyah Willcox returned to music in 2002 with new material for a limited edition Little Tears of Love EP and a one-off preview concert at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club.
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Toyah Willcox continued to perform with her band, releasing a mini-album Velvet Lined Shell in 2003 on her own record label, Vertical Species Records, showcasing a darker, edgier direction.
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Toyah Willcox appeared on the BBC Radio 4 series The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
27.
In May 2003, Toyah Willcox was a contestant on the second series of the ITV survival reality show I'm a Celebrity.
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In June 2003, Toyah Willcox appeared on stage in London's West End performing the title role of Calamity Jane, which was nominated for an Evening Standard Award for Best Musical at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
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Toyah Willcox was a guest vocalist in the anniversary concert of The Rocky Horror Show at the Royal Court Theatre in May 2006.
30.
Between 2007 and 2008, Toyah Willcox had a recurring role as Gail Baxter in Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the mother of the title character played by Billie Piper.
31.
Also in 2007, Toyah Willcox signed a new worldwide publishing deal with Zomba Music Group.
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Toyah Willcox continued to write and record solo material with long-term collaborator Simon Darlow.
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In June 2008, Toyah Willcox appeared on Living with the Dead on Living TV to share her experiences of living in her haunted home.
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In July 2008, Toyah Willcox appeared on UK ITV1's This Morning to discuss her role as a vampire in the rock musical Vampires Rock.
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Toyah Willcox has appeared in shows looking back on popular culture, including the I'm a Celebrity series, and various 'Top 100 favourite' shows.
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Toyah Willcox played Queen Ivannah in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Lyceum in Sheffield for the 2009 Christmas season.
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Toyah Willcox played the widow Fantine in Focus on the Family radio theatre's version of Les Miserables.
38.
In 2009, a new version of Vampires Rock was created, called Vampires Rock Christmas, and Toyah Willcox was back in her role as the Killer Queen, alongside the writer and one of the stars of the show, Steve Steinman.
39.
Toyah Willcox continued to perform with The Humans, featuring Bill Reiflin, Chris Wong and occasionally husband Robert Fripp.
40.
On 17 June 2011, Toyah Willcox commenced on a special from Sheep Farming to Anthem tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of her breakthrough hit "It's a Mystery" and the platinum-selling album Anthem, starting at the London's Leicester Square Theatre.
41.
On 14 April 2012, Toyah Willcox launched the Changeling Resurrection 2012 tour at the Concorde 2 in Brighton to celebrate the 30th anniversary of her album The Changeling.
42.
On 16 July 2012, Toyah Willcox performed a concert in her birthplace of Kings Heath, Birmingham, to celebrate being the first artist with a star on the King's Heath Walk of Fame.
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Andi Fraggs made a surprise appearance, duetting Toyah Willcox's 1981 hit single "Thunder in the Mountains".
44.
Toyah Willcox competed in the second heat, and lost the splash-off to Anna Williamson, ultimately becoming the sixth contestant to be eliminated.
45.
Toyah Willcox released a deluxe edition of her 2008 album In the Court of the Crimson Queen and embarked on the tour revisiting the Love Is the Law -era material.
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Toyah Willcox continued to tour both with her full band and with an acoustic line-up for her "Up Close and Personal" shows.
47.
Toyah Willcox appeared in Celebrity Money for Nothing, she won her heat of Celebrity Mastermind, and appeared on Pointless Celebrities in 2019.
48.
In 2020, the box set Toyah Willcox Solo was released, containing six solo albums with bonus material, one Rare, Remixed and Revisited CD, and a DVD with promo videos and interviews.
49.
Toyah Willcox released Posh Pop, her first solo studio album since 2008, on CD and vinyl via DMG on 27 August 2021, with the album featuring 10 tracks composed by Toyah Willcox and "Slave to the Rhythm" co-writer Simon Darlow.
50.
Toyah Willcox joined Billy Idol on his UK live dates on The Roadside Tour 2022, alongside special guests Killing Joke.
51.
In December 2023 Toyah Willcox was a celebrity presenter on the BBC One property auction series Homes Under the Hammer.
52.
Toyah Willcox described the show as "the best experience of her life".
53.
Toyah Willcox has been married since 1986 to musician Robert Fripp, founder and guitarist of the progressive rock group King Crimson.
54.
In 1987 Toyah Willcox was invited to make a speech at the Women of the Year ceremony in the presence of Diana, Princess of Wales, expressing her views on the subject of how being disabled can be a goad to creativity and inspire a craving for a fuller life experience.