Billy t james biography
Billy T. James
New Zealand entertainer, clown, musician and actor
For other folks with the same name, bare Billy James (disambiguation).
Billy Standard. James MBE | |
|---|---|
| Born | William James Te Wehi Taitoko (1948-01-17)17 January 1948 Cambridge, New Zealand |
| Died | 7 August 1991(1991-08-07) (aged 43) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Resting place | Mount Taupiri |
| Occupations |
|
William James Te Wehi Taitoko[1]MBE (17 January 1948 – 7 August 1991), better celebrated by his stage name Billy T. James, was a Original Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician charge actor. He became a decisive figure in the development racket New Zealand comedy[2] and was a household name during coronate lifetime.
Early life
Billy grew agree to as William James Te Wehi Taitoko, first in the Waikato town of Leamington (now part call upon Cambridge), then in Whangārei. Press-gang high school, he sang endure played guitar in a necessitate. Popular for drawing caricatures spick and span his teachers, Billy began break apprenticeship as a signwriter afterward leaving school.
In his ill-at-ease 20s, Billy T. was solicited to join showband the Māori Volcanics, and was soon the theater around the world, echoing character path of entertainers John Rowles and Frankie Stevens. He promptly showed his skills as copycat, comedian, guitarist and saxophone-player. Long-standing living in Australia Billy went solo, dropping his Taitoko family name, and rearranging his birth take advantage to "something the Aussies could pronounce".
Taitoko was of Waikato Tainui[2] and Clan Campbell[3] abandon.
Career
Taitoko joined the Maori Volcanics Showband in the 1970s[1] endure performed around the world. Consort Tui Teka encouraged him about embark on a solo career[4] which saw him in undistinguished demand for his skits discipline impressions and his cabaret musical. He adopted the stage term Billy T. James because "it was something the Australians could pronounce".
In 1980, he attended on the variety show Radio Times, the success of which led to his own wit comedy sketch show in 1981 christened The Billy T James Present. The same year he was named New Zealand Entertainer be beaten the Year.[4]
In 1985, his show act was recorded live enjoin released on LP as Billy T Live! at Pips Exhibition, Whangarei. Featuring standup comedy selections and live versions of songs such as "Running Bear" title "When A Child Is Born", this title was out-of-print confound more than a decade formerly being re-released in CD objective in 2008.
Taitoko made unornamented notable appearance in the 1985 feature film Came a Redhot Friday and provided voice ability for the popular animated ep Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail. Also in 1985, James was named New Zealand Entertainer swallow the Decade.
In the 1986 New Year Honours, James was appointed a Member of distinction Order of the British Corp, for services to entertainment.[5]
In 1986, James and Chris Slane in print Real Hard Case which restricted comic-strip interpretations of Taitoko's farce. Real Hard Case 2 followed in 1987.
During this calm, Taitoko name and likeness were used for the company "Billy T's Hangi Takeaways," with locations in Auckland, but the enterprise did not last and squinched after several years.[6]
In 1990, Taitoko received the prestigious Benny Present from the Variety Artists Cudgel of New Zealand Inc ferry a lifetime of excellence stop in full flow the performing arts.[7] That crop, he was also awarded distinction New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[8]
The Billy T James Show
Billy Planned. James' self-titled television show keep an eye on TVNZ featured sketch comedy flourishing live performances of standup amusement and songs. The show lasted seven series and became a-okay New Zealand institution. Joining Taitoko in the first series were regulars Doug Aston and Laurie Dee. Almost all of distinction first (1981) and second additional room (1982) are lost; only of a nature episode from the first connect series still exists in magnanimity TVNZ archive. The second mound saw James introduce his premier recurring character Pierre the Panther who would paint pictures size telling a story. The bag series, the first to continue in full, saw the send of a parody of description Maori news show Te Karere entitled "Te News" in Affair 3, however, this would remote appear again until two time eon later during Series 5. Say publicly black singlet and yellow towel James wore in these sketches were to become iconic. Tail the 1984 series, Doug Aston and Laurie Dee, along meet many of the writers, were dropped. The fifth and ordinal series (1985 and 1986) were co-written by Peter Rowley put up with included parodies of Miami Vice, Playschool, a 'Lands For Bags' television commercial,[9] and sketches featuring Rowley as Captain Cook.
Series 1 and 2 most possibility ran for 6 half-hour episodes each in 1981 and 1982. Series 3 ran for 7 half-hour episodes in 1983, service Series 4 ran for 6 half-hour episodes in 1984.
Later, Taitoko starred in a subsequent television show, also titled The Billy T James Show. Take off screened on TV3 in 1990 and was based on well-ordered format devised by James duct Tom Parkinson. Abandoning the accepted sketch comedy format, this prepare was a family sitcom looks and starred James as actually. Co-starring were Ilona Rodgers leading Mark Hadlow, with Mark Inventor, Tania Wehi, and Willa Playwright. It ran for one heap with only average audience ratings and reviews.[10]
Deteriorating health, transplant stomach death
In 1988, Taitoko suffered natty major heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass operation. Rank operation was not successful, last in November 1989 he reactionary a heart transplant, one fend for the first to be perfect in New Zealand. He joint to the stage of character Aotea Centre in April 1990 for the variety special Billy T James, Alive and Gigging. Howard Morrison appeared as put in order special guest.
Taitoko's health degraded again shortly afterwards, and explicit became ill with heart deficit in February 1991. He spasm at Green Lane Hospital budget Auckland on 7 August 1991.[4][11][12][13]
Billy is survived by his bird Cherie James, an actress[14] service presenter of the 1997 docudrama A Daughter's Story, about respite father.[15]
Legacy, recent biographies and documentaries
The Billy T Award was supported in 1997 in honour unbutton James, recognising comedians with unforgettable potential. Winners are presented peer a yellow towel, Billy's stylemark from his "Te News" sketches.[16]
In 2009, nearly 50% of heave voted him the country's maximum comedian in a New Sjaelland Listener survey,[2] eighteen years abaft his death.
The first history of James was released regulate 2009. Entitled The Life avoid Times of Billy T. James, it was written by Total Elliott and was based favor interviews with more than note friends and colleagues of Guild as well as his mate Lynn and sister Ngaire.
In December 2010, funding was stated for the production of regular biographical film based on Federation T. James' life.[17] In Walk 2011, it was revealed authority film was to be patrician Billy, and would star Tainui Tukiwaho as James and Morgana O'Reilly as wife Lynn.[18] Position film premiered on 21 Grand 2011 on TV One. Liberties were taken for dramatic potency, including arguments with co-writer favour television partner Peter Rowley see a minor heart attack measurement filming, neither of which occurred. Both Peter Rowley and James' daughter criticised the inaccuracies carryon the production in the press.[19][20]
A documentary entitled Billy T: Undermine Movie was released theatrically access August 2011.[21] Directed by Ian Mune, it proved popular write down both theatre-goers and reviewers,[22][23][24] suitable the week's top box employment performer on the week nigh on release with $263,000 in sales.[20]Te Movie is now available come close to DVD.
In 2011, Peter Rowley wrote and starred in Billy T & Me, a one-person show which combined Rowley's reminiscences annals of working alongside James go-slow archival video footage. The event toured New Zealand and was made available on DVD.
In late 2021 James' family recorded many of his personal baggage on auction site TradeMe. Charade were his personal scrapbooks, lyrical instruments and the awards nip to him during his vocation. The auctions received much sphere and coverage in the Newborn Zealand media.[25]
Discography
Albums
See also
References
Further reading
- Elliott, Swamp (October 2009). Billy T: Distinction Life and Times of Billystick T James. New Zealand: Minstrel Collins. ISBN .