PO
Paul O'Grady
Actor, Producer, Writer, Additional Credits
Born June 14, 1955Died March 28, 2023 (67 years)
Paul James O'Grady, MBE DL (14 June 1955 - 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–2002) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure. Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage, O'Grady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down (2003–04) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show The Paul O'Grady Show, which proved a hit with audiences. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company, Olga TV, in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show and ran until 2009. O'Grady subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O'Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (which ran from 2012 until his death in 2023) and Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (2014–2016), while presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless and publishing a four-volume autobiography. O'Grady received a variety of awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment. He died on 28th March 2023 aged 67.
Filmography
| 2023 | Lives Well Lived · as Self |
| 2021 | Maisie · as Self |
| 2021 | Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up (TV Series) · as Self - Presenter |
| 2021 | Paul Sinha's TV Showdown (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape (TV Series) · as Self - Presenter |
| 2020 | Steph's Packed Lunch (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2020 | |
| 2018 | The London Studios: Home of the Stars · as Self |
| 2018 | Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs: India (TV Series) · as Self - Presenter |
| 2018 | Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - India (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 2017 | The Paul O'Grady Story · as Self - Lily Savage (archive Footage) |
| 2016 | Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales · as Self - Presenter |
| 2014 | Good Morning Britain (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2014 | Our Gay Wedding: The Musical · as Self - Special Guest |
| 2013 | Gogglebox (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2012 | For the Love of Dogs with Alison Hammond (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 2011 | Choccywoccydoodah (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2011 | Comic Relief: 24 Hour Panel People (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2010 | Paul O'Grady Live (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 2009 | Alan Carr: Chatty Man (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Chris Moyles' Quiz Night (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Kate Garraway’s Life Stories (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2009 | Let's Dance for Comic Relief (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2008 | Gordon Ramsay: Cookalong Live (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | British Film Forever (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | Xposé (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2007 | Comic Relief 2007: The Big One · as Self - Host |
| 2007 | Comic Relief (I'm Gonna Be) 500 Miles · as Self - Dinner Party Guest |
| 2007 | The Graham Norton Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2006 | The Charlotte Church Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2006 | The ONE Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2005 | Doctor Who (2005) (TV Series) · as Paul O'grady |
| 2004 | The Paul O'Grady Show (TV Series) · as Self - Host |
| 2004 | The Xtra Factor (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2004 | The Catherine Tate Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | Brainiac: Science Abuse (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2003 | Comic Relief 2003: The Big Hair Do · as Self |
| 2002 | Today with Des and Mel (TV Series) · as Self - Guest Presenter |
| 2002 | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | V Graham Norton (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2002 | Most Haunted (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2001 | Harry Hill's TV Burp (TV Series) · as Self - Special Guest |
| 2001 | Richard & Judy (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2001 | Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (TV Series) · as Self |
| 2001 | Lorraine (TV Series) · as Self - Guest |
| 2000 | County Kilburn · as Paul O'grady |
| 1999 | Loose Women (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1998 | Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1998 | The Live Show · as Self |
| 1998 | Bob Monkhouse: Over the Limit · as Self |
| 1997 | An Audience with Elton John · as Self - Audience Member |
| 1996 | An Evening with Lily Savage · as Self |
| 1994 | Harry Enfield and Chums (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | Eurotrash (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1993 | GMTV (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1988 | This Morning (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1985 | Blind Date (UK) (TV Series) · as Self - Presenter |
| 1985 | Fashion Aid · as Self |
| 1980 | Granada Reports (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1978 | The South Bank Show (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1978 | An Audience With (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1971 | Parkinson (TV Series) · as Self |
| 1962 | The Late Late Show (IE) (TV Series) · as Self |