Freddie Frinton
English comedian and actor (1909–1968)
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Key Takeaways
- Freddie Frinton (born Frederick Bittiner Coo ; 17 January 1909 – 16 October 1968) was an English comedian, and music hall and television actor.
- Early life Frinton was born in Hainton Avenue, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, the child of a seamstress, Florence Elisabeth Coo (born 1892), and was brought up by foster parents.
- He moved into music hall, where he enjoyed modest success and renamed himself Freddie Frinton.
- In 1945, Frinton first performed the sketch Dinner for One in Blackpool.
- In 1964, at the age of 55, Frinton became a belated success as the plumber husband in the popular television sitcom Meet the Wife , which ran for 40 episodes (the wife was played by Thora Hird).
Freddie Frinton (born Frederick Bittiner Coo; 17 January 1909 – 16 October 1968) was an English comedian, and music hall and television actor. He is primarily remembered today as a household name in several Central European countries for his 1963 television comedic sketch entitled Dinner for One, a perennial national television broadcast New Year's Eve favourite there, whilst being largely forgotten in his home country.
Early life
Frinton was born in Hainton Avenue, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, the child of a seamstress, Florence Elisabeth Coo (born 1892), and was brought up by foster parents. He started working in a Grimsby fish processing plant, where he is said to have entertained his colleagues with parodies and jokes, but was eventually sacked. He moved into music hall, where he enjoyed modest success and renamed himself Freddie Frinton.
Career
During the Second World War he made a moderate breakthrough as a comedian. In 1945, Frinton first performed the sketch Dinner for One in Blackpool. As he had to pay a royalty every time he performed the sketch, he bought the rights to Dinner for One in the 1950s, which turned out to be a fateful decision.
In 1964, at the age of 55, Frinton became a belated success as the plumber husband in the popular television sitcom Meet the Wife, which ran for 40 episodes (the wife was played by Thora Hird).
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