Terry Hall (ventriloquist)
Terence "Terry" Hall (20 November 1926 – 3 April 2007) was an English ventriloquist. He appeared regularly on television with his puppet, Lenny the Lion, whose catchphrase was "Aw, don't embawass me!" Hall is credited with having been one of the first ventriloquists to use a non-human puppet.[1]
Hall was born in Chadderton, Lancashire, where his parents ran a working men's club.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
Hall and Lenny continued to work in variety through the 1970s, appearing on television in programmes such as CrackerjackCite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). From 1977 to 1980, Hall regularly appeared in the educational television programme Reading With Lenny. He wrote the Kevin the Kitten series of children's reading books which accompanied the series.[2]
Hall married twice. He had two daughters from his first marriage. He married a second time in 1980, to dance teacher Denise Francis. He suffered from Alzheimer's disease in later life, and died in 2007 in Coventry. Dr Harry Brünjes, a long-standing family friend, gave the eulogy at the service.
References
- ^ Obituary, The Guardian, 30 May 2007
- ^ Reading with Lenny
External links
- Terry Hall at IMDb
- Lenny the Lion at IMDb
- Lenny the Lion at TelevisionHeaven.com
- Children's entertainer Hall dies, BBC News, 11 April 2007
- Obituary, The Independent, 12 April 2007
- Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 12 April 2007
- Obituary, The Times, 14 April 2007