Jim Dale

Jim Dale

Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, narrator, singer-songwriter, director, and composer. He is best known in Britain for his appearances in eleven Carry On films, a long-running series of comedy farces. He also narrates all seven of the Harry Potter audiobooks in the American market and the ABC series Pushing Daisies.

About Jim Dale in brief

Summary Jim DaleJim Dale, MBE is an English actor, narrator, singer-songwriter, director, and composer. In the United Kingdom he is known as a pop singer of the 1950s who became a leading actor at the National Theatre. As a lyricist, Dale was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for the song \”Georgy Girl\”, the theme for the 1966 film of the same name. He is best known in Britain for his appearances in eleven Carry On films, a long-running series of comedy farces, generally playing the hapless romantic lead. He also narrates all seven of the Harry Potter audiobooks in the American market and the ABC series Pushing Daisies ; he also starred in the Disney film Pete’s Dragon. Dale was born James Smith, to William Henry and Miriam Jean Smith in Rothwell, Northamptonshire.

He was educated at Kettering Grammar School. He trained as a dancer for six years before his debut as a stage comic in 1951. Dale’s film debut was in Six Five Special, a spin-off from the BBC TV series of thesame name. In 1957, he was one of the presenters on BBC Television’s Six-Five Special. Dale played Harold, the policeman in the 1965 comedy film The Big Job with two of his regular Carry On co-stars, Sidney James and Joan Sims. In 1970 Sir Laurence Olivier invited Dale to join his National Theatre Company in London, then based at the Old Vic Theatre. At the age of 18, Dale became one of the youngest professional comedians in Britain touring halls. He appeared in The Winter’s Tale and A Midsummer’s Dream as well as The Taming of the Shrew.