Des O'Connor

For other people named Des O'Connor, see Des O'Connor (disambiguation).

Des O'Connor
CBE
O'Connor performing in 1974
Born
Desmond Bernard O'Connor

(1932-01-12)12 January 1932
Stepney, London, England
Died14 November 2020(2020-11-14) (aged 88)
Slough, Berkshire, England
Occupations
  • Broadcaster
  • musician
  • comedian
Years active1954–2019
TelevisionThe Des O'Connor Show (1963–1973)
Des O'Connor Entertains (1974–1976)
Des O'Connor Tonight (1977–2002)
Take Your Pick (1992–1999)
Today with Des and Mel (2002–2006)
Countdown (2007–2008)
Spouses
Phyllis Gill
​
​
(m. 1953; div. 1959)​
Gillian Vaughan
​
​
(m. 1960; div. 1982)​
Jay Rufer
​
​
(m. 1985; div. 1990)​
Jodie Brooke Wilson
​
(m. 2007)​
Children5

Desmond Bernard O'Connor CBE (12 January 1932 – 14 November 2020) was an English comedian, singer and television presenter.

He was a long-time TV chat-show host, beginning with The Des O'Connor Show in 1963, which ran for ten years as well as the lunchtime chat show Today with Des and Mel from 2002 to 2006 with Melanie Sykes. He also presented several UK television game shows, including Take Your Pick! from 1992 to 1999, and the long-running Channel 4 game show Countdown for two years between 2007 and 2008.

O'Connor recorded 36 albums and had four top-ten UK singles, including a number-one hit with "I Pretend", with global sales of more than sixteen million records.[1] Well known for his friendship with comedians Morecambe and Wise, his singing ability was often light-heartedly mocked on their show, with O'Connor taking part in the sketches.[2]

  1. ^ "Profile: Des O'Connor". BBC. BBC News. 13 June 2008. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ultimate entertainer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).