Michael Barrymore

Michael Barrymore
Barrymore in 2020
Birth nameMichael Ciaran Parker
Born (1952-05-04) 4 May 1952 (age 72)
Bermondsey, London, England
MediumStand-up, film, television
Years active1976–2003, 2006,[1] 2009–2014, 2018–present[2]
GenresObservational comedy
One-liners
Improvisational comedy
Character comedy
Physical comedy
Subject(s)
  • Everyday life
Spouse
(m. 1976; div. 1997)

Michael Ciaran Parker (born 4 May 1952),[3][4] known by his stage name Michael Barrymore, is an English comedian, influencer and television presenter of game shows and light entertainment programmes on British television in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. These included Strike It Lucky, My Kind of People, My Kind of Music, Kids Say the Funniest Things, and his own variety show, Barrymore. In 1993, he headlined the Royal Variety Performance.

At his peak, Barrymore was voted the UK's favourite television star several times, and he became one of the highest-paid stars on television from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. Barrymore subsequently appeared on Celebrity Big Brother and other shows including The Friday Night Project, Graham Norton's Bigger Picture, This Morning, The Sharon Osbourne Show and The Saturday Night Show. He starred in Bob Martin from 2000 to 2001, a comedy drama in which he played the title role of a failing television game-show host.

Barrymore's television career effectively ended after the death of Stuart Lubbock in 2001 following a party at Barrymore's house in Essex. Barrymore was the subject of police investigations and legal action around the case over several years.

  1. ^ Staff. "2006: Michael Barrymore's comeback". Virgin Media. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
  2. ^ "Michael Barrymore makes ITV return 16 years on from being dropped when Stuart Lubbock died in his swimming pool". www.msn.com. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  3. ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2004. Gives name at birth as "Michael Ciaran Parker".
  4. ^ ltd, company check. "MR MICHAEL CIARAN PARKER director information. Free director information. Director id 916782637". Company Check.