Paul James O'Grady, MBE (born 14 June 1955) is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He's achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–2002) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure. Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage, O'Grady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down (2003–04) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show The Paul O'Grady Show, which proved a hit with audiences. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company, Olga TV, in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show and ran until 2009. O'Grady subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O'Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (2012–present) and Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (2014–2016), while presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless and publishing a four-volume autobiography. O'Grady has received a variety of awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment.
Movie | The London Studios: Home of the Stars | Himself | 2018-12-28 |
Movie | The Paul O'Grady Story | Self - Lily Savage (archive footage) | 2017-06-23 |
Movie | Our Cilla | Self | 2015-12-25 |
Series | Playhouse Presents | Unknown | 2012-04-12 |
Series | Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Moments | Unknown | 2010-12-07 |
Series | Let's Dance for Comic Relief | Unknown | 2009-02-21 |
Series | Death In Venice | 2009-11-07 | |
Series | Kate Garraway's Life Stories | Unknown | 2009-02-22 |
Series | Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong | Unknown | 2008-02-01 |
Series | The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle | 2007-10-04 | |
Series | The Graham Norton Show | Himself | 2007-02-22 |
Movie | Comic Aid | 2005-03-02 | |
Series | Doctor Who | Unknown | 2005-03-26 |
Series | The Paul O'Grady Show | Self - Host | 2004-10-11 |
Series | Celebrity Driving School | 2003-02-01 | |
Series | Eyes Down | Ray Temple | 2003-08-15 |
Series | Celebrity Mastermind | Unknown | 2003-12-26 |
Series | Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway | Unknown | 2002-06-08 |
Series | Harry Hill's TV Burp | Unknown | 2002-11-14 |
Series | Outtake TV | 2002-12-24 | |
Series | Friday Night with Jonathan Ross | Unknown | 2001-11-02 |
Movie | County Kilburn | Himself | 2000-08-17 |
Series | Lily Live! | Lily Savage | 2000-09-02 |
Movie | Lily Savage: The Live Show | Lily Savage | 1998-01-01 |
Series | The Lily Savage Show | Lily Savage | 1997-11-16 |
Movie | An Evening with Lily Savage | Self | 1996-11-11 |
Series | The Ant & Dec Show | Unknown | 1995-04-06 |
Movie | Lily Savage: Live And Outrageous | Lily Savage | 1995-07-20 |
Movie | Filth! | Lily Savage | 1994-04-24 |
Movie | Lily Savage Live: Paying the Rent | Lily Savage/Kitty Kelly | 1993-03-10 |
Movie | In the Name of the Father | Prisoner | 1993-12-12 |
Series | Chimera | Donaldson | 1991-07-07 |
Series | This Morning | Unknown | 1988-10-03 |
Series | The New Statesman | Marlene Dietrich | 1987-09-13 |
Series | The Bill | Unknown | 1984-10-16 |
Series | Blankety Blank | Lily Savage - Presenter | 1979-01-18 |
Series | An Audience with... | Himself | 1978-01-08 |