- Born
- Died
- Birth namePaul James O'Grady
- Height6′ 1″ (1.86 m)
- Paul James O'Grady was born on 14 June 1955 in Birkenhead, England. He attended St Anselm's Christian Brothers School. After his graduation, he worked as a clerk in a magistrate's court.
During that time he met a woman named Diane Jansen with whom he had a brief affair. Their daughter, Sharyn, was born in 1974. However, Paul felt that he was too young to be a father and decided to travel to Europe where he worked (among other occupations) as a waiter in a brothel in Manila.
He returned to England in the 1980s and, in 1985, debuted his drag character, Lily Savage, in the gay bars and clubs throughout London. The character became extremely popular and afforded Paul his own television show, Live from the Lilydrome (1995), which debuted in 1995. In 2000, he retired the character of Lily Savage and began appearing on television solely as Paul O'Grady.
In 2002, Paul suffered a heart attack in his London flat. He moved to a farm near Kent, England. Paul was devoted to his daughter. He died in 2023, aged 67, from undisclosed causes.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Calliope & Frankie_fan4711
- SpousesAndre Portasio(August 5, 2017 - March 28, 2023) (his death)Teresa Fernandes(May 27, 1977 - February 14, 2005) (divorced)
- Outrageous drag persona
- Liverpudlian accent
- His long term lover and business partner of 20 years was TV producer Brendan Murphy, who died of cancer on June 12, 2005. After the first show of series three of the "Paul O'Grady Show", there was a tribute to him.
- On 29th September he adopted a new puppy live on air after much nagging from the studio audience. O'Grady was hosting a segment on homeless animals when he began to fall in love with the dog, named Scottie. He announced that the new puppy would be renamed Bullseye on the following show.
- On 19th November 2009 he had to put his beloved dog, Buster, to sleep after it was found he was suffering from cancer. He announced Buster's death live on air on 23rd November and had to leave the stage during a tribute to Buster as he was too upset to watch.
- He was a major supporter of the Labour Party and an LGBT rights activist. He joined a public protest in the UK against Russia's introduction of a law under Vladimir Putin which prevented the promotion of homosexuality to children.
- He was close to fellow Liverpudlian Cilla Black and inherited her role as presenter of Blind Date (1985) following her death.
- I was sort of, well, I hate the word bisexual, because I think bisexuality's just greed. There's no such thing, you're either gay or straight. But I've never said, 'Oh, I'm gay.' I always liked girls and fellas as a teenager, way up into my 20s. But my sexuality's never been a problem for me - I've got as many gay friends as I have straight friends.
- I still consider myself working class. I know my circumstances have changed dramatically since I was growing up back in Birkenhead. Now I live in rural Kent in what I suppose people would call a posh house. But it's still in me.
- The working class has taken a real battering over the past few decades, so much so that you can barely see them. But I have spoken to lots of cab drivers and shop keepers, for instance, who work 14 hours a day and are proud to be called working class.
- The Catholic Church has no right to wag the finger at gay people. How can we respect a church that has encouraged paedophiles by moving them from one parish to another, free to carry on again?
- It's Sheriff-of-Nottingham times: 'What do the working classes eat? Pasties. Let's tax those. Where do they go on their holidays? In static caravans. We'll tax them.' I didn't notice a tax on polo mallets. I loathe Cameron; I loathe Osborne. We didn't vote them in and yet here they are deciding for us. I'd like to see their heads on spikes on Tower Bridge. Seriously. I'd sleep well.
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