Born:
August 07, 1961
in
London
Best Known For:
A wealth of stage and TV work.
Early-life:
Brian Paul Conley was born in west London on August 7, 1961. His father was a cab driver, his mother a dinner lady. Conley, who has severe dyslexia, wanted to get into showbusiness while still at school. He studied Performing Arts at The Barbara Speake Stage School and then, at the age of 16, hit the road and made a living performing cabaret in nightclubs. His father got a job working as a rigger supervisor at the BBC, while his brother Alan and sister Lynn also work in TV.
Career:
Conley began his TV career as a warm-up man, but was fired because the producers thought he was so funny he wore the audience down. Since then he has had his own show, starred in TV sitcom Time After Time and played music legend Al Jolson in the West End musical Jolson. He is also famed for playing bullying PE teacher Doug Digby in ITV's 1970s-set comedy The Grimleys. On stage he has appeared in Me and My Girl, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Hairspray. He has also starred on the big screen in Circus, and on the small screen in Arthur's Dyke, Equilibrium, Marple and The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle. He also hosted the BBC talent series Let Me Entertain You. He largely works on the stage these days in pantomimes and his own show, The Best of Brian Conley, which showcases some of his material from past TV shows. In 2011, he toured the UK in Brother Love's Travelling Salvation Show, a celebration of singer Neil Diamond. In 2012, he was a contestant on I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!
Quote:
"Fame? I love it. It's a right ego trip. I get a lot of money for doing something I enjoy."
Trivia:
Conley frequently plays Buttons in pantomime versions of Cinderella.