Harold Clifford Keel (April , â€" November , ), known professionally
as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer with a rich
bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in
the s and in the CBS television series Dallas from â€".Keel was born
in Gillespie, Illinois, United States, to Navyman-turned-coalminer
Homer Keel (-), and his wife, Grace Margaret (née Osterkamp) Keel
(-). It was falsely statedâ€"by the MGM publicity department of the
sâ€"that Keel's birth name was Harold Leek. Harry had an elder
brother, Frederick William Keel (-); they were so poor that a teacher
would often provide Keel with lunch.After his father's death in , Keel
and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook
High School at age . He worked various odd jobs until settling at
Douglas Aircraft Company as a traveling representative.At age , Keel
was overheard singing by his landlady, Mom Rider, and was encouraged
to take vocal lessons. One of his music heroes was the great baritone
Lawrence Tibbett. Keel later remarked that learning that his own voice
was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his
life. Nevertheless, his first public performance occurred in the
summer of , when he played the role of Samuel the Prophet in Handel's
oratorio Saul (singing a duet with bass-baritone George London).
as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer with a rich
bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in
the s and in the CBS television series Dallas from â€".Keel was born
in Gillespie, Illinois, United States, to Navyman-turned-coalminer
Homer Keel (-), and his wife, Grace Margaret (née Osterkamp) Keel
(-). It was falsely statedâ€"by the MGM publicity department of the
sâ€"that Keel's birth name was Harold Leek. Harry had an elder
brother, Frederick William Keel (-); they were so poor that a teacher
would often provide Keel with lunch.After his father's death in , Keel
and his mother moved to California, where he graduated from Fallbrook
High School at age . He worked various odd jobs until settling at
Douglas Aircraft Company as a traveling representative.At age , Keel
was overheard singing by his landlady, Mom Rider, and was encouraged
to take vocal lessons. One of his music heroes was the great baritone
Lawrence Tibbett. Keel later remarked that learning that his own voice
was a basso cantante was one of the greatest disappointments of his
life. Nevertheless, his first public performance occurred in the
summer of , when he played the role of Samuel the Prophet in Handel's
oratorio Saul (singing a duet with bass-baritone George London).
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