William Thomson Hay FRAS (6 December 1888 â€" 18 April 1949) was an
English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that was
popular all over the world, and later transferred to the screen, where
he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film
Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures, is often cited
as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the
third highest-grossing star in the UK. Many famous comedians have
acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur
astronomer.Hay was born at 23 Durham Street in Stockton-on-Tees,
County Durham. He was one of two sons and three daughters of William
Robert Hay (1851â€"1920) and his wife, Elizabeth (1859â€"1910) (née
Ebden). When Will Hay Jr. was less than a year old the family moved to
Lowestoft in Suffolk. By his late teens, Hay had become fluent in
Italian, French and German and secured employment as an
interpreter.Hay decided to become an actor when he was 21 after
watching W. C. Fields perform a juggling act in Manchester. In the
early years of the twentieth century Hay experienced some moderate
success as a stand-up comedian and an after dinner speaker. Hay's
first professional job came when he was offered a contract to perform
at a theatre in Belper. In 1914 Hay began working with the impresario
Fred Karno who had previously helped Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin
achieve success. He worked with Karno for four years. He first
performed his schoolmaster character in 1910 which he based upon a
colleague of his sister, who was a teaching mistress. The
characterisation was initially performed in drag as a schoolmistress,
but he transferred the character to a headmaster.
English comedian who wrote and acted in a schoolmaster sketch that was
popular all over the world, and later transferred to the screen, where
he also played other authority figures with comic failings. His film
Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), made by Gainsborough Pictures, is often cited
as the supreme British-produced film-comedy, and in 1938 he was the
third highest-grossing star in the UK. Many famous comedians have
acknowledged him as a major influence. Hay was also a keen amateur
astronomer.Hay was born at 23 Durham Street in Stockton-on-Tees,
County Durham. He was one of two sons and three daughters of William
Robert Hay (1851â€"1920) and his wife, Elizabeth (1859â€"1910) (née
Ebden). When Will Hay Jr. was less than a year old the family moved to
Lowestoft in Suffolk. By his late teens, Hay had become fluent in
Italian, French and German and secured employment as an
interpreter.Hay decided to become an actor when he was 21 after
watching W. C. Fields perform a juggling act in Manchester. In the
early years of the twentieth century Hay experienced some moderate
success as a stand-up comedian and an after dinner speaker. Hay's
first professional job came when he was offered a contract to perform
at a theatre in Belper. In 1914 Hay began working with the impresario
Fred Karno who had previously helped Stan Laurel and Charlie Chaplin
achieve success. He worked with Karno for four years. He first
performed his schoolmaster character in 1910 which he based upon a
colleague of his sister, who was a teaching mistress. The
characterisation was initially performed in drag as a schoolmistress,
but he transferred the character to a headmaster.
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