He was born Alfred Hawthorn Hill. It was his grandfather who
introduced him to Burlesque Shows and the theatre from where the young
Benny Hill was to draw much of his comic inspiration. After his
national service with the army during WW2, Benny came to London,
adopted the stage name Benny Hill (in homage to his all time favourite
comedian Jack Benny) and began appearing in variety shows. He briefly
formed a double act with Reg Varney and did radio shows. But it was his
talent for impressions and comic timing that were to give him his first
big break on TV with the show "Hi There" in 1949. The Benny Hill Show (1955) began in
1955. Its pioneering combination of cheeky humour, songs and
impressions were to make it a hit for the next 40 years.
Benny also broadened his career with cameo appearances in films such as
Charlie staubt Millionen ab (1969), Tschitti Tschitti Bäng Bäng (1968) and Die tollkühnen Männer in ihren fliegenden Kisten (1965). He also had a hit record in 1971 with
"Ernie The Fastest Milkman In The West". In 1979 The Benny Hill Show (1955) was shown in
America for the first time and Benny went on to become one of the
biggest stars on US TV. The show itself has been seen in 109 countries
and won a BAFTA as well as Golden Rose Of Montreaux Award. Benny Hill's
TV career came to an end in 1989, when his show was dropped, but his
popularity continued and he completed a US TV special, Benny Hill in New York (1991) shortly
before his death in 1992.
