Today, Thursday, November 27th, marks a century since Ernie Wise was born.
Morecambe and Wise
Ernest Wiseman, (known by his stage name of Ernie Wise), was half of the British comedy double act Morecambe and Wise, who were a national institution on UK TV.
Born in Leeds, he met Eric Morecambe (then known as Eric Bartholomew) in 1940, when touring in the Jack Hylton show "Youth Takes a Bow."
Following a successful audition, the 14-year-old Eric was invited to join the cast of the touring show "Youth Takes a Bow" at the Nottingham Empire.Ernie Wise (then Ernest Wiseman), aged 13 and already an experienced performer, was also a cast member, having been a protegee of Hylton for some time.
They formed a close friendship and subsequently became a comedy double act, going on up until Morecambe's death in 1984.
Their Christmas TV shows were legendary and became a staple of BBC's Holiday schedule.
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| Ernie Wise commemorative statue in Morley, West Yorkshire |
Ernie died from heart failure in March 1999 at the age of 73.
