List of British music hall performers

Marie Lloyd & Alec Hurley

Marie Lloyd and Alec Hurley

This list of British music hall performers includes a related list of British Variety entertainers.

Music Hall and Variety

Music Hall, Britain's first form of commercial mass entertainment, emerged, broadly speaking, in the mid-19th century, and ended (arguably) after the First World War, when the halls rebranded their entertainment as Variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Britain between bold and scandalous Victorian Music Hall and subsequent, more respectable Variety may differ (in the US, Burlesque and Vaudeville have analogous connotations).

British Music Hall entertainers

• Annie Adams (1843–1905)
• Fred Albert (1844–1886)
• Charles Austin (1878–1944)
• Wilkie Bard (1874–1944)
• Fred Barnes (1885–1938)
• Ida Barr (1882–1967)
• T. W. Barrett (1851–1935)
• George Beauchamp (1862–1900)
• Harry Bedford (1873-1939)
• Bessie Bellwood (1856–1896)
• Ada Blanche (1862–1953)
• Bessie Bonehill (1855–1902)
• Herbert Campbell (1844–1904)
• Kate Carney (1869–1950)
• Mrs Caulfield (1817–1870)
• Harry Champion (1865–1942)
• Charles Chaplin Sr. (1863–1901)
• Hannah Chaplin (1865–1928)
• Albert Chevalier (1861–1923)
• G. H. Chirgwin (1854–1922)
• Tom Clare (1876–1946)
• Harry Clifton (1832–1872)
• Charles Coborn (1852–1945)
• Lottie Collins (1865–1910)
• Sam Collins (1825–1865)
• Kitty Colyer (1881–1972)
• Margaret Cooper (1877–1922)
• Sam Cowell (1820–1864)
• Whit Cunliffe (1875–1966)
• Marie Dainton (1881–1938; half-Russian)
• Daisy Dormer (1883–1947)
• Leo Dryden (1863–1939)
• T. E. Dunville (1867–1924)
• Gus Elen (1862–1940)
• G. H. Elliott (1882–1962)
• Kate Everleigh (1864–1926)
• James Fawn (1850–1923)
• George Formby Sr (1875–1921)
• Tom Foy (1879–1917)
• Harry Fragson (1869–1913)
• Will Fyffe (1885–1947)
• Barclay Gammon (1866–1915)
• Gertie Gitana (1887–1957)
• Robert Glindon (c. 1799–1866)
• Charles Godfrey (1854–1900)
• Ernest Hastings (1879–1940)
• Dick Henderson (1891–1958)
• May Henderson (1884–1937)
• Jenny Hill (1848–1896)
• Thomas Hudson (1791–1844)
• Alec Hurley (1871–1913)
• Jack Judge (1872–1938)
• Marie Kendall (1873–1964)
• Hetty King (1883–1972)
• John Labern (c. 1815–1881)
• Walter Laburnum (1847–1902)
• George Lashwood (1863–1942)
• Harry Lauder (1870–1950)
• John Lawson (1865–1920)
• Dan Leno (1860–1904)
• Fannie Leslie (1856–1935)
• George Leybourne (1842–1884)
• George Leyton (1864–1948)
• Letty Lind (1861–1923)
• Millie Lindon (1869–1940)
• Victor Liston (1838–1913)
• Alice Lloyd (1873–1949)
• Arthur Lloyd (1839–1904)
• Marie Lloyd (1870–1922)
• Tommy Lorne (1890–1935)
• G. H. MacDermott (1845–1901)
• E. W. Mackney (1825–1909)
• Clarice Mayne (1886–1966)
• Ernie Mayne (1871–1937)
• Jack Mayne (1887–1963) Comedian (name George Albert Caley)
• Sam Mayo (1881–1938)
• Billy Merson (1879–1947)
• Victoria Monks (1884–1927)
• Lily Morris (1882–1952)
• Jolly John Nash (1828–1901)
• Harry Nicholls (1852–1926)
• Talbot O'Farrell (1878–1952)
• Joe O'Gorman (1863–1937)
• Denise Orme (1885–1960)
• Charles Penrose (1873–1952)
• Mrs F. R. Phillips (c. 1829–1899)
• Jack Pleasants (1875–1924)
• Nelly Power (1854–1887)
• Arthur Prince (1881–1946)
• Harry Randall (1857–1932)
• Ada Reeve (1874–1966)
• Ella Retford (1885–1962)
• J. W. Rickaby (1870–1929)
• Arthur Roberts (1852–1933)
• George Robey (1869–1954)
• Frederick Robson (1821–1864)
• Austin Rudd (1868–1929)
• Maidie Scott (1881–1966)
• Malcolm Scott (1872–1929)
• Jack Selbini (c.1854–1932)
• Mark Sheridan (1864–1918)
• Ella Shields (1879–1952)
• J. H. Stead (c. 1827–1866)
• Eugene Stratton (1861–1918)
• Marie Studholme (1872–1930)
• Randolph Sutton (1888–1969)
• Harry Sydney (c. 1825–1870)
• Harry Tate (1872–1940)
• Little Tich (1867–1928)
• Vesta Tilley (1864–1952)
• Sam Torr (1849–1923)
• Alfred Vance (1839–1888)
• Harriet Vernon (1852–1923)
• Vesta Victoria (1873–1951)
• Harry Weldon (1881–1930)
• Bessie Wentworth (1873–1901)
• Mabel Whittaker (1888–1963) (Dancer) The Rainbow Girl
• Charles Whittle (1874–1947)
• Daisy Wood (1877–1961)
• Wee Georgie Wood (1894–1979)
• Tom Woottwell (1864–1941)

British Music Hall entertainers: gallery

• Charles Coborn (1852–1945)
  Charles Coborn (1852–1945)
• Gus Elen (1862–1940)
  Gus Elen (1862–1940)
• Little Tich (1867–1928)
  Little Tich (1867–1928)
• Marie Lloyd (1870–1922)
  Marie Lloyd (1870–1922)
• Vesta Victoria (1873–1951)
  Vesta Victoria (1873–1951)
• Frank Travis (1854-1931)
  Frank Travis (1854-1931)

British Variety entertainers

• Arthur Askey (1900–1982)
• Billy Bennett (1887–1942)
• Issy Bonn (1903–1977)
• Max Bygraves (1922–2012)
• Charlie Chester (1914–1997)
• Ken Dodd (1927–2018)
• Clive Dunn (1920–2012)
• Sid Field (1904–1950)
• Gracie Fields (1898–1979)
• Flanagan and Allen (respectively: 1896–1968; 1894–1982)
• Flanders and Swann (respectively: 1922–1975; 1923–1994)
• George Formby (1904–1961)
• Bruce Forsyth (1928–2017)
• Dickie Henderson (1922–1985)
• Joan Hinde (1933–2015)
• Stanley Holloway (1890–1982)
• Roy Hudd (1936–2020)
• Jack Hylton (1892–1965)
• Jewel and Warriss (respectively: 1909–1995; 1909–1993)
• Davy Kaye (1916–1998)
• Danny La Rue (1927–2009)
• Kenneth McKellar (1927–2010)
• Max Miller (1894–1963)
• Ivor Novello (1893–1951)
• Joe O'Gorman (1890–1974)
• Tessie O'Shea (1913–1995)
• Bob and Alf Pearson (respectively: 1907–1985; 1910–2012)
• Frank Randle (1901–1957)
• Ted Ray (1905–1977)
• Leslie Sarony (1897–1985)
• Andy Stewart (1933–1993)
• Tommy Trinder (1909–1989)
• Max Wall (1908–1990)
• Jimmy Wheeler (1910–1973)
• Robb Wilton (1881–1957)

British Variety entertainers: gallery

• Ivor Novello (1893–1951)
  Ivor Novello (1893–1951)
• Gracie Fields (1898–1979)
  Gracie Fields (1898–1979)
• George Formby (1904–1961)
  George Formby (1904–1961)
• Danny La Rue (1927–2009)
  Danny La Rue (1927–2009)
• Ken Dodd (1927–2018)
  Ken Dodd (1927–2018)

See also

• Music hall
• Music of the United Kingdom
• Theatre of the United Kingdom