Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas (born Paul Oscar Beuselinck; 3 December 1944)[1][2] is an English actor and singer, best known for his work in the 1983 BBC sitcom Just Good Friends. The show won a BAFTA and Nicholas was nominated for best comedy performance.
For the French footballer, see Paul Nicolas.
Paul Nicholas
Paul Dean
Oscar
- Singer
- actor
- producer
- director
1960–present
6
Vocals
Nicholas started out with a pop career, but soon changed to musical theatre, playing the lead role in Jesus Christ Superstar at the West End’s Palace Theatre in 1972. After his TV series Good Friends ended, he returned to musical theatre and various other entertainment roles, including producing and directing.[3][4] He is also known for his more recent television role in EastEnders as Gavin Sullivan and in The Real Marigold Hotel as himself.
In 1990, while starring with David Ian in The Pirates of Penzance at the London Palladium, Nicholas offered Ian a partnership in co-producing and starring in a touring production of the New York Shakespeare Festival version of the popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera. Paul Nicholas & David Ian Associates Ltd was formed to produce the 20th anniversary production of Jesus Christ Superstar on a UK-wide tour, which sold out. They then produced a nightly fully staged version of The Pirates of Penzance in which Nicholas starred and again they sold out.[17]
The company has since produced numerous shows, including:
Paul Nicholas School of Acting & Performing Arts[edit]
In 2006, Nicholas set up a franchise operation, the Paul Nicholas School of Acting & Performing Arts (52°56′11″N 0°29′49″E / 52.93626°N 0.49702°E), aimed at teaching acting to school-age children.[18][19] The company went into liquidation in 2012.
In January 2008, Nicholas launched Paul Nicholas Community Arts, a project designed to engage disenfranchised children in the arts. The pilot scheme was funded for fourteen weeks by Wyre Borough Council. A twelve-week scheme began on 28 May 2008 in Blackpool.[20]
Personal life[edit]
Nicholas was 18 when he had a child with girlfriend Patricia Brecknell. His then-former girlfriend, Lyn Last, gave birth to his second child in 1967, only a few months after his 1966 marriage to Susan Gee.[21] Nicholas and Gee had two children together. After their divorce, Susan Gee died in 1977, at the age of 28 in a car accident, survived by their two young children.[22]
Nicholas married Linzi Jennings in 1984 and they have two children together.[23]