Darius Campbell

Darius Campbell Danesh (19 August 1980 – 11 August 2022) was a Scottish singer-songwriter, actor and film producer.

Campbell Danesh was born in Glasgow on 19 August 1980 to a Scottish mother, Avril Campbell, and an Iranian father, Booth Danesh ; his family live in Bearsden.

The eldest of three boys, his younger brothers are Aria (born 1983) and Cyrus (born 1995).

He attended Bearsden Primary School and the Glasgow Academy, before going on to study English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.

Campbell Danesh's professional career began with a non-singing role in the Scottish Opera's avant garde 1990s production of The Trojans.

As a teenager, he then performed at Covent Garden Royal Opera House with the Scottish Opera in a production of Carmen.

He first came to prominence as Darius Danesh when he appeared in the first series of Popstars in 2001, and the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest Pop Idol.

As Darius Danesh, he first gained fame in 2001 after appearing on the British talent competition Popstars.

A year later he was voted to the finals of the TV talent show, Pop Idol.

He turned down Simon Cowell's record deal, then signed with producer Steve Lillywhite.

In an interview to Daily Record, he said that he had not decided to drop the Campbell from his name, and that all was decided for him and that he should go by the name Darius Danesh.

Under the name Darius, he released two studio albums, Dive In (2002) and Live Twice (2004), with both reaching top 40 in the UK Albums Chart.

His debut single, "Colourblind", reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 2002.

His next singles, "Rushes" and "Incredible (What I Meant to Say)", reached the top ten in the UK in 2002 and 2003, respectively.

Campbell Danesh performed the role of Billy Flynn in the West End production of Chicago in two runs of the musical.

He played the lead role of Sky Masterson in the Olivier Award-winning Guys and Dolls, and the originating role of Rhett Butler in Sir Trevor Nunn's theatrical adaptation of Gone with the Wind.

The first single written by Campbell Danesh, "Colourblind", was released on 29 July 2002 and entered the UK singles chart at number 1, staying at the top of the charts for two weeks; it was certified silver.

The Dive In tour took place in April and May 2003.

The fifteen dates scheduled for May expanded to twenty three dates on public demand.

His book Sink or Swim, about the perils of the music business, was a Sunday Times best seller.

He contributed to the War Child charity album with Coldplay and Oasis.

He also headlined in India with Alanis Morissette.

After receiving news that his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he wrote and dedicated his second studio album Live Twice to Dr Booth Danesh, who later made a miraculous recovery.

His debut album, Dive In, was certified platinum in the UK in 2004, charting at number 6 on the UK Albums Chart during the competitive pre-Christmas sales period.

He subsequently had five UK top ten singles.

He wrote all 12 songs on the Dive In album, and produced one of the tracks, "Better Than That", whilst collaborating with a number of other producers, such as The Misfits and The Matrix on the other tracks.

Steve Lillywhite was executive producer on the album.

Campbell Danesh, then performing as Darius Danesh, supported Shakira on her world tour and went on to complete his own sell-out UK Dive In tour.

In 2005, the album's title-track Live Twice became his fifth top ten single.

Campbell Danesh had two West End runs in Chicago during 2005–2006, and at 25, became the youngest actor to fill the role of Billy Flynn since the show first opened on Broadway in 1975.

In 2007, after seeing Ewan McGregor in the role, he played the lead in Michael Grandage's Olivier Award-winning production of Guys and Dolls, starring as Sky Masterson.

In 2008, he returned to London's West End to play Rhett Butler in Sir Trevor Nunn's musical adaptation of Gone with the Wind.

In 2010, he trained with tenor Rolando Villazón, won the ITV competition Popstar to Operastar and performed a duet with Villazón on The Impossible Dream.

The UK's biggest operatic production was the occasion of his operatic début, at the O2 Arena with the Royal Philharmonic, in Carmen.

At the age of 29, he assumed the lead role of Escamillo, Carmen's lover.

The same year, he also starred in The History of the Big Bands tour, a show which takes the audience on a musical journey through the big band and swing era.

Later that year, he reprised his role of Billy Flynn for the 10th anniversary charity performance of Chicago in London, to benefit the charities Breast Cancer Haven and Breast Health Institute.

In January and February 2010, Campbell Danesh won the UK's ITV1 talent show Popstar to Operastar, in which eight pop stars were trained to perform famous opera arias.

He was mentored by tenor Rolando Villazón, with whom he went on to duet on the song "The Impossible Dream".

It became certified gold on 1 May 2020.