Jim Dale

In the Military Police training film "Break-in" (1956) his role as a soldier includes an appearance in a comedy song and dance routine.

At the age of 22 he became the first pop singer to work with George Martin, who produced all his hit records. Several of his songs entered the UK Singles Chart, including "Be My Girl" (1957, UK No.2), "Just Born (To Be Your Baby)" (1958, UK No.27), "Crazy Dream" (1958, UK No. 24) and "Sugartime" (1958, UK No. 25).

In the early 1960s, he presented Children's Favourites on BBC Radio, for a year.

Jim Dale began his career as a stand-up comic. He sharpened his comedy skills during a stint in the army, where he organized and performed in camp shows. After his discharge he pursued a comedy career, and landed a job as the warm-up comic on a musical variety show. He did so well that the producers gave him a spot on the show as a singer, and he quickly became a recording star. He was signed for a small part in one of the "Carry On" films, Carry on Cabby (1963), but the audience reaction to him was so great the he was soon made a regular member of the cast.

The part of Captain Keene in Carry On... Up the Khyber (1968) was written for Jim but he had stage commitments so the part went to Roy Castle.

Unlike many comics, Dale insisted on performing his own stunts, and in fact injured his arm performing a stunt in Carry on Again Doctor (1969), his last film of the series until 1992. After his departure from the series he returned to the stage, notably in Sir Laurence Olivier's National Theater.

In the 1970s Dale moved to the US for film and stage work, achieving success in the Broadway show "Barnum" and in a string of film comedies for Disney.

He was wanted for a part in the 1973 TV production of Carry on Christmas but it went to Julian Holloway.

Won the 1980 Tony Award for Actor in a Musical for "Barnum". Nominated three times for the Tony Award (New York City) for Actor in a Drama: "Scapino" in 1975, "Joe Egg" in 1985 and "Candide" in 1997. Nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Supporting or Features Actor in a Musical for "Three Penny Opera".

He was awarded the M.B.E. (Member of the order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to British Children's Literature in America.

He narrated Peter and the Starcatchers (2004) audio book,[36] and its three sequels.

He narrated the Harry Potter video games and many of the interactive "extras" on the Harry Potter DVD releases. He also holds three Guinness World Records. One for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005. His second for creating 134 different voices for one audiobook, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. and his third for breaking his own record with 146 voices for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2007. Dale opened every episode of the ABC drama Pushing Daisies as the unseen narrator.

In November 2006 Dale starred as Charlie Baxter in a one-night only concert version of the Sherman brothers musical, Busker Alley alongside Glenn Close. This was a benefit for the York Theatre Company, and was held at Hunter College in New York City.

He wrote and appeared in his one-man show, Just Jim Dale, looking back over nearly sixty years in show business. It opened on 15 May 2014 at the Roundabout Theatre Company Laura Pels Theatre, winning Dale his fifth Outer Critics Circle Award, and his fifth Drama Desk Award.

In 2017, Dale narrated Spin: The Rumpelstiltskin Musical by Edelman and Fishman, noted as being the first audiobook musical.