GRAHAM HOADLY - BIOGRAPHY

Graham Hoadly was born in Hornchurch, Essex, and commenced his career there at the Queens Theatre in 1977.

He created the roles of the Commentator and Phillips in CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG - currently holding the record for the longest running Musical at the London Palladium.

Other West End roles include Lumley Lancaster in MR CINDERS (Fortune); Roscoe Dexter in SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (London Palladium); Francis in ELEGIES (Criterion) and Abe Greenbaum in SOME LIKE IT HOT (Prince Edward).

Most recently he played Colonel Pickering in MY FAIR LADY at Cambridge Arts Theatre and appeared in National Tours of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF as the Rabbi and the previous year as Bert Barry in 42ND STREET. Other tours include CRAZY FOR YOU; JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR© DREAMCOAT; SINGIN' IN THE RAIN; CLUEDO; SALAD DAYS; JUST A VERSE AND CHORUS and many others. He has frequently played in Repertory all over the country.

Graham has been appearing regularly as Ugly Sister in CINDERELLA for First Family Entertainment over the last few years appearing with Patrick Duffy and Susan Hampshire at the New Victoria Theatre, Woking, Jonathan Wilkes and Shobna Gulati at Stoke, Gareth Gates, Alistair McGowan and Joanna Page at Wimbledon, and this year with Joanna Page, Michael Aspel and Jon Lee at Woking once again. Other Pantomime appearances include Sarah the Cook in Roy Hudd's DICK WHITTINGTON at the Watford Palace, following his great success at the same theatre the previous year as Widow Twankey in ALADDIN.

Graham played "Fingers" McFidget in THE BURGLAR'S OPERA for Opera della Luna. Other roles for the same company include Baron Zeta in THE MERRY WIDOW, Pooh-Bah in THE MIKADO, and  Dick Deadeye (and Sir Joseph Porter's Aunt!) in HMS PINAFORE both on tour and for the Covent Garden Festival.

Fringe work includes THE CHAIRS and McCorquodale in FUNERAL GAMES. At the King's Head, Graham co-devised and appeared in the critically acclaimed MEET ME AT THE GATE, a tribute to the Gate revues of the 1930s. He also alternated with Lily Savage in the role of Roscoe, the drag queen in ELEGIES there, prior to its West End run.

Film and TV credits include Jimmy in BLUNT, with Anthony Hopkins and Ian Richardson, FLYWHEEL as Boss Plunkett , THE SNOW WHITE FILES as Baptiste, SIGHTINGS (as Jack the Ripper!) and Jack in YAHŞİ BATI a spoof Turkish Western, which is due for release in January 2010.

A frequent radio broadcaster, Graham was one of the four regulars in the award-winning BBC comedy series FLYWHEEL SHYSTER AND FLYWHEEL and last Christmas he was heard as Gino in A NIGHT IN THE UKRAINE on BBC Radio 4, in which he was reunited with his former FLYWHEEL colleagues. In July 2009 he will broadcast in a new series of THE ADVENTURES OF SEXTON BLAKE for BBC Radio 2 playing the villain Professor Kew.

Graham also performs in Cabaret and Music Hall all over the world, and regularly appeared with the Concordia Theatre Company on the QE2 for Cunard. He has compèred several Variety Tours, and was a popular Chairman at the former Players' Theatre in London.

December 2009