Hardee in 1995, outside his childhood home in Lewisham
Born
(1950-01-05)5 January 1950 Lewisham, London, England
Died
31 January 2005(2005-01-31) (aged 55) Rotherhithe, London, England
Medium
Stand-up
Years active
Mid-1970s–2005
Genres
Physical comedy, Surreal humour
Subject(s)
Current events
Notable works and roles
Autobiography: I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake, The Greatest Show on Legs.
Website
malcolmhardee.co.uk
Malcolm Hardee (5 January 1950 – 31 January 2005)[1] was an English comedian and comedy club proprietor.[2]
His high reputation among his peers rests on his outrageous publicity stunts and on the help and advice he gave to successful British alternative comedians early in their careers, acting as "godfather to a generation of comic talent in the 1980s".[3] Fellow comic Rob Newman called him "a hilarious, anarchic, living legend; a millennial Falstaff",[4] while Stewart Lee wrote that "Malcolm Hardee is a natural clown who in any decent country would be a national institution"[4] and Arthur Smith described him as "a South London Rabelais"[4] and claimed that "everything about Malcolm, apart from his stand-up act, was original".[5]
Hardee was also a compère and talent-spotting booker at his own clubs, particularly The Tunnel Club in Greenwich, South East London, which gave early exposure to up-and-coming comedians during the early years of British alternative comedy.[6] In his obituary, The Times opined that "throughout his life he maintained a fearlessness and an indifference to consequences"[7] and one journalist claimed: "To say that he has no shame is to drastically exaggerate the amount of shame that he has".[7] In a publicity quote printed in Hardee's autobiography I Stole Freddie Mercury's Birthday Cake, Arthur Smith wrote that Hardee had "led his life as though for the perfect autobiography and now he has paid himself the compliment of writing it."[4]
^Cook, William (4 February 2005). "Obituary: Malcolm Hardee". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
^Games, Alex (8 February 2005). "Guardian, 8 February 2005". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 12 May 2010.
^Haldenby, Andrew (5 February 2005). "Alternative comedy pioneer drowns on way home from his floating pub". The Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 March 2007. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
MalcolmHardee (5 January 1950 – 31 January 2005) was an English comedian and comedy club proprietor. His high reputation among his peers rests on his...
In 2009, he won the Edinburgh Comedy Award and was nominated for the MalcolmHardee Award for Comic Originality. Key was born on 2 September 1976, in Cambridgeshire...
Comedy Award for Best Solo Show in 2016. It was also nominated for a MalcolmHardee Award for Innovation and a Chortle Award for Innovation. Gadd's 2016...
original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 18 October 2012. "The MalcolmHardee Awards". The MalcolmHardee. Retrieved 26 August 2019. "In Malc's memory: New Fringe...
following autumn. He was also nominated for the Edinburgh Fringe's MalcolmHardee "Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid" Award. In 2013, he toured his...
ISBN 978-0-340-82128-2. Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed. MalcolmHardee & John Fleming), Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3;...
the early days, Sadowitz was managed by comedian and club proprietor MalcolmHardee. As a bet with fellow comic Nick Revell, he produced one of his most...
Awards, as well as the Comedians' Choice Award. The show also won the MalcolmHardee 'Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid' Award in 2023. In addition...
'Charlie Chuck' and, in 1990, he was talent-spotted by the comedian MalcolmHardee who arranged for him to appear on Jools Holland's The Happening, a Sky...
experiential, or observational reporting (e.g., Alexei Sayle, Daniel Tosh, MalcolmHardee). As far as content is concerned, comedians such as Tommy Tiernan, Des...
ISBN 978-0-316-85318-7 Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed MalcolmHardee & John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3;...
MalcolmHardee Award For Comic Originality (2015) - Michael Brunstrom Barry Award for Best Show at the Fringe (2015) - Spencer Jones MalcolmHardee Award...
Fringe, Copstick was a Perrier Comedy Award judge in 2003 and 2004 and a MalcolmHardee Award judge in 2008–2015. She lends her voice to the announcements at...
United Kingdom by comedian Martin Soan, and joined after by the late MalcolmHardee. The group, continually performing with a changing line-up with Soan...
Richard Herring, and Stewart Lee.[citation needed] In 2009, he won the MalcolmHardee Cunning Stunt Award for best publicity stunt at the Edinburgh Festival...
Award and won both the Edinburgh Comedy Awards' panel prize and the MalcolmHardee "Act Most Likely to Make a Million Quid" Award. For his 2018 film Eighth...
for Best Newcomer by the Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Awards and for the MalcolmHardee "Act Most Likely to Win a Million Quid" Award. In 2012, Widdicombe became...
Allen with coining the term. However, in his autobiography, the late MalcolmHardee claims to have coined the term in 1978. Alternative comedy came to describe...
steps where he could do less damage. In 2011, he was nominated for the MalcolmHardee Cunning Stunt Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. for his live show...
Boothby Graffoe (born 1962) Ivo Graham (born 1990) Jeff Green (born 1964) MalcolmHardee (1950–2005) Mike Harding (born 1944) Jeremy Hardy (1961–2019) Natalie...
ISBN 978-0-14-026093-9 Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed. MalcolmHardee & John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 978-0-09-188924-1...
Comedy Store, London. Sit-Down Comedy (contributor to anthology, ed MalcolmHardee & John Fleming) Ebury Press/Random House, 2003. ISBN 0-09-188924-3;...
"OATMILK" (with Chelsea Peretti) (2020) Watts is the winner of the 2005 MalcolmHardee "Oy Oy" Award, the 2006 Andy Kaufman Comedy Award, and the 2006 Seattle...
2003 0-09-188924-3, 978-0-09-188924-1 contributor to anthology, ed MalcolmHardee & John Fleming More Trees to Climb Granta Books 2009 978-1846271984...
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