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Kenneth Arthur "Ken" Dodd, OBE (born 8 November 1927) is an English comedian, singer-songwriter and actor, identified by his trademark unruly hair and protruding teeth, his red, white and blue "tickling stick" and his famous, upbeat greeting of "How tickled I am!". He also created the world and characters of the Diddy Men, with 'diddy' being Liverpudlian slang for small. He works mainly in the music hall tradition, although, in the past, has occasionally appeared in drama, including as Malvolio in Shakespeare's ''Twelfth Night'' on stage in Liverpool in 1971; on television in the cameo role of 'The Tollmaster' in the 1987 ''Doctor Who'' story ''Delta and the Bannermen''; and as Yorick (in silent flashback) in Kenneth Branagh's film version of Shakespeare's ''Hamlet'' in 1996. In the 1960s his fame was such that he rivalled the Beatles as a household name. His records have sold millions worldwide. ==Early life== Dodd was born on 8 November 1927 in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, Lancashire, the son of a coal merchant, Arthur Dodd, and wife Sarah (née Gray). He had an older brother, William (1925–2011). He went to the Knotty Ash School, and sang in the local church choir of St John's Church, Knotty Ash. At the age of seven, he was dared by his school friends to ride his bike with his eyes shut. He accepted the dare, crashed, and received facial injuries which resulted in his distinctive buck teeth. He then attended Holt High School, a grammar school in Childwall, but left at age fourteen to work for his father.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Ken Dodd Story )〕 Around this time he became interested in showbusiness after seeing an advert in a comic: "Fool your teachers, amaze your friends—send 6d in stamps and become a ventriloquist!" and sending off for the book. Not long after, his father bought him a ventriloquist's dummy and Ken called it Charlie Brown. He started entertaining at the local orphanage, then at various other local community functions. He got his big break at age twenty-six when, in September 1954, he made his professional show-business debut at the now-demolished Nottingham Empire. A nervous young man, he sat in a local milk bar for most of the afternoon, going over and over his lines before going to the theatre. He later said, "Well at least they didn't boo me off". He continued to perform, in 1955 he appeared at Blackpool, where, in the following year, he had a part in "Let's Have Fun". His performance at the Central Pier was part of a comedy revue with Jimmy James and Company. Also on the same bill were Jimmy Clitheroe and Roy Castle.〔Theatre Programme, Central Pier Blackpool, 1956. Cyril Critchlow Collection, Blackpool Central Library, Vol. 38 p. 12.〕 Eventually, Ken Dodd gained top billing at Blackpool in 1958. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ken Dodd」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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