december march english comedian writer composer actor singer performing career spanned decades writer composer created comic operas nearly musical sketches songs piano pieces books comic pieces newspapers magazines best remembered aspects career created series memorable characters comic operas gilbert sullivan including sir major general pirates second wrote collaboration brother comic novel diary famous day performing comic piano sketches songs gilbert sullivan days popular british solo performer 1890s comic songs endure today including dance continued perform decade 20th century son famous actor playwright producer musical comedies life career born london grew london father named george chief reporter times newspapers lecturer entertainer mother née years father spent time bow street touring performer young man usually credited distinguish father especially performed career credited simply later actor playwright theatre manager son credited iii sources confuse men son successful actor primarily america younger sister emily younger brother went boarding school district studied piano began friends teachers shadow later playing piano ear family moved young day student age transferred age avid amateur photographer painter teenager brother went art school family friends engaged arts including later manager london hoped instead worked years beginning 1860s training father reporter times publications father lecture tours cases reported bombing time began reporting began write humorous articles periodicals participate amateur theatrical performances joined father lectures began add music father married daughter neighbourhood physician met years earlier children party couple children george married lawrence family lived initially moving square nearby early performing career young received recognition amateur songs sketches private parties beginning penny readings participated small number amateur including playing play society piece written father play played title role comedy father felt talents lay sketch comedy theatre younger admired comic pianist entertainer created performed tried emulate developing sketches consisting humorous anecdotes mildly satirical comment chat comic songs centred piano took professional stage sketch called written father song called gay photographer photographer song words father music young concerns photographer broke heart young lady named drank chemicals died late younger appeared nightly spot old comic sketches alternated scientific lectures entertainment public human sketch yellow dwarf successful took work tour months sketch called careful man biographer notes early pieces nearly material written composed joseph describes sketches light hearted sending aspects contemporary life manners complete performer pianist performed sitting piano mimic facial expression timing short figure turned lack inches positive advantage audiences took toured summer occasionally appear performed sketches including popular songs volatile words father february gave sketch parody penny reading london ash wednesday theatres presenting performances respect holiday time coincidentally presenting gilbert sullivan collaboration years continued working bow street day father began joint tours humorous comic sketches literary public halls church groups branches england scotland wales young sketches time included stalls toured constantly following years returned families london weekends time met firm friends met sullivan brother arthur sullivan friends began invited entertain private society parties continued career later parties occur late evening performed collaborated author piece consisted series piano sketches alternating scenes including person satirical musical sketch short comic opera called cups toured took number engagements including private homes introduced popular song junction porter friendly music theatre establishments including opportunity perform gilbert sullivan trial jury sullivan works charity benefits entertaining professionally sketch comedy seven years discovered income decreased year family household expenses increased disliked travelling accordingly pleased despite relative inexperience legitimate theatre received letter november inviting new piece years appeared charity performances trial jury sullivan gilbert seen gilbert directed performance played judge gilbert earlier commented favourably performance society sullivan mentioned leading tenor looking play comic title role new comic opera cecil reminded sullivan sullivan seized idea singing sullivan meeting gilbert wondered aloud role shouldn played fine man fine voice gilbert replied exactly don want reservations touring engagements going wicked professional theatre lose church engagements future objected casting sketch comedian central role comic opera hired hit title role regular member company created lead comic roles gilbert sullivan famous operas london including lord admiralty sir pirates expert military knowledge aesthetic poet patience love lonely lord chancellor sarcastic princess cheap tailor elevated post lord high guard january week opening night fell dangerously ill february physicians pronounced resumed role robin february absence later principal comedian company opportunity perform role place years later obituary times noted comedian tricks dignity dignity man inches high round power rapid speech singing daily telegraph wrote jack point giving expression poor jack professional wit hiding sorry heart light words master assumed times reviewing performance wrote lord chancellor refined satire hand sketch comedy background trained comic business gilbert actor famous exchange rehearsals improvised bit business pushed rolled completely gilbert requested cut gag replied enormous laugh replied gilbert sat pork pie actor famously opening nights depicted stage biographical film pearson wrote injected drugs presumably calm nerves film shown opening night diary wrote went nearly upset piece spoke self vocal prowess sullivan disagreed course haven voice speak great register sullivan making sing bass number opera tenor sir arthur engaged man play servant speak enormous bass voice lower flat dropped entirely low flat generally audience laughter absolutely brought house time father mother died respectively period continued perform sketches late night performing continued write new sketches little wrote music short comic opera act curtain preceded patience programme cups revived played played company tour comic operas years included peculiar case real case hide continued society late night performance composed music comic opera great piece performed theatre wrote composed performed man drawing room sketches short comic operas given place companion pieces shorter programmes playing works included beach revival silver wedding drama haunted reviewing performance drama times commented present tendency fashionable join stage parodies manner actors present day including sketch created great amusement course depends entirely success actor powers performed charity events including cox box opera addition comic song written dance extremely popular number films quoted referred literature music including poem song façade songs wrote period include awful little speaker eye bus conductor song actor reverse lost key happy later years left company near end original run guard august resumed career entertaining piano continued years despite dislike travelling toured britain ireland occasions north_america drawing room sketches included popular songs dance happy choir boy thou thou french talking don mind don mind flies new sketches period included tour piano seaside holiday music failure according times satire enjoyed shafts aimed toured scotland autumn gave command performance queen_victoria castle composed music act comic opera gilbert wedding piece son stage debut musically challenging composition attempted work unsuccessful later said experience writing gilbert life toured north_america second tour writing successful new sketches discovered america baby shore collaborated brother expand series amusing columns written punch diary published novel print book sharp analysis social immediately recognised great comic characters english literature work object adaptation including times television popular solo entertainer day tours earned far earned performing continued compose music including comic opera sketches drama enjoy holidays songs like baby shore tommy love happy old days gilbert role music played briefly king ferdinand majesty short london stage appearances young interview reveals feeling age considering end touring career enjoying time spent home family dogs antique piano collection suffered depression death wife cancer health began fail increasingly missed engagements persuaded continue giving frequent basis november following year retired town visited years wrote second volume piano died home age buried london borough dated october left small variety charities persons pounds artworks children lawrence receive cash son george receiving silver presented gilbert sullivan ivory conducted orchestra occasion said son appearance stage wedding smaller children grandchildren cousins estate shared equally children estate large writings compositions legacy recordings wrote numerous comic pieces magazine punch including series inspired bow street experiences called trying wrote memoirs society clown piano career wrote comic operas nearly musical sketches songs piano pieces books wrote comic pieces newspapers magazines career displaying wide range styles followed gilbert sullivan comic roles number popular performers including owed debt creator roles actors portrayed biographical films sketches britain song sing australian played song sing songs wrote performed man shows recorded singer scholar accompanied scholar cds society clown songs legacy contains recorded voice son divine art label recordings voice known exist wax cylinder recording technology available lifetime writings george society clown london accessed march george diary bristol george piano bristol george los_angeles george sketches los_angeles portrayals portrayed film story gilbert sullivan film portrayed television documentary wit gilbert sullivan minute drama model modern major general
George Grossmith