List of British music hall performers



This list of British music hall performers includes a related list of British Variety entertainers.

Music Hall and Variety
Music Hall, Britain's first form of commercial mass entertainment, emerged, broadly speaking, in the mid-19th century, and ended (arguably) after the First World War, when the halls rebranded their entertainment as Variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Britain between bold and scandalous Victorian Music Hall and subsequent, more respectable Variety may differ (in the US, Burlesque and Vaudeville have analogous connotations).

British Music Hall entertainers

 * Annie Adams (1843–1905)
 * Fred Albert (1844–1886)
 * Charles Austin (1878–1944)
 * Wilkie Bard (1874–1944)
 * Fred Barnes (1885–1938)
 * Ida Barr (1882–1967)
 * T. W. Barrett (1851–1935)
 * George Beauchamp (1862–1900)
 * Harry Bedford (1873-1939)
 * Bessie Bellwood (1856–1896)
 * Ada Blanche (1862–1953)
 * Bessie Bonehill (1855–1902)
 * Herbert Campbell (1844–1904)
 * Kate Carney (1869–1950)
 * Mrs Caulfield (1817–1870)
 * Harry Champion (1865–1942)
 * Charles Chaplin Sr. (1863–1901)
 * Hannah Chaplin (1865–1928)
 * Albert Chevalier (1861–1923)
 * G. H. Chirgwin (1854–1922)
 * Tom Clare (1876–1946)
 * Harry Clifton (1832–1872)
 * Charles Coborn (1852–1945)
 * Lottie Collins (1865–1910)
 * Sam Collins (1825–1865)
 * Kitty Colyer (1881–1972)
 * Margaret Cooper (1877–1922)
 * Sam Cowell (1820–1864)
 * Whit Cunliffe (1875–1966)
 * Marie Dainton (1881–1938; half-Russian)
 * Daisy Dormer (1883–1947)
 * Leo Dryden (1863–1939)
 * T. E. Dunville (1867–1924)
 * Gus Elen (1862–1940)
 * G. H. Elliott (1882–1962)
 * Kate Everleigh (1864–1926)
 * James Fawn (1850–1923)
 * George Formby Sr (1875–1921)
 * Tom Foy (1879–1917)
 * Harry Fragson (1869–1913)
 * Will Fyffe (1885–1947)
 * Barclay Gammon (1866–1915)
 * Gertie Gitana (1887–1957)
 * Robert Glindon (c. 1799–1866)
 * Charles Godfrey (1854–1900)
 * Ernest Hastings (1879–1940)
 * Dick Henderson (1891–1958)
 * May Henderson (1884–1937)
 * Jenny Hill (1848–1896)
 * Thomas Hudson (1791–1844)
 * Alec Hurley (1871–1913)
 * Jack Judge (1872–1938)
 * Marie Kendall (1873–1964)
 * Hetty King (1883–1972)
 * John Labern (c. 1815–1881)
 * Walter Laburnum (1847–1902)
 * George Lashwood (1863–1942)
 * Harry Lauder (1870–1950)
 * John Lawson (1865–1920)
 * Dan Leno (1860–1904)
 * Fannie Leslie (1856–1935)
 * George Leybourne (1842–1884)
 * George Leyton (1864–1948)
 * Letty Lind (1861–1923)
 * Millie Lindon (1869–1940)
 * Victor Liston (1838–1913)
 * Alice Lloyd (1873–1949)
 * Arthur Lloyd (1839–1904)
 * Marie Lloyd (1870–1922)
 * Tommy Lorne (1890–1935)
 * G. H. MacDermott (1845–1901)
 * E. W. Mackney (1825–1909)
 * Clarice Mayne (1886–1966)
 * Ernie Mayne (1871–1937)
 * Jack Mayne (1887–1963) Comedian (name George Albert Caley)
 * Sam Mayo (1881–1938)
 * Billy Merson (1879–1947)
 * Victoria Monks (1884–1927)
 * Lily Morris (1882–1952)
 * Jolly John Nash (1828–1901)
 * Harry Nicholls (1852–1926)
 * Talbot O'Farrell (1878–1952)
 * Joe O'Gorman (1863–1937)
 * Denise Orme (1885–1960)
 * Charles Penrose (1873–1952)
 * Mrs F. R. Phillips (c. 1829–1899)
 * Jack Pleasants (1875–1924)
 * Nelly Power (1854–1887)
 * Arthur Prince (1881–1946)
 * Harry Randall (1857–1932)
 * Ada Reeve (1874–1966)
 * Ella Retford (1885–1962)
 * J. W. Rickaby (1870–1929)
 * Arthur Roberts (1852–1933)
 * George Robey (1869–1954)
 * Frederick Robson (1821–1864)
 * Austin Rudd (1868–1929)
 * Maidie Scott (1881–1966)
 * Malcolm Scott (1872–1929)
 * Jack Selbini (c. 1854–1932)
 * Mark Sheridan (1864–1918)
 * Ella Shields (1879–1952)
 * J. H. Stead (c. 1827–1866)
 * Eugene Stratton (1861–1918)
 * Marie Studholme (1872–1930)
 * Randolph Sutton (1888–1969)
 * Harry Sydney (c. 1825–1870)
 * Harry Tate (1872–1940)
 * Little Tich (1867–1928)
 * Vesta Tilley (1864–1952)
 * Sam Torr (1849–1923)
 * Alfred Vance (1839–1888)
 * Harriet Vernon (1852–1923)
 * Vesta Victoria (1873–1951)
 * Harry Weldon (1881–1930)
 * Bessie Wentworth (1873–1901)
 * Mabel Whittaker (1888–1963) (Dancer) The Rainbow Girl
 * Charles Whittle (1874–1947)
 * Daisy Wood (1877–1961)
 * Wee Georgie Wood (1894–1979)
 * Tom Woottwell (1864–1941)

British Variety entertainers

 * Arthur Askey (1900–1982)
 * Billy Bennett (1887–1942)
 * Issy Bonn (1903–1977)
 * Max Bygraves (1922–2012)
 * Charlie Chester (1914–1997)
 * Ken Dodd (1927–2018)
 * Clive Dunn (1920–2012)
 * Sid Field (1904–1950)
 * Gracie Fields (1898–1979)
 * Flanagan and Allen (respectively: 1896–1968; 1894–1982)
 * Flanders and Swann (respectively: 1922–1975; 1923–1994)
 * George Formby (1904–1961)
 * Bruce Forsyth (1928–2017)
 * Dickie Henderson (1922–1985)
 * Joan Hinde (1933–2015)
 * Hinge and Bracket: George Logan (1944–2023) and Patrick Fyffe (1942–2002)
 * Stanley Holloway (1890–1982)
 * Roy Hudd (1936–2020)
 * Jack Hylton (1892–1965)
 * Jewel and Warriss (respectively: 1909–1995; 1909–1993)
 * Davy Kaye (1916–1998)
 * Danny La Rue (1927–2009)
 * Kenneth McKellar (1927–2010)
 * Max Miller (1894–1963)
 * Ivor Novello (1893–1951)
 * Joe O'Gorman (1890–1974)
 * Tessie O'Shea (1913–1995)
 * Bob and Alf Pearson (respectively: 1907–1985; 1910–2012)
 * Frank Randle (1901–1957)
 * Ted Ray (1905–1977)
 * Leslie Sarony (1897–1985)
 * Andy Stewart (1933–1993)
 * Tommy Trinder (1909–1989)
 * Max Wall (1908–1990)
 * Jimmy Wheeler (1910–1973)
 * Robb Wilton (1881–1957)