Yahoo News Bruce Forsyth obituary: Remembering a TV icon
Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson was born in Edmonton, Middlesex on February 22, 1928. He was introduced to the world of showbusiness at a young age, as his mother was a singer and his family played brass instruments in the Salvation Army.
After seeing Fred Astaire perform on the big screen, an 8-year-old Bruce trained in dance in Tottenham and Brixton. Aged 14, he began a song, dance and accordion act named Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom.
Bruce's first TV appearance came in 1939 as a child, singing and dancing in a talent show titled Come and Be Televised. He performed throughout WWII, where his brother John was killed during a training exercise.
After the war, he travelled the UK with pantomimes and circuses, and eventually became known for his strongman act. However, this was halted when Bruce received call-up papers for National Service with the RAF.
In 1958, he was offered the compere job for ITV's Sunday Night at the London Palladium. He hosted it for three years in total, and throughout the 1960s he continued a heavy schedule of various stage and screen performances.
Bruce's next big show was The Generation Game on the BBC, which ran from 1971 to 1977 (and returned in 1990 to 1994). It attracted huge audiences and he started using his 'Thinker' pose to go alongside his catchphrase 'Nice to see you, to see you nice.'
He moved to ITV in 1978, and two years later began hosting Play Your Cards Right (1980 to 1987, 1994 to 1999 and 2002 to 2003). He also had a short stint hosting the US game show Hot Streak in the US in 1986.
After hosting You Bet! from 1988 to 1990, he fronted the third version of The Price is Right from 1995 to 2001. Among his other game shows included Takeover Bid, Hollywood or Bust, Big Night and Didn't They Do Well!
Bruce experienced a career revival in 2004 as the co-host of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing. He continued hosting the huge hit until 2013, stepping down from full-time hosting duties to reduce his workload and returning for one-off pre-recorded Christmas and Children in Need specials.
Throughout his career, he also performed as an actor, appearing in films including Bedknobs and Broomstick and the TV sitcom Slinger's Day.
Bruce continued performing well into his eighties, including a famous gig at 2013's Glastonbury Festival, where he became one of its oldest performers ever.
He was a golf enthusiast, and his Wentworth Estate home was right next to the Wentworth Golf Course in Surrey. He was also a supporter and ambassador for the children's charity Caudwell Children.
Bruce was married to Penny Calvert from 1953 to 1973, with whom he had three daughters – Debbie, Julie and Laura. He was then married to Generation Game hostess Anthea Redfern from 1973 to 1979, and they had two daughters – Charlotte and Louisa.
He later started dating fellow Miss World 1980 judge Wilnelia Merced – herself a Miss World winner in 1975. They married in 1983, and they have one son together named Jonathan.
Bruce was appointed an OBE in 1998, followed by a CBE in 2006, and eventually a Knighthood in 2011 after many years of public campaigning to make him a Sir.
He was also granted the BAFTA Fellowship in 2008, and recognised for his lifetime achievement in TV by the RTS and the National Television Awards.
Sir Bruce Forsyth passed away on August 18, 2017. He was 89 years old. He is survived by his wife of 34 years Wilnelia, six children, nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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