Kelly Monteith
Born
Kelly Norton Monteith

(1942-10-17)October 17, 1942
St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJanuary 1, 2023(2023-01-01) (aged 80)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Comedian, actor, writer, producer
Years active1976–2020
TelevisionThe Kelly Monteith Show
Kelly Monteith
SpouseCaroline R. Alexander (divorced)
Children2

Kelly Norton Monteith (October 17, 1942 – January 1, 2023)[1] was an American comedian, actor, writer and producer. He was best known for writing and starring in the BBC comedy show Kelly Monteith.[2]

Early life

Kelly Norton Monteith[3] was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on October 17, 1942.

Career

During the early 1970s, Monteith performed as a guest comedian on various talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and The Late Show with David Letterman.[4]

In 1976, Monteith had a short-lived variety show on CBS, The Kelly Monteith Show. After successful guest appearances on British talk shows, he was offered his own series by the BBC. In 1979, Kelly Monteith was broadcast, and ran for six seasons.[2] It was noted for often breaking the fourth wall by showing Monteith in his dressing room before and after a scene. Kelly Monteith won the Silver Rose for the BBC at the Montreux Television Festival in Switzerland during the series' run. In the United States the BBC series was rerun on the fledgling Arts and Entertainment Network.

In 1983, Monteith performed at the Royal Variety Performance, before a nation-wide tour.[5]

From 2014 to 2020, Monteith co-hosted Brit Flix with Kelly, Paul and Two-Buck Chuck.[4]

In 2015, Monteith and Paul Bland were awarded the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Television Anchor/Host by the Los Angeles Press Club.[6]

From 2019 to 2020, Monteith worked again with The Anglophile Channel in Kelly Monteith's BBC Memories. The series looked back at Monteith's groundbreaking BBC series, Kelly Monteith.[4]

Personal life

Monteith resided in Los Angeles, California.[7]

In February 2021, Monteith suffered two strokes that left him with aphasia. He was hospitalized for two months at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.[8]

On January 1, 2023, Monteith died at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 80. His death was announced on January 2 in a social media statement by The Anglophile Channel, a LA-based production company he worked with in later years.[9][1] He is survived by his two children with Caroline Alexander.[10] Monteith's Kelly Monteith co-star Lisa Vanderpump led tributes on social media.[11][12] Many comedians, including Bennett Arron,[13] Al Murray[14] and John Wing Jr.[15] also paid tribute.

Filmography

Film and television

Year Title Notes
1976 The Kelly Monteith Show
1980 No Holds Barred Host
1979–1982 The Love Boat 3 episodes
1979–1984 Kelly Monteith 36 episodes
1985 Kelly Monteith in One
1985 New Love, American Style 1 episode
1987 Isabel's Honeymoon Hotel 1 episode
1988 Screwball Hotel Mr. Ebbel
1990 Hollywood Boulevard II Zwing Zwiner
1991 Out of this World 1 episode
1991 The Joe Longthorne Show 4 episodes
2004 A Lousy 10 Grand Ted
2009 Fuel Scout
2015 Too Hip for the Room Jake
2019 64th Man Podcast series; Old Michael
2019 The Real Geezers of Beverly Hills, Adjacent 6 episodes

As writer

Year Title Notes
1976 The Kelly Monteith Show 1 episode
1980 No Holds Barred 1 episode
1979–1984 Kelly Monteith 36 episodes
1985 Kelly Monteith in One 2 episodes
1990 Out of this World 1 episode
2004 A Lousy 10 Grand
2015 Too Hip for the Room Co-writer
2019 The Real Geezers of Beverly Hills, Adjacent 6 episodes
2019–2020 Kelly Monteith's BBC Memories 20 episodes

As producer

Year Title Notes
2015 Too Hip for the Room
2019 The Real Geezers of Beverly Hills, Adjacent 6 episodes
2014–2020 Brit Flix with Kelly, Paul and (Two Buck) Chuck 23 episodes
2019–2020 Kelly Monteith's BBC Memories 21 episodes

Source: [16]

Discography

In 1984, Lettuce Be Cool, a non-music comedy album by Monteith was released in the United Kingdom by Chrysalis Records — CHR 1436.[17] The album is available to purchase on Vinyl.

References

  1. ^ a b "Kelly Monteith: US comic who had own UK show dies at 80". BBC News. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Kelly Monteith". BFI. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved October 6, 2021.
  3. ^ "Public Records". Public Records Search. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c Tartaglione, Nancy (January 4, 2023). "Kelly Monteith Dies: Comedian & TV Host Known For Self-Titled BBC Series Was 80". Deadline. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. ^ Nozari, Aisha (January 3, 2023). "Kelly Monteith dead: Comedian dies aged 80". Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  6. ^ "BBC comedy legend Kelly Monteith has died". The Independent. January 3, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  7. ^ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  8. ^ Bennett, Steve. "Kelly Monteith dies at 80 : News 2023 : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide". www.chortle.co.uk. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "Comedian Kelly Monteith Has Died". Beyond The Joke. January 2, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  10. ^ Anglophile Channel, The (January 3, 2023). "We miss you so much, Kelly. We will always love you. Rest In Peace.❤️ #KellyMonteith". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Vanderpump, Lisa (January 3, 2023). "Such sadness to hear this! #RIP Kelly Monteith…we had so much fun together". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Anglophile Channel, The (January 3, 2023). "From Kelly's BBC series costar @LisaVanderpump. ❤️ #KellyMonteith @BBC". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Arron, Bennett (January 3, 2023). "Kelly Monteith has passed away! A few years ago I said in an interview that, along with Morecambe and Wise, Tommy Cooper and my father, he was one of my favourite comedians. He heard about it, got in contact and thanked me. It's sad that many won't know of him. #RIPKellyMonteith". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Murray, Al (January 3, 2023). "Kelly Monteith! Loved him". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  15. ^ Wing, John (January 3, 2023). "Kelly Monteith, 1942-2023. He was a wonderful comedian and a really wonderful human being. I'm glad he's at rest, since the last 18 months were a real struggle. I know he never stopped fighting. R.I.P. Comedian". Twitter. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  16. ^ "Kelly Monteith". IMDb. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  17. ^ Kelly Monteith - Lettuce Be Cool, retrieved January 3, 2023
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