Eddie Large
| Eddie Large | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Edward Hugh McGinnis |
| Born |
25 June 1941 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Medium | Comedian |
| Years active | 1971 - 2006 |
| Notable works and roles | Little and Large |
Eddie Large (born 25 June 1941) is the stage name of Edward Hugh McGinnis, a British comedian. He is best known as a part of the double act Little and Large, with Syd Little.
Early life
Large was born Edward Hugh McGinnis in Glasgow in 1941. His father Teddy served as a Petty Officer in the Royal Navy during World War II and after he returned from the war the family moved to a tenement in Oatlands.[1] When he was nine years old the family moved again to Manchester, where he attended Claremont Road Primary School[2] and a grammar school.[3] He played football as a schoolboy, became a supporter of nearby Manchester City which had its ground opposite his home and has maintained a life long devotion to the club. After he left school he worked as an electrician and was a singer.
Little and Large
He met singer and guitarist Cyril Mead in the Stonemason's Arms pub in Wythenshawe and they formed a double act following the reaction to Eddie's comic heckling of Cyril,[2] who switched to comedy. The duo then performed in northern clubs. As Little and Large they began their TV career on the talent show Opportunity Knocks winning in 1971 and went on to star in many television comedy programmes, including their own series The Little and Large Show and the ITV series Who Do You Do? doing impressions and also becoming popular as pantomime stars. In an interview in 2010, Large revealed that he and Syd Little had not spoken to each other for several years.[4] During the 2010–11 football season, football entertainment show Soccer AM did regular comedy sketches with Peterborough footballer Mark Little, and Eddie Large, as the newly reformed Little and Large.[5]
Later career
Large has worked on the after dinner circuit, and in recent years performed some cameo acting roles in dramas such as The Brief and Blackpool. In 2006 he appeared on a comedy edition of The Weakest Link, but was eliminated prior to the penultimate round. His autobiography entitled Larger than Life was published in 2005. In 2013, Large released his first single without Little, a parody of "Je t'aime... moi non plus" by Serge Gainsbourg entitled "Gee Musky... Moi Non Plus".
Personal life
Large lives in Portishead, near Bristol, with his wife Patsy and 26-year-old son. He also has two daughters and three grandchildren.
After being admitted to hospital in March 2002 due to kidney problems, he underwent a heart transplant at Papworth Hospital, Cambridge in 2003 at the age of 62, but recovered fully. Large was hospitalised for some weeks in late 2013 after tripping over a road sign near his Portishead home.[6]
References
- ↑ Eddie Large and Stafford Hildred (1 July 2005). Larger Than Life: My Autobiography. John Blake. ISBN 1844541282.
- 1 2 Wythenshawe Famous locals Little and Large Retrieved 11 February 2016
- ↑ Who's Who on Television. ITV Books, 1982
- ↑ "Little and Large 'haven't spoken for a long time' - News - TV & Radio". The Independent. 2010-06-01. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ↑ "returns! | News | Soccer AM | Sky Sports". Soccer AM. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
- ↑ "Comedian Eddie Large in hospital after road sign fall". BBC News. Retrieved 16 November 2013.