Paul O'Grady
Born
June 14, 1955
Died
March 28, 2023 (67 years old)
Known For
Acting
Place of Birth
Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK
Paul James O'Grady, MBE DL (14 June 1955 - 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–2002) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure. Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage, O'Grady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down (2003–04) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show The Paul O'Grady Show, which proved a hit with audiences. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company, Olga TV, in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show and ran until 2009. O'Grady subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O'Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (which ran from 2012 until his death in 2023) and Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (2014–2016), while presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless and publishing a four-volume autobiography. O'Grady received a variety of awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment. He died on 28th March 2023 aged 67.
Known For
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
2025
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
2024
Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure
Self · (2 episodes)
2024
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
Self (archive footage)
2024
For the Love of Paul O'Grady
Self (archive footage)
2023
Maisie
Self
2022
The Madame Blanc Mysteries
David · (1 episode)
2021
Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up
Self - Presenter · (1 episode)
2021
Our Cilla: The One and Only
Self
2021
Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
Self - Presenter · (6 episodes)
2020
The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years
Self
2020
The London Studios: Home of the Stars
Self
2018
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - India
Self - Host · (4 episodes)
2018
The Paul O'Grady Story
Self - Lily Savage (archive footage)
2017
Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales
Self - Presenter
2016
Our Cilla
Self
2015
Good Morning Britain
Self · (1 episode)
2014
Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans
Self · (8 episodes)
2014
For the Love of Dogs
Self - Host · (94 episodes)
2012
Playhouse Presents
(1 episode)
2012
Perspectives
(1 episode)
2011
Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Moments
(1 episode)
2010
Death In Venice
(2 episodes)
2009
Kate Garraway's Life Stories
Self · (1 episode)
2009
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
Self · (1 episode)
2009
Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
Self · (1 episode)
2008
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
(6 episodes)
2007
The Graham Norton Show
Self · (2 episodes)
2007
Doctor Who
Paul O'Grady · (1 episode)
2005
Comic Aid
2005
The Paul O'Grady Show
Self - Host · (764 episodes)
2004
Parkinson
(1 episode)
2004
Celebrity Mastermind
(1 episode)
2003
Eyes Down
Ray Temple · (15 episodes)
2003
Celebrity Driving School
(5 episodes)
2003
Outtake TV
(19 episodes)
2002
Harry Hill's TV Burp
Self - Special Guest · (1 episode)
2002
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
Self · (1 episode)
2002
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
Self · (2 episodes)
2001
Lily Live!
Lily Savage · (13 episodes)
2000
County Kilburn
Paul O'Grady
2000
The British Soap Awards
Self - Presenter · (2 episodes)
1999
Parkinson
Lily Savage · (1 episode)
1998
Parkinson
Self · (2 episodes)
1998
Lily Savage: The Live Show
Lily Savage
1998
The Untransmittable Lily Savage Show
Lily Savage
1997
The Lily Savage Show
Lily Savage · (6 episodes)
1997
An Evening with Lily Savage
Self
1996
Lily Savage: Live And Outrageous
Lily Savage
1995
The Ant & Dec Show
(1 episode)
1995
Fairest of Them All
Lily Savage (voice)
1994
Filth!
Lily Savage
1994
In the Name of the Father
Prisoner
1993
Viva Cabaret
Self · (5 episodes)
1993
Lily Savage Live: Paying the Rent
Lily Savage/Kitty Kelly
1993
The Big Breakfast
Lilly Savage (On the Bed Interviewer) · (0 episode)
1992
Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire
Lily Savage
1991
Chimera
Donaldson · (4 episodes)
1991
This Morning
Self · (2 episodes)
1988
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
Self · (1 episode)
1988
The New Statesman
Marlene Dietrich · (1 episode)
1987
The Bill
(2 episodes)
1984
Blankety Blank
Lily Savage - Presenter · (78 episodes)
1979
An Audience with...
Self · (2 episodes)
1978
Top of the Pops
Lilly Savage (Host) · (1 episode)
1964