Portal:Comedy/Selected biography/34

George Robey (1869–1954) was an English comedian, singer and actor in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Robey mixed everyday situations and observations with comic absurdity, and was a popular Christmas pantomime performer. His notable successes during the First World War included the hit revue The Bing Boys Are Here, in which he sang "If You Were the Only Girl (In the World)". Born in London to a middle-class family, he made his debut on stage at age 21 as the straight man to a comic hypnotist. He soon developed his own music hall act. In 1892, he appeared in his first pantomime, Whittington Up-to-date. He starred in the Royal Command Performance in 1912 and regularly entertained before aristocracy. In 1913 he debuted in film, but with only modest success. From 1918, he created sketches based on his character, the Prime Minister of Mirth. He played Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 1 in 1935, and again in Laurence Olivier's 1944 film of Henry V. During the Second World War, Robey raised money for charities and promoted recruitment into the forces. He was knighted a few months before his death.