Adele King
Encyclopedia
Adele King is an Irish
entertainer better known as Twink from her time as a member of a group called Maxi, Dick and Twink
which was a girl band in Ireland in the late 1960s and 1970s. She is Chloë Agnew
's mother.
with performers such as Jimmy O'Dea
, Milo O'Shea
and Maureen Potter
. She was also a Young Dublin Singer.
She has spent more than 30 years in Dublin's theatres: 26 years in the Gaiety Theatre, two years in the Point Theatre
and five years in the Olympia Theatre
. At the Olympia Theatre she co-produced and co-wrote much of the shows. She has been described as Ireland's 'Panto Queen'.
Twink has had lead roles in many theatrical productions in Ireland, including:
The opening night of Menopause: The Musical due to take place at the Tivoli on Tuesday 27 April 2010, was cancelled after Twink was hospitalised.
. She spent ten years on Play the Game, and has made many appearances as a guest on a wide range of programmes, including RTÉ's The Late Late Show
, being the subject of a tribute on that show in 2005. In 2003 she took part in RTÉ's Celebrity Farm
.
She says that the highlight of her career was being the guest at the Point Theatre at a Perry Como
concert.
Twink won a Jacob's Award for her performance in her 1981 Christmas Light Entertainment Special on RTÉ Two
.
She also was the subject of a weekend visit by the television programme Livin' with Lucy
with Lucy Kennedy
.
Twink described the Irish singer, Linda Martin
, as a "cunt
" during a tirade in May 2010. The two had been friends for 30 years but both said afterwards that they had no plans to speak to each other again.
She won TV3's Celebrity Head Chef in 2011, receiving €10,000 for charity as a result.
.
and Greenhills
. Pupils of the school have appeared on television, in films, and in commercials in Ireland and abroad. The school did not re-open for the 2008 autumn term.
. Her reaction was unique:
"If Osama bin Laden
's son was on the programme and he threatened to send a big squad to my house if I didn't put his child through, I wouldn't."
David Agnew in 1983 and had two children, Chloe in 1989, who later sang with the group Celtic Woman
, and Naomi in 1994.
Twink's marriage ended after 21 years, in October 2004. In 2006, David Agnew (aged 45) had a baby with clarinettist Ruth Hickey (29). This prompted an infamous phone call from King (54) to ex-husband Agnew. She recorded a hostile message on his answering machine which appeared afterwards on the internet. The recording contained coarse and abusive language, such as "zip up your mickey" (Irish slang for penis), and Twink insulted Hickey and the newborn infant, calling them "whore" and "bastard". King went on to threaten Agnew with denial of contact with his daughters if photographs of his new family appeared in public.
In 2010 Twink's house was ultimately not repossessed after running into arrears on her mortgage repayments.
Twink has pet dogs, cats, birds, and a donkey. She lives with her daughters in Knocklyon
, Dublin.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
entertainer better known as Twink from her time as a member of a group called Maxi, Dick and Twink
Maxi, Dick and Twink
Maxi, Dick and Twink were an all-girl singing trio in Ireland in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Maxi is Irene McCoubrey , Dick is Barbara Dixon and Twink is Adele King...
which was a girl band in Ireland in the late 1960s and 1970s. She is Chloë Agnew
Chloë Agnew
Chloë Alexandra Adele Emily Agnew is an Irish singer who is one of the current members of the Celtic music group Celtic Woman as the youngest member. She comes from Knocklyon, County Dublin where she lived with her mother Adele "Twink" King and younger sister Naomi...
's mother.
Entertainment
Adele King began singing and acting at the age of five. She was a Gaiety Kiddie and worked in pantomimePantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
with performers such as Jimmy O'Dea
Jimmy O'Dea
James Augustine "Jimmy" O'Dea was an Irish actor and comedian.-Life:Jimmy O'Dea was born in Lower Bridge Street, Dublin, where his mother kept a small toy-shop. He was one of 11 children. His father was an iron-monger and had a shop in Capel Street. He was educated at Blackrock College and...
, Milo O'Shea
Milo O'Shea
-Early life:He was born and raised in Dublin and educated by the Christian Brothers at Synge Street, along with his friend Donal Donnelly.He was discovered in the 1950s by Harry Dillon, who ran the "37 Theatre Club" on the top floor of his shop The Swiss Gem Company, 51 Lower O'Connell Street...
and Maureen Potter
Maureen Potter
Maria Philomena Potter , known as Maureen Potter, was an acclaimed Irish singer, actor, comedian and performer.-Life:...
. She was also a Young Dublin Singer.
She has spent more than 30 years in Dublin's theatres: 26 years in the Gaiety Theatre, two years in the Point Theatre
Point Theatre
The Point Theatre was a concert and events venue in Ireland, that ran from 1988–2007, enjoyed by in excess of 2 million people. It was located on the North Wall Quay of the River Liffey, amongst the Dublin Docklands...
and five years in the Olympia Theatre
Olympia Theatre, Dublin
The Olympia Theatre is a concert hall/theatre venue in Dublin, Ireland, located in Dame Street.-History:Built in 1879, it was originally called the "Star of Erin Music Hall". Two years later in 1881, it was renamed "Dan Lowrey's Music Hall" and was renamed again in 1889 to "Dan Lowrey's Palace of...
. At the Olympia Theatre she co-produced and co-wrote much of the shows. She has been described as Ireland's 'Panto Queen'.
Twink has had lead roles in many theatrical productions in Ireland, including:
- Hunky Dory with Dory Previn for Noel Pearson,
- the musical Can't Stop the MusicCan't Stop the MusicCan't Stop the Music is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...
at the Gaiety Theatre, - the musical AnnieAnnie (musical)Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...
at the Olympia Theatre, in which she played the role of 'Miss Hannigan', - the play ExtremitiesExtremities (play)(This article is about the off-Broadway play. For the 1986 film, see Extremities (film)Extremities is a play by William Mastrosimone that was first performed off Broadway in 1982...
by William MastrosimoneWilliam MastrosimoneWilliam Mastrosimone is an American playwright and screenwriter from Trenton, New Jersey. He attended high school at The Pennington School and received a graduate degree in playwrighting from Mason Gross School of the Arts, a part of Rutgers University....
at the Cork Opera HouseCork Opera HouseCork Opera House is a theatre and opera house in Cork in the Republic of Ireland. It was originally built in 1855, although its existence has not been continuous; having survived the burning of much of Cork by British forces in reprisal for an ambush of a military convoy in 1920 by Irish rebels,...
in which she played the role of 'Marjorie', - the episodic play The Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina MonologuesThe Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
at the SFX City TheatreSFX City Theatre, DublinCity Theatre Dublin is a theatre in Dublin, Ireland, founded in 1984. It is currently just a producing company that puts on over 300 shows each year in over 50 venues around the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland...
, - Sive by John B. KeaneJohn B. KeaneJohn Brendan Keane was an Irish playwright, novelist and essayist from Listowel, County Kerry.-Life and career:...
in its tour of Ireland, in which she played the part of 'Mena Glavin', - The SnowmanThe SnowmanThe Snowman is a children's book by English author Raymond Briggs, published in 1978. In 1982, this book was turned into a 26-minute animated movie by Dianne Jackson for the fledgling Channel 4. It was first shown on Channel 4 late on Christmas Eve in 1982 and was an immediate success. The film was...
at The HelixThe HelixThe Helix is a building on the Dublin City University campus between Glasnevinand Whitehall on Dublin's Northside, originally planned to be called the Aula Maxima. It was completed in 2002, and it is described as a "performance space" and holds concerts, university conferring ceremonies and...
, in which she was the narrator, and - Dirty Dusting at the Gaiety Theatre http://www.dublinks.com/index.cfm/loc/14/pt/28/spid/B95868DF-AD1B-4995-90CE767A0FE799EF.htm
The opening night of Menopause: The Musical due to take place at the Tivoli on Tuesday 27 April 2010, was cancelled after Twink was hospitalised.
Television
Twink has appeared on Irish television regularly since the late 1960s. She has starred in her own series Twink on RTÉRaidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
. She spent ten years on Play the Game, and has made many appearances as a guest on a wide range of programmes, including RTÉ's The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show, sometimes referred to as The Late Late, or in some cases by the acronym LLS, is the world's longest-running chat show by the same broadcaster and the official flagship television programme of Irish broadcasting company RTÉ...
, being the subject of a tribute on that show in 2005. In 2003 she took part in RTÉ's Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm
Celebrity Farm was a 2003 Radio Telefís Éireann reality television show, based on the international TV format The Farm, produced by Strix. Held along similar lines as I'm a Celebrity.....
.
She says that the highlight of her career was being the guest at the Point Theatre at a Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
concert.
Twink won a Jacob's Award for her performance in her 1981 Christmas Light Entertainment Special on RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two
RTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
.
She also was the subject of a weekend visit by the television programme Livin' with Lucy
Livin' with Lucy
Livin' with Lucy is an Irish television programme presented by Lucy Kennedy. First aired on 14 April 2008, the premise of the show is that Kennedy spends a weekend living with a different celebrity each episode, analysing their daily lives and interviewing them in their own homes all the while with...
with Lucy Kennedy
Lucy Kennedy
Lucy Kennedy is an award-winning Irish presenter of radio and television. Along with Bazil Ashmawy she currently co-presents the radio show Weekend Breakfast with Baz & Lucy on RTÉ 2fm. She has been described as "one of Ireland's most familiar faces"....
.
Twink described the Irish singer, Linda Martin
Linda Martin
Linda Martin is an Irish singer and television presenter. She is best known in Europe as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1992, with the song "Why Me?", and in Ireland as a member of the 1970s/1980s band, Chips.-Chips:Martin started off her musical career when she joined the band Chips...
, as a "cunt
Cunt
Cunt is a vulgarism, primarily referring to the female genitalia, specifically the vulva, and including the cleft of Venus. The earliest citation of this usage in the 1972 Oxford English Dictionary, c 1230, refers to the London street known as Gropecunt Lane...
" during a tirade in May 2010. The two had been friends for 30 years but both said afterwards that they had no plans to speak to each other again.
She won TV3's Celebrity Head Chef in 2011, receiving €10,000 for charity as a result.
Agony aunt
Twink has written an agony aunt page for over five years for the Irish magazine TV NowTV Now
TV Now is an Irish magazine containing a television guide, interviews with television stars and other television-related items. It is part of the VIP publishing franchise of Michael O'Doherty...
.
Theatre school
Twink established a performance school in summer 2002, the Adele King Theatre School in CastleknockCastleknock
Castleknock is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is in the west of the modern administrative county of Fingal within the traditional county of Dublin. It is located west of the centre of Dublin....
and Greenhills
Greenhills
Greenhills is a suburb situated in Templeogue in the Southside of the city of Dublin, Ireland. It sits between Walkinstown, Kimmage, Tallaght, Terenure and Templeogue. It is generally understood to comprise the Greenhills Estate as well as Greenpark, Limekiln and Temple Manor...
. Pupils of the school have appeared on television, in films, and in commercials in Ireland and abroad. The school did not re-open for the 2008 autumn term.
Conflict of interest allegations
Twink was accused of a conflict of interest over her marks for a contestant, known to her, on the talent show Class ActClass Act (Irish TV series)
Class Act is an Irish talent show which last aired on RTÉ One on Sundays at 18:30 throughout September and October 2008. It was presented by Derek Mooney...
. Her reaction was unique:
"If Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
's son was on the programme and he threatened to send a big squad to my house if I didn't put his child through, I wouldn't."
Private life
Twink married oboistOboist
An oboist is a musician who plays the oboe or any oboe family instrument, including the cor anglais, oboe d'amore, shawm and oboe musette....
David Agnew in 1983 and had two children, Chloe in 1989, who later sang with the group Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman
Celtic Woman is an all-female musical ensemble conceived and assembled by Sharon Browne and David Downes, a former musical director of the Irish stage show Riverdance...
, and Naomi in 1994.
Twink's marriage ended after 21 years, in October 2004. In 2006, David Agnew (aged 45) had a baby with clarinettist Ruth Hickey (29). This prompted an infamous phone call from King (54) to ex-husband Agnew. She recorded a hostile message on his answering machine which appeared afterwards on the internet. The recording contained coarse and abusive language, such as "zip up your mickey" (Irish slang for penis), and Twink insulted Hickey and the newborn infant, calling them "whore" and "bastard". King went on to threaten Agnew with denial of contact with his daughters if photographs of his new family appeared in public.
In 2010 Twink's house was ultimately not repossessed after running into arrears on her mortgage repayments.
Twink has pet dogs, cats, birds, and a donkey. She lives with her daughters in Knocklyon
Knocklyon
Knocklyon is a suburb of Dublin in Ireland, situated south west of Dublin city, and north of the Dublin Mountains.There is currently a debate among locals whether the correct name is cnoc linn, or cnoc liamhna....
, Dublin.
External links
- Family photo of Adele, Chloe and Naomi Agnew and dog Mipsey http://www.photographer.ie/pictures/People/Adele%20and%20Family.JPG
