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Harold Davies (actor)
Encyclopedia
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
TV presenter and actor.
Early life
Davies is from a legal family of long reputable standing; his father was made one of the first black members of the Queen's CounselQueen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
after his successful work in the wake of the Mau Mau Uprising
Mau Mau Uprising
The Mau Mau Uprising was a military conflict that took place in Kenya between 1952 and 1960...
.
On completing his secondary education at Shoreham Grammar School
Shoreham College
Shoreham College is an independent day school for boys and girls aged 3 to 16 that is located in Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast between Brighton and Worthing...
where he took A levels before going on to a pre-university course, Davies started his studies at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
where he met his future wife, Gabriella, in 1985. Following graduation, the young couple left for Gabriella's native Italy, where they were to spend the next 20 years.
Despite having followed a vocational course of studies, including a masters degree at the Bocconi University
Bocconi University
Bocconi University is a private university located in central Milan, beside Parco Ravizza. Bocconi provides undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education, in addition to a range of double degree programs, in the fields of economics, management, finance and law. According to many university...
of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, he was deeply ambivalent about the first job he obtained in Italy, teaching marketing skills to employees of tyre company Pirelli
Pirelli
Pirelli & C. SpA is a diverse multinational company based in Milan, Italy. The company, the world’s fifth largest tyre manufacturer, is present in over 160 countries, has 20 manufacturing sites around the world and a network of around 10,000 distributors and retailers.Founded in Milan in 1872,...
. When the Italian television network put out a call for entertainers who would relate jokes, he applied and was called for an audition. The audition went well and attracted TV presenter Pippo Franco's attention.
Career
Davies' first television job was beginning and ending a show hosted by Pippo Franco by telling a joke.What followed was a 20-year tour through Italy's national television stations and some of their most important network programming, as well as a hectic schedule of public appearances ranging from holding down a position as presenter of a prime time radio show broadcast on Italian radio from California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, to acting in mainstream Italian cinema alongside veteran actor Carlo Verdone
Carlo Verdone
Carlo Verdone is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life:Carlo Verdone was born in Rome to Mario Verdone, an important Italian film critic, and during his youth he earned a degree in Modern Literature at Sapienza University of Rome and a degree in Film Direction at the Centro...
and making regular appearances on TV shows including Buona Domenica
Buona domenica
Buona domenica is a music album by the Italian singer-songwriter Antonello Venditti, released in 1979.-Track list:#"Buona domenica" #"Stai con me" #"Robin" #"Scusa, devo andare via " #"Modena"...
, the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune, The Price is Right
The Price Is Right
The Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed...
and Striscia Ia Notizia (a tongue-in-cheek news show broadly similar to Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You
Have I Got News for You is a British television panel show produced by Hat Trick Productions for the BBC. It is based loosely on the BBC Radio 4 show The News Quiz, and has been broadcast since 1990, currently the BBC's longest-ever running television panel show...
), as well as presenting his own shows, such as VIP Mania.
In 1991, Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
(now Prime Minister of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) asked Davies to be his personal crowd warmer every time he had to give a speech. Before long, his performances had become an integral part of Berlusconi's public appearances.
Davies also wrote a clause on environmental protection
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
that was presented on behalf of the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
government at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
assembly.
Personal life
Davies now lives in the UK but still works in ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He has been an active member of the Rotary Club as well as giving speeches, motivational and otherwise, raising money for charity and acting as a motivator, he maintains regular ties with Italy.
Selected work experience
- 1990-present: Speaker for organisations including the Rotary Clubs and motivator. Also performing functions as a Presenter and Show host
- 1997 - 2004: PresenterPresenterA presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
and entertainer at the Forte Village Resort in SardiniaSardiniaSardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
. - 2001: Actor in Once there was a Chinese in a Coma ( C'era un Cinese in Coma) directed by Carlo VerdoneCarlo VerdoneCarlo Verdone is an Italian actor, screenwriter and film director.-Early life:Carlo Verdone was born in Rome to Mario Verdone, an important Italian film critic, and during his youth he earned a degree in Modern Literature at Sapienza University of Rome and a degree in Film Direction at the Centro...
- 1997 - 1998: Presenter of the TV show VlP Mania-Summer (VIP Mania Estate).
- 1997: DJ with Radio RTL 102 on the show Trading Places (Una Poltrone per Due)
- 1996 - 1997: Interviewer on TV show "House by House" (Casa per Casa)
- 1995 - 1996: Actor/author in Film "Chicken Park" with Jerry Cala (Director).
- 1995: Actor in Kids of the Night (Raggazzi della Notte) directed by Jerry Cala
- 1995: TV Presenter for news on National TVNational TVNaţional TV is the first TV channel of the Centrul Naţional Media, owned by the Micula brothers....
Open Studio (Studio Aperto) with Paolo Liguori (Editor) - 1994 - 1997: Presenter of TV show VIP Mania on Italia 7.
- 1994: Cabaret performer on TV show Advertising Oscar Awards (Oscar della Pubblicita`)
- 1993 - 1995: Actor in numerous episodes of "Candid CameraCandid CameraCandid Camera is a hidden camera/practical joke reality television series created and produced by Allen Funt, which initially began on radio as Candid Microphone June 28, 1947...
Show" (Scherzi a parte) - 1993 - 1995: Judge/game show/presenter host on TV show Buona Domenica, a daytime weekend staple of Italian TV
- 1992 - 1994: Cast member of TV show "Have you Heard the latest?" (La Sai l'Ultima?) with Pippo Franco (Leading Italian comedian)
- 1992 - 1993: Commentator on Daily TV show Naturally Beautiful (Naturalmente Bella)
- 1992-1994: Commentator/translator on TV show Uno Mania
- 1990: Actor in The End of the Night (La Fine della Notte), directed by Davide Ferrario
Additional accomplishments
Davies has recorded a total of 12 albums, film scores, radio and commercial sales. Other TV guest appearances on Striscia la NotiziaStriscia la notizia
Striscia la notizia is an Italian television program on the Mediaset-controlled Canale 5. Its name in Italian translates as "the news slithers", a probable parody of the slighting italian journalist, submitted to politicians and overwhelmed with shame...
, the Maurizio Constanzo TV Show, 30 Ore per la Vita, The Great Big VIP Quiz (Quizzone VIP) The Truth about VIPs (La Verita' VIP), "Italian VIP Festival (Festival Italiano VIP), VIP Couple's Games (Gioco della Coppie), Give me the Pleasure VIP (Ma mi faccia ii Piacere VIP), The House of Mosca (Casa Mosca), The Wheel of Fortune VIP (La Ruota della Fortuna VIP), The Price is Right VIP (Il Prezzo e Giusto VIP).
He has provided voice services for innumerable commercials on radio in several languages, including Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. He was the official presenter of the last two Miss Italia
Miss Italia
Miss Italia is the name of a beauty pageant awarding prizes every year to young, female contestants from Italy. Since the first edition of the contest in 1939 many of the contestants have gone on to notable careers in television and film.-History:...
pageant competitions held at the Forte Village Resort in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...