Person biography:
Danny O'Dea was a British comedian born into the finest Music Hall tradition, leaving a legacy spanning eight decades and reading like the history of British comedy. He was the nephew of music hall comedians Morney Cash and Archie Glen and related to actress Kay Kendall, granddaughter of musical comedy star Marie Kendall, and daughter of vaudevillian Terry Kendall.
Danny began his career in the theatre, appearing in hundreds of musical comedies, plays, and pantomimes, as well as thousands of music hall, cabaret, and seaside summer shows nationwide and internationally. He became known as a fine comedy actor and brilliant stand-up comedian.
Danny's career took off in the 1950s and 1960s, particularly in London's Whitehall Theatre, where he appeared in the long-running farce Pyjama Tops as Inspector Crindle. He co-starred with John Inman and Fiona Richmond in Let's Get Laid and played roles in Les Dawson's Don't Tell the Wife and the stage version of Carry On Laughing.
Danny became a regular on BBC Radio and television, appearing on Sez Les with Les Dawson, Selwyn Froggart with Bill Maynard, and as Tim Trimmer in All Creatures Great and Small. He also appeared in various TV shows, including Winning Streak, Bulman, The Book Tower, and Jim'll Fix It.
During pantomime season, Danny worked with stars including Millicent Martin, Arthur Askey, Nat Jackley, Dickie Henderson, Martie Wilde, Dick Emery, and Frank Ifield, often stealing the show as the pantomime dame. He played the robber in Les Dawson's record-breaking 1980 panto at the Birmingham Palladium and starred as Widow Twankey in Aladdin in Kirkcaldy in 1982.
Danny continued to work until he was 90, enjoying popularity as Eli Duckett in Last of the Summer Wine. He remained a fixture on the show for 15 years until his character's departure.
