Des O’Connor Now Album UK TV Ad from the 80’s

Desmond Bernard O’Connor, CBE (born as Conrad Desmondson on 12 January 1932) is aEnglish television personality. A former talkshow host, he was the presenter of the long runningChannel 4 gameshow Countdown until mid-2008.

Born in Stepney to an Irish father and a Jewish mother, O’Connor wrote in his autobiography that he is probably the only O’Connor ever to have had a Bar Mitzvah. He was evacuated to Northampton during World War II. After completing his National Service in the Royal Air Force, he worked as a shoe salesman before entering show business. Before his break in television, his first theatre appearances were in variety, where he appeared in venues throughout the country.

He is one of only a handful of British entertainers to be acclaimed internationally on stage and television. When he was given an American series of his show, it went out to over 40 countries and was seen by 200 million people world-wide. On stage he has starred at the MGM Grand Las Vegas, the Sydney Opera House, The O’Keefe Centre, Toronto and has made over 1,000 solo appearances at the London Palladium.

He has met and worked with many personalities of the day, from rock and pop stars, actors and TV performers, to politicians, princes, to luminaries, such as Frank Sinatra, Adam Faith, Sean Connery, Liberace, The Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Robert Redford, Tony Blair, and members of the Royal Family.

He has toured with Buddy Holly and Jason Donovan.

He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 Birthday Honours.

Info taken from Wikipedia