Lionel Blair

Lionel Blair was a British actor, dancer, choreographer and television presenter. He began performing as a boy during the Second World War, then took to the stage in his teens, touring in Watch on the Rhine in 1943, attended Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Theatre in 1944 and joining the Savoy Players in 1946. After turning from acting toward dance in 1947, he worked in the West End and took the juvenile lead role in The Five Past Eight Show in Glasgow. In the 1960s he came to prominence on television variety programs with his dance troupe. His films included The World of Suzie Wong (1960), A Hard Day's Night (1964), Absolute Beginners (1986) and Run for Your Wife (2012), and he choreographed The Magic Christian (1969). He captained a team on Give Us a Clue for over a decade from 1979, presented Name That Tune in the 1980s, published Stagestruck in 1985 and released Blair Sings Astaire in 2003.