Geoffrey
Durham is perhaps
best known today
for his regular
appearances on the
cult Channel 4 programme
Countdown where
his combination
of charm, wit and
skilful sleight
of hand have made
him one of the programme's
most popular celebrities.
He also appears
frequently as a
panellist on Through
the Keyhole, Call
My Bluff and Radio
4’s Guess
What.
Geoffrey
was born in Surrey,
and educated at
a public school
and then university.
So it wasn't a foregone
conclusion that
he would be slipping
into patent leather
Cubans to dazzle
the audiences of
the Margate Winter
Gardens with his
sleight of hand.
Having gone to Leeds
University to take
a degree in Spanish,
he became a member
of the University
Theatre Group, and
by the time he graduated
he was firmly fixed
on an acting career.
This was the early
1970's, and Geoffrey
was continuously
employed in pub
shows, theatre-in-education,
repertory -a real
mixed bag, "think-on-your-feet"
grounding that was
to prove invaluable
later on. Whilst
employed in Liverpool
with a company that
included Julie Walters,
Peter Postlethwaite
and Anthony Sher,
he devised a mind-reading
act which he performed
in clubs, and also
did escapology on
the streets.
He
then joined Michael
Bogdanov at the
Phoenix Theatre,
Leicester, and was
asked to do a magic
act for a music-hall
show. Geoffrey devised
a character to hide
behind -The Great
Soprendo, a flamboyant
Spaniard with a
manic laugh and
gaudy jewellery.
This was an immediate
hit with the public,
and Geoffrey switched
to full-time magic
overnight. From
1976, when he became
a magician, Geoffrey
was busy with a
mixture of theatre,
television and clubs.
With his wife, Victoria
Wood, he toured
the country with
their double bill,
"Funny Turns",
which did two very
successful seasons
at the King's Head,
Islington, and transferred
to the West End.
For
a number of years,
The Great Soprendo
was kept very busy
with Summer seasons,
'number one"
pantomimes and innumerable
television appearances
from Crackerjack
to Russell Harty.
But Geoffrey was
growing a little
frustrated by the
limits the character
imposed, and in
1988 he decided
to lose the wig
and the Spanish
accent and appear
simply as himself.
He was immediately
offered the job
of hosting Thames
Television's The
Best of Magic, and
successfully combined
presenting and performing
on both series in
1989 and 1990.
Since
then, he has branched
out into TV chat
shows, quizzes and
game shows, as well
as continuing to
perform regularly
in cabaret both
in Britain and abroad.
He tours regularly
with his one man
stage show Shattering
Illusions and has
performed in cabaret
all over the world.
He has also recently
begun to carve a
niche for himself
as an after dinner
speaker, a field
where he can successfully
combine his comedy
skills with his
unique brand of
magic.
He
frequently works
as an illusion adviser
for stage and television.
In his work as a
magic consultant
for corporate events,
he has created a
large number of
illusions and "one-offs"
for companies such
as Sony, IBM, and
American Express.
Geoffrey
is also an experienced
stage and film actor,
with numerous theatre
performances over
the years from Macheath
in The Threepenny
Opera to the title
role in Dracula.
He appeared in the
award winning feature
film Wish You Were
Here.
He
lives in London
with his wife and
two small children,
for whom he makes
porridge on a daily
basis.
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