Billy Marsh
{{Short description|British theatrical agent}}
{{other people|William Marsh}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Billy Marsh
| image = Billy_Marsh_-_Historical_photograph.jpg
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name = William Rawlinson Marsh
| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|6|19|df=y}}[https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVZ8-TLXZ England and Wales Death Registration Index: William Rawlinson Marsh]
| birth_place = Whitfield, Kent, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1995|12|19|1917|6|19|df=y}}
| death_place = London, United Kingdom
|education =
|alma_mater =
| nationality = British
| title =
| term =
| occupation = Theatrical agent
| years_active =
| television =
| spouse =
| website = {{URL|billymarsh.co.uk/about-us/}}
}}
William Rawlinson Marsh (19 June 1917 – 19 December 1995) was a British theatrical agent.{{cite news|last=Green|first=James|title=Obituary: Billy Marsh|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-billy-marsh-1526936.html|accessdate=5 February 2012|newspaper=The Independent|location=London|date=22 December 1995}} Widely known as the "doyen of theatrical agents",{{cite web|title=The History of Billy Marsh|url=http://www.billymarsh.co.uk/about-us/|publisher=Billy Marsh Associates, Avalon Group|accessdate=5 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130930105501/http://www.billymarsh.co.uk/about-us/|archive-date=30 September 2013|url-status=dead}} he was the founder and namesake of Billy Marsh Associates, a renowned entertainment agency, in recent times representing the likes of Jon Culshaw, Esther Rantzen and Fiona Phillips, while earlier discovering the careers of Sir Bruce Forsyth and Norman Wisdom.{{citation |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-40978956|title=Sir Bruce Forsyth: Lord Grade Recalls 'A Very Special Man'|publisher=BBC|date=18 August 2017|access-date=25 December 2024}}{{citation |url=https://www.emirates247.com/entertainment/films-music/farewell-to-the-gump-norman-wisdom-dies-2010-10-05-1.299646|title=Farewell to the Gump: Norman Wisdom Dies|publisher=Emirates 24/7|date=5 October 2010|access-date=25 December 2024}}
Marsh is the only theatrical agent ever to be subject of This Is Your Life, surprised by Michael Aspel in 1990.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}
Managerial career
Billy Marsh worked for Bernard Delfont's London Management company, with responsibility for stars including Morecambe and Wise, until 1987 when he formed his own talent management agency Billy Marsh Associates, which survived him, and was later purchased by Avalon Management Group in 2015.{{citation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/apr/16/avalon-management-group-buys-billy-marsh-associates|title=Avalon Management Group Buys Billy Marsh Associates|work=The Guardian|date=16 April 2015|access-date=24 December 2024}}
In 1991, Marsh founded his own show business promotions company, appointing friend and protégé Johnny Mans as managing director and partner, eventually becoming Johnny Mans Productions.{{cite web|url=http://www.johnnymansproductions.co.uk/contact.htm |title=Johnny Mans Productions - Contact |publisher=Johnny Mans official website}}{{cite web|url=https://companycheck.co.uk/company/02438551/JOHNNY-MANS-PRODUCTIONS-LTD/directors-secretaries |title=Directors & Company Secretary Timeline |publisher=Companies House}}
On 17 June 1996, his ashes were interred underneath the stage at The London Palladium, alongside an honorary plaque, which was "in recognition of his belief, encouragement and kindness to countless talented performers, many of whom have become legends upon this stage".
In December 2008 Marsh was the subject of the BBC Radio 4 programme Great Lives, nominated by William G.Stewart, and Michael Grade, the nephew of his long-time employer Bernard Delfont.{{cite web|title=BBC Radio 4 - Great Lives - Series 17 Episode 2 of 9|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fzw0z|publisher=BBC|date=December 2008}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Morecambe and Wise}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Billy}}
Category:British talent agents
Category:20th-century British comedians
Category:People from Dover District
Category:20th-century British businesspeople
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