Bobby Ash
{{Short description|British-Canadian actor}}
Robert William "Bobby" Ash (November 5, 1925 – May 20, 2007){{cite news|title=Children's entertainer 'Uncle Bobby' dies at 82|url=https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/children-s-entertainer-uncle-bobby-dies-at-82-1.242325|publisher=CTV News|date=2007-05-23|accessdate=2007-05-24}} was an English-born Canadian actor who became known to children in the Toronto area as Uncle Bobby the host of The Uncle Bobby Show on local station CFTO-TV.
Early years
Robert Ash was born in Walsall, England{{cite news |last= Langan|first= F.F.|date= May 25, 2007|title= 'Uncle Bobby' took on Sesame Street: After a start in British music halls, he kept children spellbound with a popular Toronto television show|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/incoming/uncle-bobby-took-on-sesame-street/article17995901/|newspaper= The Globe and Mail}} into a family of actors and was brought up in the "pirate" circuses of Britain. Ash's entertainment career began as a child actor with a role in No Mother to Guide Her. During World War II, Ash performed for the British Forces in Stars in Battledress. Ash also worked as a comedy performer and circus clown.
Moving to Canada
After immigrating to Canada (leaving his parents and an unknown woman), Ash answered an advertisement for a television role as a clown in the CFTO program The Professor's Hideaway in 1959.{{cite news |last= Bawden|first= Jim|date= May 24, 2007|title= Bobby Ash, 82: TV's 'Uncle Bobby'|url= https://www.thestar.com/news/article/217163--bobby-ash-82-tv-s-uncle-bobby|newspaper= The Toronto Star}} He appeared on CFTO when it began broadcasting in 1961.[http://brioux.tv/2013/03/this-weeks-podcast-more-rocket-reports/ "This week's podcast: more Rocket reports"]. Brioux TV, by Bill Brioux, March 27th, 2013 (The character of Kiddo later went on to his own show, with a different actor.) After Ash left his first show, he returned to Britain,[http://jam.canoe.com/Television/TV_Shows/K/Kiddo_The_Clown/2001/04/04/734046.html "Here's looking at you, Kiddo"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813103549/http://jam.canoe.com/Television/TV_Shows/K/Kiddo_The_Clown/2001/04/04/734046.html |date=2017-08-13 }}. Showbiz, Bill Brioux, Nov 26, 2004 but returned shortly to Canada to create a new program for CFTO (from 1962 to 1979). Ash took early education course at Seneca College to help his work on television.
Retirement and Death
Even after retirement Ash continued to live in Toronto (Guildwood) {{cite web |url= http://www.torontomike.com/2008/04/uncle_bobby.html|title= Uncle Bobby|author= |date= April 4, 2008|website= torontomike.com}} and worked on children's books.
Ash later moved north to Elliot Lake from Toronto and died there of a heart attack on May 20, 2007.
Bibliography
- {{cite book |last= Ash|first= Robert|others= Illustrated by Amy Thibeault|date= 2005|title= Corky the Clown's Halloween|url= |location= Ilfracombe|publisher= Arthur H. Stockwell Limited|page= |isbn= 978-0-72233697-7}}
References
{{reflist|2}}
External links
- {{cite web |url= http://www.staffannouncer.com/unclebobby.htm|title= The Uncle Bobby Show|last1= Cichon|first1= Steve|date= March 2, 2008|website= staffannouncer.com}}
- {{IMDb name|id=0038621|name=Bobby Ash}}
- {{cite web |url= http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/K/Kiddo_The_Clown/2001/04/04/734046.html|archive-url= https://archive.today/20130115074259/http://jam.canoe.ca/Television/TV_Shows/K/Kiddo_The_Clown/2001/04/04/734046.html|url-status= usurped|archive-date= January 15, 2013|title= Here's Looking at You Kiddo|last1= Brioux|first1= Bill|date= November 26, 2004|website= jam.canoe.ca}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ash, Bobby}}
Category:Canadian children's television personalities
Category:People from Elliot Lake
Category:Male actors from Toronto
Category:British emigrants to Canada