George Formby (4 October 1875 – 8 February 1921), born James Lawler Booth, was an English comedian and musician. He was a star in Edwardian music halls, singing and clowning in a sardonic style that influenced the young Charlie Chaplin. Formby was plagued by ill-health and suffered from tuberculosis, but despite this was one of the highest paid entertainers of his day. His son was the popular comedian and ukulele player who also used the stage na...
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George Formby (4 October 1875 – 8 February 1921), born James Lawler Booth, was an English comedian and musician. He was a star in Edwardian music halls, singing and clowning in a sardonic style that influenced the young Charlie Chaplin. Formby was plagued by ill-health and suffered from tuberculosis, but despite this was one of the highest paid entertainers of his day. His son was the popular comedian and ukulele player who also used the stage name George Formby.
George Formby was the stage name of James Lawler Booth, who was born in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire. His mother, Sarah Jane Booth, was a poor working-class woman who was eighteen years old and unmarried at the time of his birth. She married James's father, Francis Lawler, a few months after the birth. The marriage was turbulent, and young James was often beaten and malnourished His mother sang at public houses for alcoholic drinks and was often taken to the police station to sober up. Because his mother was so often absent...
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