Sir Bruce Joseph Forsyth-Johnson (22 February 1928 – 18 August 2017) was an English entertainer and television presenter whose career spanned more than 75 years.

[2] Forsyth was born on Victoria Road in Edmonton, Middlesex, on 22 February 1928,[3] the son of Florence Ada (née Pocknell) and John Thomas Forsyth-Johnson.

[4] His family owned a car repair garage and, as members of the Salvation Army, his parents played brass instruments; his mother was a singer.

[9] On 21 May 1943, Forsyth's older brother John, who was serving as a pilot in the Royal Air Force, was killed aged 20 during a training exercise at RAF Turnberry; he is commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial.

[5] Forsyth started his live public performances aged 14, with a song, dance and accordion act called Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom.

[12][13] After the war, with the goal of joining Moss Empires theatres, he spent years on stage with little success and travelled the UK working seven days a week, doing summer seasons, pantomimes and circuses, where he became renowned for his strong-man act.

[14] His act was interrupted by national service when he was conscripted into the Royal Air Force at the age of 19, which he later reflected taught him "respect and discipline".

[15] In 1958, an appearance with the comedian Dickie Henderson led to his being offered the job of compère of Val Parnell's weekly TV variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium.

[19] In January 1968 Pye Records issued as a single "I'm Backing Britain", supporting the campaign of the same name, written by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent, and sung by Forsyth.

[28] It was on this show that Forsyth introduced his "The Thinker" pose, emulating Rodin's sculpture, appearing in silhouette each week after the opening titles.

[32] The show did reasonably well in provincial theatre, but received poor reviews when it moved to London and it closed after four months in July 1978.

London Weekend Television persuaded him to return to the screen later that year to present Bruce Forsyth's Big Night, a two-hour Saturday-night show on ITV encompassing a variety of different entertainment formats (later reduced to 90 minutes).

[35] In 1986, he went to the United States to host a game show on ABC, Bruce Forsyth's Hot Streak, which ran for 65 episodes from January to April that year.

[39] During the 1970s Forsyth featured in the Stork margarine adverts on television,[40] and then during the 1980s and 1990s he appeared in an advertising campaign for the furniture retailer Courts, in which he dressed as a judge.

[53] He repaid this favour by adding the society to his busy schedule in June 1997 and appeared at their 10th annual general meeting in Plymouth.

[56] On 27 February 2005, the BBC screened A BAFTA Tribute to Bruce Forsyth to mark the entertainer's 60 years in show business.

[63] Forsyth earned a place in the 2013 Guinness Book of World Records as the male TV entertainer having had the longest career, calling it a "wonderful surprise".

[76] In August 2014, Forsyth was one of 200 public figures who signed a letter to The Guardian expressing their hope that Scotland would vote to remain part of the United Kingdom in September's referendum on that issue.

[78] A month later, he made his last full TV appearance on Strictly Children in Need Special,[36] with filming for this taking place prior to him undergoing surgery for an abdominal aortic aneurysm on 12 November.

[80] After 2015, Forsyth made no further public appearances, as his health began to decline, with his wife commenting that he struggled to move easily following his surgery.

[81] On 26 February 2017, he was again admitted to hospital with a severe chest infection and spent five days in intensive care, before returning home on 3 March 2017.

[83][84] Several celebrities paid tribute to Forsyth following his death, including his former Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly; his friends Michael Parkinson, Jimmy Tarbuck, and Des O'Connor, the BBC director general Tony Hall and the then Prime Minister, Theresa May.

[85] BBC One aired Sir Bruce Forsyth – Mr Entertainment, in place of the scheduled The One Show, in tribute.

[88] Hosted by his Strictly Come Dancing co-host Tess Daly, Sir Bruce: A Celebration was broadcast on BBC One on 11 March 2018.

[89] On 18 August 2018, the first anniversary of his death, Forsyth's ashes were laid to rest beneath the stage at the London Palladium in a private ceremony.