Paul O'Grady
Known for Acting · 68 credits
- Born
- 1955-06-14
- Died
- 2023-03-28
- Place of birth
- Tranmere, Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK
- Also known as
- Paul Savage · Lily Savage
Biography
Paul James O'Grady, MBE DL (14 June 1955 - 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a peripatetic care officer for Camden Council. It was here in 1978 that he developed his drag act, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found amongst female relatives. Touring northern England as part of drag mime duo, the Playgirls, he eventually went solo as a stand-up comedian. Performing as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), he gained a popular following among the city's gay community and used his character to speak out for LGBT rights. After being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award, he attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances. As Savage, he presented morning chat show The Big Breakfast (1995–96), game show Blankety Blank (1997–2002) and comedy series Lily Live! (2000–01), earning various awards and becoming a well known public figure. Seeking to diversify his career away from Savage, O'Grady starred in BBC sitcom Eyes Down (2003–04) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV. In 2004, he began presenting ITV's daytime chat show The Paul O'Grady Show, which proved a hit with audiences. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O'Grady's production company, Olga TV, in 2006 he defected to rival Channel 4, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O'Grady Show and ran until 2009. O'Grady subsequently presented a late night ITV show, Paul O'Grady Live (2010–11) as well as Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (which ran from 2012 until his death in 2023) and Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans (2014–2016), while presenting BBC Radio 2's Paul O'Grady on the Wireless and publishing a four-volume autobiography. O'Grady received a variety of awards, among them honorary degrees and an MBE in the 2008 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment. He died on 28th March 2023 aged 67.
Known For
TV Shows (45)
Doctor Who
2005
as Paul O'Grady
The Graham Norton Show
2007
as Self
Top of the Pops
1964
as Lilly Savage (Host)
The Bill
1984
The Paul O'Grady Show
2004
as Self - Host
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway
2002
as Self
An Audience with...
1978
as Self
Parkinson
1998
as Lily Savage / Self
Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
2001
as Self
Blankety Blank
1979
as Lily Savage - Presenter
Playhouse Presents
2012
as Neville
Celebrity Mastermind
2003
Eurotrash
1993
Harry Hill's TV Burp
2002
as Self - Special Guest
The New Statesman
1987
as Marlene Dietrich
Kate Garraway's Life Stories
2009
as Self
The Madame Blanc Mysteries
2021
as David
Let's Dance for Comic Relief
2009
as Self
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
1988
as Self
The Big Breakfast
1992
as Lilly Savage (On the Bed Interviewer)
Perspectives
2011
Good Morning Britain
2014
as Self
This Morning
1988
as Self
Eyes Down
2003
as Ray Temple
The Ant & Dec Show
1995
Alan Carr's Celebrity Ding Dong
2008
as Self
Chimera
1991
as Donaldson
Parkinson
2004
For the Love of Dogs
2012
as Self - Host
The British Soap Awards
1999
as Self - Presenter
The Life and Times of Vivienne Vyle
2007
Paul O'Grady's Saturday Night Line Up
2021
as Self - Presenter
Outtake TV
2002
Death In Venice
2009
Paul O'Grady's Great Elephant Adventure
2024
as Self
Viva Cabaret
1993
as Self
Coronation Street - 50 Years, 50 Moments
2010
The Lily Savage Show
1997
as Lily Savage
Celebrity Driving School
2003
Paul O'Grady's Great British Escape
2020
as Self - Presenter
Paul O'Grady's Animal Orphans
2014
as Self
Bob Monkhouse: Million Joke Man
2015
Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs - India
2018
as Self - Host
Lily Live!
2000
as Lily Savage
Paul O Grady's Working Britain
2013
Movies (23)
In the Name of the Father
1993
as Prisoner
Comic Aid
2005
The Life and Death of Lily Savage
2024
as Self (archive footage)
The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years
2020
as Self
An Evening with Lily Savage
1996
as Self
Filth!
1994
as Lily Savage
The London Studios: Home of the Stars
2018
as Self
The Real Ken Dodd: The Man I Loved
2024
Ken Dodd: A Legacy of Happiness
2025
Stanley Baxter: Now and Then
2008
as Self
Our Cilla: The One and Only
2021
as Self
The Paul O'Grady Story
2017
as Self - Lily Savage (archive footage)
County Kilburn
2000
as Paul O'Grady
Lily Savage: The Live Show
1998
as Lily Savage
For the Love of Paul O'Grady
2023
as Self (archive footage)
The Untransmittable Lily Savage Show
1997
as Lily Savage
Lily Savage: Live And Outrageous
1995
as Lily Savage
Lily Savage Live: Paying the Rent
1993
as Lily Savage/Kitty Kelly
Maisie
2022
as Self
Our Cilla
2015
as Self
Paul O'Grady's Favourite Fairy Tales
2016
as Self - Presenter
Fairest of Them All
1994
as Lily Savage (voice)
Lily Savage Live from the Hackney Empire
1991
as Lily Savage
About Paul O'Grady
Paul James O'Grady, MBE DL (14 June 1955 - 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio disc jockey. He achieved fame using his comedic drag queen character, "Lily Savage", and later became well known for presenting TV programmes as himself, such as The Paul O'Grady Show. Born to a working-class Irish family in Birkenhead, he attended Blessed Edward Campion Secondary Modern School, in Claughton Village, Birkenhead, Cheshire (now Merseyside). O'Grady moved to London in the late-1970s, there working as a… With 68 credits spanning from 1964 to 2025, Paul O'Grady has appeared in 23 films and 45 TV shows.
Fans searching for Paul O'Grady movies, Paul O'Grady filmography, or the latest projects starring Paul O'Grady can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Paul O'Grady Movies
- In the Name of the Father (1993) — as Prisoner
- Comic Aid (2005)
- The Life and Death of Lily Savage (2024) — as Self (archive footage)
- The National Television Awards Celebrate 25 Years (2020) — as Self
- An Evening with Lily Savage (1996) — as Self
Where to Watch Paul O'Grady Films
Most Paul O'Grady movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Paul O'Grady, check our movies catalogue and browse page.