Paul O’Grady Bio, Parents, Wife, Children, Net Worth

Paul O’Grady, officially known as Paul James O’Grady was an English comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer, and former drag queen.

He rose to fame in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, through which he gained broader popularity in the 1990s.

However, O’Grady developed his drag act in 1978, basing the character of Lily Savage upon traits found among female relatives.

He toured England as part of the drag mime duo, the Playgirls, O’Grady then went solo as a stand-up comedian in the early 1980s.

O’Grady performed as Savage for eight years at a South London gay pub, the Royal Vauxhall Tavern gaining a popular following among London’s gay community and using his character to speak out for gay rights.

O’Grady attracted mainstream attention and made various television, radio, and theatrical appearances after being nominated for a 1992 Perrier Award.

As Savage, he presented the television shows The Big Breakfast, Blankety Blank, and Lily Live, earning various awards and becoming a well-known public figure.

Later in his career, O’Grady dropped the character in the 2000s and became the presenter of various television and radio shows, including The Paul O’Grady Show.

Wishing to diversify from Savage, O’Grady starred in the BBC One sitcom Eyes Down (2003–2004) and presented two travel documentaries for ITV.

Paul O'Grady

In 2004, he began presenting ITV’s daytime chat show The Paul O’Grady Show. After the network refused to transfer creative control of the series to O’Grady’s production company Olga TV, he moved to Channel 4 in 2006, where the show was rebranded as The New Paul O’Grady Show, airing until 2009.

O’Grady also presented the late-night ITV show Paul O’Grady Live (2010–2011) and BBC Radio 2’s Paul O’Grady on the Wireless (2009–2022).

His other television shows included Paul O’Grady: For the Love Of Dogs, Paul O’Grady’s Animal Orphans, Blind Date, and Paul O’Grady’s Great British Escape.

O’Grady was a Deputy Lieutenant for the County of Kent. In 2020 he became president of the British Music Hall Society, taking over the role from Roy Hudd.

Well, the famous TV star and comedian has died. Paul O’Grady passed on the evening of Tuesday, March 28, 2023, at the age of 67. He died “unexpectedly but peacefully”, his husband Andre Portasio said in a statement.

At the time of this report, the family was planning his final funeral arrangement and the details are yet to be finalized. We will keep you updated.

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Paul O’Grady Age

Paul O’Grady was born on June 14, 1955, in Birkenhead, United Kingdom. He celebrated his 67th birthday in June 2022 before he died in March 2023.

Paul O’Grady Height & Weight

Paul O’Grady stood at a height of 1.85 m and weighed around 74 kg.

Paul O’Grady Parents

He was born at St. Catherine’s Hospital in the Tranmere area of Birkenhead, Cheshire, now Merseyside to Patrick Grady (father) and Mary Savage (mother).

His father (1912–1973) was Irish and grew up in Ballincurry, County Roscommon, before moving to England in 1936 and settling in the working-class area of Birkenhead.

His name was changed from ‘Grady’ to “O’Grady” in a paperwork mistake when he joined the Royal Air Force, and he kept the new name.

His mother (1916–1988) was born in England to Irish immigrants from County Louth.

Paul O’Grady Wife

He married on two occasions. His first marriage was to Teresa Fernandes, a Portuguese model he met at a gay club. The love birds got married in 1977 and separated in 2005 after being married for 28 years.

Teresa Fernandes was a lesbian while he was gay, so they decided to marry in order to prevent her from being deported. Their marriage has been called by many a marriage of convenience.

After Paul and Teressa separated, he got married to Andre Portasio in 2007. Andre is a former professional ballet dancer who previously danced with the English National Ballet.

Paul and Andre were married during a low-key wedding ceremony in 2017, and dated for 11 years prior to that. The pair began dating back in 2006, before marrying in the summer of 2017

Paul O’Grady Children

He has a daughter, Sharon O’Grady. According to sources, he shares her child with Diane Jansen (there’s no information about her).

Sharon O’Grady has been married to Philip Moseley since 2005 and they share a child together. Her is called Abel Moseley.

Paul O’Grady Siblings

He is not the only child of his parents; Patrick Grady (father) and Mary Savage (mother).

Paul was their third child, his birth came over a decade after those of his elder brother, Brendan O’Grady (born 1941), and sister Sheila O’Grady (born 1944).

Paul O’Grady Net Worth

Before Paul O’Grady died, he had an estimated net worth of about $8.2 million. He had made such an amount as a comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer, and also from performances.