David Frost
OBE | |
---|---|
Born | David Paradine Frost 7 April 1939 |
Died | 31 August 2013 | (aged 74)
Resting place | Holy Trinity Churchyard, Nuffield, Oxfordshire, England |
Education | Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1962–2013 |
Known for |
|
Spouses | |
Partner(s) | Diahann Carroll (1970–1973) |
Children | 3, including Wilfred |
Sir David Paradine Frost
Frost was one of the people behind the launch of ITV station TV-am in 1983. He was the inaugural host of the US news magazine programme Inside Edition.[2] He hosted the Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost for the BBC from 1993 to 2005, and spent two decades as host of Through the Keyhole. From 2006 to 2012, he hosted the weekly programme Frost Over the World on Al Jazeera English, and the weekly programme The Frost Interview from 2012. He received the BAFTA Fellowship from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2005 and the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Emmy Awards in 2009.
Frost died on 31 August 2013, aged 74, on board the cruise ship MS Queen Elizabeth, where he had been engaged as a speaker.[3] His memorial stone was unveiled in Poets' Corner of Westminster Abbey in March 2014.[4]
Early life and education
David Paradine Frost was born in
While living in
Frost attended Barnsole Road Primary School in Gillingham,
Frost studied at
According to some accounts, Frost was the victim of snobbery from the group with which he associated at Cambridge, which has been confirmed by Barry Humphries.[13] Christopher Booker, while asserting that Frost's one defining characteristic was ambition, commented that he was impossible to dislike.[14] According to satirist John Wells, Old Etonian actor Jonathan Cecil congratulated Frost around this time for "that wonderfully silly voice" he used while performing, but then discovered that it was Frost's real voice.[13]
After leaving university, Frost became a trainee at Associated-Rediffusion. Meanwhile, having already gained an agent, Frost performed in cabaret at the Blue Angel nightclub in Berkeley Square, London during the evenings.[1][15]
Career
1962–1963: That Was the Week That Was
Frost was chosen by writer and producer Ned Sherrin to host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was, or TW3, after Frost's flatmate John Bird suggested Sherrin should see his act at The Blue Angel. The series, which ran for less than 18 months during 1962–63, was part of the satire boom in early 1960s Britain and became a popular programme. The involvement of Frost in TW3 led to an intensification of the rivalry with Peter Cook who accused him of stealing material and dubbed Frost "the bubonic plagiarist".[16] The new satirical magazine Private Eye also mocked him at this time. Frost visited the U.S. during the break between the two series of TW3 in the summer of 1963 and stayed with the producer of the New York City production of Beyond The Fringe. Frost was unable to swim, but still jumped into the pool, and nearly drowned until he was saved by Peter Cook. At the memorial service for Cook in 1995, Alan Bennett recalled that rescuing Frost was the one regret Cook frequently expressed.[17]
For the first three editions of the second series in 1963, the BBC attempted to limit the team by scheduling repeats of
1964–1969: Breakthrough after TW3
Frost fronted various programmes following the success of TW3, including its immediate successor, Not So Much a Programme, More a Way of Life, which he co-chaired with Willie Rushton and poet P. J. Kavanagh. Screened on three evenings each week, this series was dropped after a sketch was found to be offensive to Catholics and another to the British royal family.[19] More successful was The Frost Report, broadcast between 1966 and 1967. The show launched the television careers of John Cleese, Ronnie Barker, and Ronnie Corbett, who appeared together in the Class sketch. Frost signed for Rediffusion, the ITV weekday contractor in London, to produce a "heavier" interview-based show called The Frost Programme. Guests included Oswald Mosley and Rhodesian premier Ian Smith. His memorable dressing-down of insurance fraudster Emil Savundra, regarded as the first example of "trial by television" in the UK, led to concern from ITV executives that it might affect Savundra's right to a fair trial.[1] Frost's introductory words for his television programmes during this period, "Hello, good evening and welcome", became his catchphrase and were often mimicked.[3]
Frost was a member of a successful consortium, including former executives from the BBC, that bid for an ITV franchise in 1967. This became London Weekend Television, which began broadcasting in July 1968. The station began with a programming policy that was considered "highbrow" and suffered launch problems with low audience ratings and financial problems. A September 1968 meeting of the Network Programme Committee, which made decisions about the channel's scheduling, was particularly fraught, with Lew Grade expressing hatred of Frost in his presence.[20][21] Frost, according to Kitty Muggeridge in 1967, had "risen without a trace."[22]
He was involved in the station's early years as a presenter. On 20 and 21 July 1969, during the
In the late 1960s Frost began an intermittent involvement in the film industry. Setting up David Paradine Ltd in 1966,[19][12] he part-financed The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer (1970), in which the lead character was based partly on Frost, and gained an executive producer credit. In 1976, Frost was the executive producer of the British musical film The Slipper and the Rose, retelling the story of Cinderella. Frost was the subject of This Is Your Life in January 1972 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at London's Quaglino's restaurant.[citation needed]
1968–1980: American career
In 1968, he signed a contract worth £125,000 to appear on American television in his own show on three evenings each week, the largest such arrangement for a British television personality[12] at the time. From 1969 to 1972, Frost kept his London shows and fronted The David Frost Show on the Group W (U.S. Westinghouse Corporation) television stations in the U.S.[26] His 1970 TV special, Frost on America, featured guests such as Jack Benny and Tennessee Williams.[27]
In a declassified transcript of a 1972 telephone call between Frost and
In 1977, the
Following the 1979
1980–2010: Frost on Sunday and later work
Frost was one of the "Famous Five" who launched TV-am in February 1983; however, like LWT in the late 1960s, the station began with an unsustainable "highbrow" approach. Frost remained a presenter after restructuring. Frost on Sunday began in September 1983 and continued until the station lost its franchise at the end of 1992. Frost had been part of an unsuccessful consortium, CPV-TV, with Richard Branson and other interests, which had attempted to acquire three ITV contractor franchises prior to the changes made by the Independent Television Commission in 1991. After transferring from ITV, his Sunday morning interview programme Breakfast with Frost ran on the BBC from January 1993 until 29 May 2005. For a time it ran on BSB before moving to BBC 1.[41]
Frost hosted
During his career as a broadcaster, Frost became one of
Frost/Nixon
Frost/Nixon was originally a play written by
The play was adapted into a Hollywood motion picture entitled
In February 2009, Frost was featured on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's international affairs programme Foreign Correspondent in a report titled "The World According To Frost", reflecting on his long career and portrayal in the film Frost/Nixon.[47]
Personal life
Frost had several relationships with high-profile women. In the mid-1960s, he dated British actress Janette Scott, between her marriages to songwriter Jackie Rae and singer Mel Tormé; from 1970 to 1973, he was engaged to American actress Diahann Carroll; in 1974, he was briefly engaged to American model Karen Graham;[48] between 1972 and 1977 he had a relationship with British socialite Caroline Cushing; in 1981, he married Lynne Frederick, widow of Peter Sellers, but they divorced the following year.[6] He also had an 18-year intermittent affair with American actress Carol Lynley.[49]
On 19 March 1983, Frost married Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of the 17th Duke of Norfolk.[6] Three sons were born to the couple over the next five years.[50] His second son, Wilfred Frost, followed in his father's footsteps and currently works as an anchor at Sky News and CNBC. They lived for many years in Chelsea, London, and kept a weekend home at Michelmersh Court in Hampshire.[51]
Death and tributes
On 31 August 2013, Frost was aboard the
A funeral service was held at Holy Trinity Church in Nuffield, Oxfordshire, on 12 September 2013,[55] after which he was interred in the church's graveyard. On 13 March 2014, a memorial service was held at Westminster Abbey, at which Frost was honoured with a memorial stone in Poets' Corner.[56]
British Prime Minister David Cameron paid tribute, saying: "He could be—and certainly was with me—both a friend and a fearsome interviewer."[57] Michael Grade commented: "He was kind of a television renaissance man. He could put his hand to anything. He could turn over Richard Nixon or he could win the comedy prize at the Montreux Golden Rose festival."[58]
Achievements
Frost was the only person to have interviewed all eight
He was a patron and former vice-president of the
After having been in television for 40 years, Frost was estimated to be worth
Awards and honours
- 1970: Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)[65]
- 1970: Honorary Doctor of Laws degree of Emerson College
- 1993: Knight Bachelor[66]
- 1994: Honorary doctoral degree of the University of Sussex[67]
- 2000: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement[68]
- 2005: Fellowship of the BAFTA[67]
- 2009: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree of the University of Winchester[67]
- 2009: Emmy Awards[67]
Bibliography
- Non-fiction
- How to Live Under Labour – or at Least Have as Much Chance as Anyone Else (1964)
- To England with Love (1968). With Antony Jay.
- The Presidential Debate, 1968: David Frost talks with Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey (and others) (1968).
- The Americans (1970)
- Billy Graham Talks with David Frost (1972)
- Whitlam and Frost: The Full Text of Their TV Conversations Plus Exclusive New Interviews (1974)
- "I Gave Them a Sword": Behind the Scenes of the Nixon Interviews (1978). Reissued as Frost/Nixon in 2007.
- David Frost's Book of Millionaires, Multimillionaires, and Really Rich People (1984)
- The World's Shortest Books (1987)
- An Autobiography. Part 1: From Congregations to Audiences (1993)
- With Michael Deakin and illustrated by Willie Rushton
- I Could Have Kicked Myself: David Frost's Book of the World's Worst Decisions (1982)
- Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (1983)
- If You'll Believe That (1986)
- With Michael Shea
- The Mid-Atlantic Companion, or, How to Misunderstand Americans as Much as They Misunderstand Us (1986)
- The Rich Tide: Men, Women, Ideas and Their Transatlantic Impact (1986)
References
- ^ a b c d e f Jeffries, Stuart (1 September 2013). "Obituary: Sir David Frost". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "Watch Inside Edition's Very First Episode From 1989", Inside Edition, 7 January 2019, retrieved 25 November 2020
- ^ a b "Sir David Frost, broadcaster and writer, dies at 74". BBC News. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Sir David Frost's memorial at Westminster's Poets' Corner". BBC News. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/107815. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ a b c d e "Frost/Nixon". TimeLine Theatre Company. Retrieved 8 October 2022. Archived 2 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Higgins, Adrian (1 September 2013). "Frost, famous for Nixon interview, dies". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ "Obituary: Sir David Frost". BBC News. 2 September 2013.
- ^ Martineau, Hugh (1975). Half a Century of St Hugh's School, Woodhall Spa. Horncastle, Lincolnshire: Cupit and Hindley. p. 12.
- ^ Duff, Oliver (2 May 2005). "My Life in Media: Sir David Frost". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 26 February 2014. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
- ^ Hughes-Onslow, J. "Sir David Frost". The Oldie. May 2014, p. 83.
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Sir David Frost". The Daily Telegraph. London. 1 September 2013.
In 1968 he set up his own company, David Paradine Productions, and by 1969 his salary was rumoured to be £500,000.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-5750-6588-8.
- ^ Carpenter, pp. 207-8.
- ^ Carpenter, pp. 208–9.
- ^ a b Hattenstone, Simon (2 July 2011). "The Saturday interview: David Frost". The Guardian. London.
- ^ Carpenter, That Was Satire That Was, p. 261.
- ^ Carpenter, That Was Satire That Was, pp. 270–1
- ^ a b c d Leapman, Michael (1 September 2013). "Sir David Frost: Pioneering journalist and broadcaster whose fame often equalled that of his interviewees". The Independent London.
- ^ David Frost An Autobiography: Part One From Congregation to Audiences, London: HarperCollins, 1993, p. 382.
- ^ "British TV History: The ITV Story: Part 10: The New Franchises" Archived 24 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Teletronic
- ^ "Broadcaster Frost rose from satire to friendly interviewer". Archived 5 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine, The Standard. Hong Kong. 2 September 2013.
- ^ "ITV Moon Landing Coverage". British TV History. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 18 February 2008.
- ISBN 978-1-5879-8224-8.
- ^ Haigh, Gideon (March 2009). "Vanity Fare: Michael Wolff's 'The Man Who Owns the News'". The Monthly.
- ^ The David Frost Show
- ^ Zajacz, Rita. "Frost, David". Museum of Broadcast Communications. Archived from the original on 24 April 2009. Retrieved 29 November 2008.
- ^ Harper, Lauren (19 July 2013). "Henry Kissinger Jokes About Making a Pawn of Bobby Fischer". National Security Archive. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
The tournament was dramatic enough thanks to Fischer's antics, but telephone conversation on 3 July 1972, capturing British journalist David Frost asking Kissinger to persuade the grandmaster to attend the championship adds more to the story. Kissinger had an intellectual interest in chess, and the Spassky-Fischer head-to-head alone would have likely piqued his interest in the match, but Frost wanted Kissinger to get involved to ensure Fischer's participation.
- ^ a b "Declassified transcript of phone call from David Frost to Henry Kissinger" (PDF). National Security Archive. 3 July 1972.
- ^ Harvey, Chris (1 September 2013). "Sir David Frost: his five best interviews". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (2 September 2013). "AN APPRAISAL David Frost: Newsman, Showman, and Suave at Both". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "David Frost Dies Aged 74". The Wall Street Journal. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "David Frost, Who Interviewed Nixon, Is Dead at 74". The New York Times. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Nixon's Views on Presidential Power: Excerpts from an Interview with David Frost". landmarkcases.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 24 November 2019.
- ^ "Transcript of David Frost's Interview with Richard Nixon". Teaching American History. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
- ^ "Sir David Frost Dies Of Heart Attack On Ship". Sky News. 1 September 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "On Iran". (Breakfast with Frost) BBC News. 12 December 2004.
- ISBN 978-0-5209-4216-5.
- The Paley Center for Media.
- ^ "'Inside Edition' Boss has Chilling News for David Frost". The Pittsburgh Press. 3 February 1989. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- ^ "Sir David Frost: the most illustrious TV inquisitor of his generation". Evening Standard. London. 2 September 2013.
- ^ "Frost over the World – Rafael Moreno and Muhammad Tahir al-Qadri". YouTube. Archived from the original on 9 November 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ISBN 978-1-85532-667-5.
- ^ Quest, Richard (3 October 2003). "Why Concorde mattered". The Independent. London.[dead link]
- ^ Overby, Peter (10 March 2011). "U.S. Firm Under Fire For Gadhafi Makeover Contract". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ Kilday, Gregg (11 November 2008). "Trio at top of Golden Globes film noms". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 14 December 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ABC Online.
- ^ Krebs, Albin (9 March 1974). "Notes on People Solti to Pass His Paris Baton to Barenboim". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-9723372-2-9
- ^ "Obituary: David Frost". The Daily Telegraph. 1 September 2013. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "For sale: the stunning Hampshire home of Sir David Frost". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 March 2013.
- ^ Carter, Claire (1 September 2013). "Sir David Frost dies of heart attack". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- ^ "Sir David Frost has died". ITV News. 1 September 2013.
- ^ "David Frost's late son not told of heart condition inherited from father". The Guardian. London. 1 February 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
- ^ "Sir David Frost funeral: Broadcaster laid to rest in "wonderful send-off". Daily Mirror. London. 12 September 2013.
- ^ "Stars gather to honour Sir David Frost". BBC News. 13 March 2014.
- ^ "Al Jazeera host David Frost dies". Al Jazeera. 2 September 2013. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
- ^ "David Frost dies aged 74". The Guardian. London. September 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ^ "Hearing Star Benevolent Fund". Hearing Star. Archived from the original on 2 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2010.
- ^ "Our patrons". Elton John AIDS Foundation. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- ISBN 978-1-9049-6427-8.
- ^ "Patrons". Alzheimer's Research UK. Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2011.
- ^ Barnett, Emma (2 September 2013). "Why Sir David Frost 'worked tirelessly for a women's charity'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7136-7941-0.
- ^ "No. 45117". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 June 1970. pp. 6373–6374.
- ^ "No. 53284". The London Gazette. 23 April 1993. p. 7209.
- ^ a b c d "David Frost – Speaker Profile – Global Speakers Bureau". gspeakers.com.
- American Academy of Achievement.
External links
- David Frost at IMDb
- Appearances on C-SPAN
- David Frost at British Comedy Guide
- David Frost discography at Discogs
- David Frost BBC News profile
- David Frost on TV Cream
- TV Cream on Paradine Productions