He went on: Thankfully Moira was very understanding. Perhaps that is why hardly anyone noticed when, after 1985, he left the television spotlight altogether, just as the glare was getting hotter. Or just give her the only thing she had ever asked for to be with him. Just to be with. I couldve hugged him. Other entries in the diary recall Baxter speaking of a desperate clinging to privacy and the rejection of a potentially hostile world. Should he push aside the attention of this attractive, classy young woman? 'Silly boy,' the actor noted pithily in his diary. Too short-sighted for active Army service, he was afraid of being assigned to the merchant navy and the Atlantic convoys, but instead he was ordered to report to the coal pits, as a 'Bevin Boy' one of the conscripted mine workers. Yet he was, and is, missed: in England, as the funniest man on television; in Scotland - where they take panto very seriously - as the greatest dame of the century: a master of the double entendre and the quick, stunning costume-change. So he wouldnt talk to a newspaper, even over the phone? Could they get me an interview? But fame made his clandestine life even more risky. 'Marcus took me completely by surprise. Stanley explained he had tender feelings for Moira but agreeing to continue the relationship was real weakness on my part. He was previously married to Moira Robertson. But he didnt tackle the issue. Like his previous TV specials, it was a delirious collection of sketches and set-pieces featuring Baxter in character (his meticulously observed parodies of women like Shirley Bassey and Marlene Dietrich were a trademark), complete with spectacular sets and breathtaking changes of costume and make-up. But he hadnt been in that afternoon. There, he saw a notice appealing for performers to join the Combined Services Entertainment unit [CSE]. Published by Luath Press Ltd, 20. After 11 months of waiting, I was becoming frustrated. After four months of waiting out this covid stuff, our spring shutdowns are starting in summer, and. Moira chased Stanley, says Stanleys sister, Alice. (Photo by Evening Standard/Hulton Archive/Getty Images), 4897x4870px (41,46 x 41,23 cm) - 300 dpi - 6 MB. Anyone would be insane to choose to live such a very difficult life.' Eccentric. And then he met Moira, this soft-spoken chic young woman with the Bette Davis eyes. Stanley reckoned his wife's place was in the home. Yes. He took an immediate shine to Baxter. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. Can you tell me where they are? But Ill tell you the basic outline. What had happened to Stanley Baxter? Yes, said Young. See the complete profile on LinkedIn and discover Moira's connections and jobs at similar companies. It was absolutely selfish. Stanley was freaked out at my turning up at his house. She is the. Is it possible that we can have a chat with him? Having made it big south of the border, he regularly returned to direct and star in big-budget productions. This was the defining moment of Stanleys life. A Gannett Company. In the past, the journalists job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. This was going nowhere. He adds that he only agreed not to break things off when she threatened to jump out the window of their flat. We are doing this to improve the experience forour loyalreaders and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. Stanleys marriage to Moira became difficult over the next few years, as she struggled with mental health issues and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. Hes not there anyway. Many weeks later, I was browsing for biographical material on someone else when I came across an old copy of Whos Who In Television, with an entry on Baxter. Just a decade ago, his annual television spectaculars were as much a part of Christmas as turkey and hangovers: in December 1985, more than 14 million people tuned in to watch the monkey-faced Scotsman mimic the Queen, in a lavish show that included a full-scale orchestra and battalions of dancers. This would be NO life for you, married to someone who is essentially and primarily homosexual!, Moira's reaction was surprising, even to those who knew how liberal she was. In 1944, his call-up papers arrived. There had been no mystery about the retirement, said Lennie, who talked about the physical demands of changing costumes so often. Moira wrote him a very sane and balanced letter. I wrote you a letter. Perhaps it was time to forget it, let him be. At the same time, Moira's mental health deteriorated. After the couple tied the knot, Stanley said they had a pact which permitted him to bring men to the house they shared. But there was no chance of a reconciliation. Clerical Office Worker. If there were someone I were interested in, I could bring them home. (Later in my quest, I rang the clubs charming PR woman. contact the editor here. Baxter would tell the whole truth, on condition that it remained a secret. Mary Brennan sees nothing surprising about Baxter being so jealous of his privacy. He plays in Scotland to capacity every time, but thats not the point. It was a gloomy place, full of old men moving in slow motion and staring into space. But it was a whole new experience. His sketch shows were months in the making and the talk of the nation spectacular, controversial, unlike anything ever seen. Birth sign: Gemini. There was a sort of obsession.. A psychiatrist diagnosed schizophrenia, but she refused to take medication. In 1970, with The Stanley Baxter Show a huge BBC hit, he moved out of their house and took the apartment in Highgate Village that would be his refuge for the rest of his life. When he first came to fame in the Fifties, his identity was largely irrelevant: we were content to let stars glitter from afar. You need a knowledgeable advisor and determined advocate. Ive often wondered how her life would have turned out had she married a devoted heterosexual husband., He adds, his voice breaking: I will never know why she loved me so much. Stanley was up for the challenge. Her reaction was dramatic. Smiling at me. Stanley managed to survive the threat to his career just and Moira, as expected stood by her man. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. The star, who is best known for his self-titled comedy shows and his childrens TV series Mr Majeika, stepped away from the spotlight 25 years ago. She talked of killing herself, but he was shocked when a friend called round to find the front door wide open and Moira in the bath, the water crimson with blood. She kept calling for him and my mother wasnt too happy about this. I wrote to Stanley Baxter at his home, requesting an interview. THE PRICE of fame seems to have shot through the roof; just ask Michael Barrymore or Gazza. Whether your divorce is contested or uncontested, Tulsa Divorce Attorney Moura Robertson has the . She's just 18 years old and has already started her astronaut training to be the first person to walk on Mars in 2033. However he changed his mind when she became very, very upset and appeared to be heartbroken. You can unsubscribe at any time. Robertson Baxter Independent Financial Advice enquiry@robertsonbaxter.com 01484 608095 Client login About us About you Why choose us? Now that personal publicists are de rigueur for everyone from ministers mistresses to rugby players wives, we may even catch ourselves feeling faintly disapproving at the thought that he might want to do without the oxygen of publicity. And we never really discovered who he was, other than a brilliant character actor and impersonator; as the rules of celebrity changed, he simply refused to play by them. Should I have taken her to Cyprus? Experiences in the Far East during his concert party stint confirmed to the Scot where his heart lay. One of Scotland's greatest comedians has come out as gay but admitted: "I never wanted to be, I still don't." Stanley Baxter, 94, said that he and his wife, Moira Robertson, knew that he was. But what the Daily Express didnt know was that when Stanley arrived home, with the sound of Saturday evening theatre applause still ringing in his ears, he broke down in tears. But even today he finds it difficult to discuss the case, referring to it as 'le scandale'. Baxter resolved to repress his sexuality when he returned to Glasgow two years later to live, as he put it, 'as a straight actor'. Exasperated, his ITV television bosses told him they could no longer afford his extravaganzas. I believed that no-one in our family should be anything but a star.. 'One wounded bird helping to look after another,' Stanley said. (this was eventually broadcast on Radio 2 earlier this week). contact IPSO here, 2001-2023. At close range, under the cap and behind the scarf, he turned out to be an elderly woman. And the new rules dont apply just to celebrities on the A-List: newsreaders and weather girls must also be prepared to have the minutiae of their lives subjected to close scrutiny, or at the very least have Loyd Grossman look through their keyholes. The spotlight was his. Stanley Baxter (pictured) was married for 46 years, but he reveals in his new autobiography beneath his cheerful exterior lies a man tortured by the fact he is gay. Kenneth Williams was among the first to be told and he couldnt believe his ears. I never wanted to be gay. They werent interested in doing another take just because Stanley felt there was a whisker of it that wasnt right. Auditions were in Singapore and, after arriving there in December 1946 by flying boat, he was taken under the wing of a stooped, grey-haired man with a dusty moustache and a strident, nasal voice. It was in CSE that Baxter met openly gay men for the first time. 'I turned down too many parts . Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. He says now that he'd known for years that he found men more attractive than women, because at the Saturday morning cinema club he could not take his eyes off the half-naked Johnny Weissmuller as Tarzan, rather than Maureen O'Sullivan's Jane. The Real Stanley Baxter, by Brian Beacom. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. And, yes, the address I had was the correct one. Moira has 3 jobs listed on their profile. . Possibly even liberation is distasteful, because it encourages people to come out and make features of themselves, whereas your social and sexual life should be, as Noel Coward had it, behind closed doors. After switching to ITV with the promise of a colossal budget for The Stanley Baxter Picture Show, he met a 28-year-old German accountant named Marcus. He could sing, dance, deliver broad panto comedy and perform pinsharp impressions of any star, male or female. Well, if I do, perhaps yours will be the one. 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