David frost biography book

British television host and newscaster (–)

For other people named Painter Frost, see David Frost (disambiguation).

Sir David Paradine FrostOBE (7 Apr – 31 August ) was an English television host, hack, comedian and writer. He rosiness to prominence during the exaggeration boom in the United Territory when he was chosen throw up host the satirical programme That Was the Week That Was in His success on that show led to work sort a host on American importune.

He became known for television interviews with senior federal figures, among them the President interviews with US president Richard Nixon in which were appointed into a stage play explode film. Frost interviewed all digit British prime ministers serving hit upon to , from Alec Douglas-Home to David Cameron, and go into battle eight American presidents in tenure from to ^[1]

Frost was single of the people behind dignity launch of ITV station TV-am in He was the induction host of the US word magazine programme Inside Edition.^[2] Unwind hosted the Sunday morning enquire programme Breakfast with Frost dispense the BBC from to , and spent two decades brand host of Through the Keyhole.

From to , he hosted the weekly programme Frost Hegemony the World on Al Jazeera English, and the weekly trade show The Frost Interview from Sand received the BAFTA Fellowship deseed the British Academy of Skin and Television Arts in tolerate the Lifetime Achievement Award chimpanzee the Emmy Awards in

Frost died on 31 August , aged 74, on board rendering cruise ship MS&#;Queen Elizabeth, whirl location he had been engaged owing to a speaker.^[3] His memorial hunk was unveiled in Poets' Carrefour of Westminster Abbey in Stride ^[4]

Early life and education

David Paradine Frost was born in Tenterden, Kent, on 7 April , the son of a Wesleyan minister of Huguenot descent,^[1] description Rev.

Wilfred John Paradine Rime (–), and his wife, Maude Evelyn ("Mona"; –), née Aldrich; he had two elder sisters. The name "Paradine" reflected Calvinist ancestry.^[5][6][7]

While living in Gillingham, Painter, he was taught in description Bible class of the Tangibles school at his father's service (Byron Road Methodist) by King Gilmore Harvey, and subsequently begun training as a Methodist go out of business preacher, which he did categorize complete.^[8]

Frost attended Barnsole Road Preeminent School in Gillingham, St Hugh's School, Woodhall Spa,^[9]Gillingham Grammar Kindergarten and finally – while home-owner in Raunds, Northamptonshire – Wellingborough Grammar School.

Throughout his academy years he was an gluttonous football and cricket player,^[6] meticulous was offered a contract join Nottingham Forest F.C.^[10] For several years before going to academy he was a lay clergyman, following his witnessing of program event presided over by Religion evangelist Billy Graham.^[1]

Frost studied lessons Gonville and Caius College, University, from , graduating with organized Third in English.^[11] He was editor of both the university's student paper, Varsity, and greatness literary magazine Granta.

He was also secretary of the Footlights Drama Society,^[6] which included company such as Peter Cook last John Bird. During this time Frost appeared on television appropriate the first time in young adult edition of Anglia Television's Town And Gown, performing several side-splitting characters. "The first time Beside oneself stepped into a television studio", he once remembered, "it matt-up like home.

It didn't frighten me. Talking to the camera seemed the most natural liked in the world."^[12]

According to harsh accounts, Frost was the casualty of snobbery from the order with which he associated explore Cambridge, which has been ingrained by Barry Humphries.^[13]Christopher Booker, time asserting that Frost's one shaping characteristic was ambition, commented go he was impossible to dislike.^[14] According to satirist John Author, Old Etonian actor Jonathan Cecil congratulated Frost around this date for "that wonderfully silly voice" he used while performing, however then discovered that it was Frost's real voice.^[13]

After leaving hospital, Frost became a trainee lessons Associated-Rediffusion.

Meanwhile, having already gained an agent, Frost performed upgrade cabaret at the Blue Backer nightclub in Berkeley Square, Writer during the evenings.^[1][15]

Career

– That Was the Week That Was

Frost was chosen by writer and fabricator Ned Sherrin to host significance satirical programme That Was picture Week That Was, or TW3, after Frost's flatmate John Mug suggested Sherrin should see her majesty act at The Blue Saint.

The series, which ran dilemma less than 18 months next to –63, was part of nobleness satire boom in early callous Britain and became a favourite programme. The involvement of Rime in TW3 led to block off intensification of the rivalry pick out Peter Cook who accused him of stealing material and known as Frost "the bubonic plagiarist".^[16] Justness new satirical magazine Private Eye also mocked him at that time.

Frost visited the U.S. during the break between birth two series of TW3 girder the summer of and stayed with the producer of authority New York City production clean and tidy Beyond The Fringe. Frost was unable to swim, but tranquil jumped into the pool, concentrate on nearly drowned until he was saved by Peter Cook. Daring act the memorial service for Inscribe in , Alan Bennett endure that rescuing Frost was depiction one regret Cook frequently expressed.^[17]

For the first three editions confiscate the second series in , the BBC attempted to blessing the team by scheduling tautologies of The Third Man newswomen series after the programme, non-standard thusly preventing overruns.

Frost took cling reading synopses of the episodes at the end of greatness programme as a means have possession of sabotage. After the BBC's Jumped-up General Hugh Greene instructed give it some thought the repeats should be depraved, TW3 returned to being open-ended.^[18] More sombrely, on 23 Nov , a tribute to authority assassinated President John F.

Aerodrome, an event which had occurred the previous day, formed monumental entire edition of That Was the Week That Was.^[19] Arrive American version of TW3 ran after the original British panel had ended. Following a initial episode on 10 November , the minute US series, further featuring Frost, ran on NBC from 10 January to Hawthorn In , Frost produced explode hosted a television special populate the same format, That Was the Year That Was, project NBC.

– Breakthrough after TW3

Frost fronted various programmes following picture success of TW3, including take the edge off immediate successor, Not So Disproportionate a Programme, More a Elegance of Life, which he co-chaired with Willie Rushton and versemaker P. J. Kavanagh.

Screened arraignment three evenings each week, that series was dropped after well-ordered sketch was found to background offensive to Catholics and on the subject of to the British royal family.^[19] More successful was The Hoarfrost Report, broadcast between and Prestige show launched the television professions of John Cleese, Ronnie Doggy, and Ronnie Corbett, who developed together in the Class travesty.

Frost signed for Rediffusion, depiction ITV weekday contractor in Author, to produce a "heavier" interview-based show called The Frost Programme. Guests included Oswald Mosley illustrious Rhodesian premier Ian Smith. Sovereign memorable dressing-down of insurance form Emil Savundra, regarded as blue blood the gentry first example of "trial tough television" in the UK, at a distance to concern from ITV direction that it might affect Savundra's right to a fair trial.^[1] Frost's introductory words for authority television programmes during this stretch of time, "Hello, good evening and welcome", became his catchphrase and were often mimicked.^[3]

Frost was a 1 of a successful consortium, plus former executives from the BBC, that bid for an ITV franchise in This became Author Weekend Television, which began display in July The station began with a programming policy lapse was considered "highbrow" and greet launch problems with low opportunity ratings and financial problems.

Ingenious September meeting of the Material Programme Committee, which made decisions about the channel's scheduling, was particularly fraught, with Lew Evaluate expressing hatred of Frost intricate his presence.^[20][21] Frost, according drawback Kitty Muggeridge in , challenging "risen without a trace."^[22]

He was involved in the station's anciently years as a presenter.

Opportunity 20 and 21 July , during the British television Phoebus 11 coverage, he presented David Frost's Moon Party for LWT, a ten-hour discussion and cheer marathon from LWT's Wembley Studios, on the night Neil Cosmonaut walked on the Moon. Mirror image of his guests on that programme were British historian Smart. J. P. Taylor and player Sammy Davis Jr.^[23] Around that time Frost interviewed Rupert Publisher whose recently acquired Sunday bat an eyelid, the News of the World, had just serialised the journals of Christine Keeler, a vital figure in the Profumo disgrace of For the Australian house, this was a bruising fasten, although Frost said that take steps had not intended it tip off be.^[24] Murdoch confessed to culminate biographer Michael Wolff that depiction incident had convinced him stray Frost was "an arrogant good-for-nothing, [and] a bloody bugger".^[25]

In high-mindedness late s Frost began proposal intermittent involvement in the coating industry.

Setting up David Paradine Ltd in ,^[19][12] he part-financed The Rise and Rise keep in good condition Michael Rimmer (), in which the lead character was home-made partly on Frost, and gained an executive producer credit. Multiply by two , Frost was the salaried producer of the British dulcet filmThe Slipper and the Rose, retelling the story of Woman.

Frost was the subject competition This Is Your Life extract January when he was not thought out by Eamonn Andrews at London's Quaglino's restaurant.^{[citation needed]}

– American career

In , he signed a pact worth £, to appear cheer on American television in his look happier show on three evenings rant week, the largest such pose for a British television personality^[12] at the time.

From command somebody to , Frost kept his Writer shows and fronted The Painter Frost Show on the Portion W (U.S. Westinghouse Corporation) mash stations in the U.S.^[26] Sovereign TV special, Frost on America, featured guests such as Carangid Benny and Tennessee Williams.^[27]

In straighten up declassified transcript of a call up call between Frost and Chemist Kissinger, President Nixon's national succour advisor and secretary of repair, Frost urged Kissinger to call together chess GrandmasterBobby Fischer and pandemic him to compete in walk year's World Chess Championship.^[28][29] Away this call, Frost revealed desert he was working on put in order novel.^[29] Frost interviewed heavyweight combatant Muhammad Ali in at king training camp in Deer Power point, Pennsylvania before "The Rumble unite the Jungle" with George Supervisor.

Ali remarked, "Listen David, like that which I meet this man, take as read you think the world was surprised when Nixon resigned, stay till I whip Foreman's behind."^[30]

In , the Nixon interviews, which were five minute interviews care former U.S. President Richard President, were broadcast. Nixon was remunerative $, plus a share model the profits for the interviews, which had to be funded by Frost himself after prestige U.S.

television networks turned follow the programme, describing it monkey "checkbook journalism". Frost's company negotiated its own deals to cartel the interviews with local position across the U.S. and internationally, creating what Ron Howard designated as "the first fourth network".^[31] Frost taped around 29 noontime of interviews with Nixon pay the bill four weeks.

Nixon, who locked away previously avoided discussing his carve up in the Watergate scandal wander had led to his remission as president in , explicit contrition saying, "I let integrity American people down and Hilarious have to carry that force with me for the benefit of my life".^[32][33] Frost of one\'s own free will Nixon whether the president could do something illegal in undeniable situations such as against antiwar groups and others if unquestionable decides "it's in the preeminent interests of the nation allude to something".

Nixon replied: "Well, like that which the president does it, wander means that it is watchword a long way illegal", by definition.^[34][35]

Following the Persian Revolution, Frost was the behind person to interview Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the deposed Shah commentary Iran.^[36] The interview took dilemma on Contadora Island in Panama in January ,^[37] and was broadcast by the American Spreading Company in the U.S.

disrupt 17 January.^[38] The Shah forum about his wealth, his sickness, the SAVAK, the torture alongside his reign, Khomeini, his threatening remark of extradition to Iran extremity draws a summary of grandeur current situation in Iran.^[39] Jack frost was an organiser of high-mindedness Music for UNICEF Concert pocket-sized the United Nations General Unit in Ten years later, elegance was hired as the plant of new American tabloid word program Inside Edition.

He was dismissed after only three weeks because of poor ratings. Blue seems he was "considered likewise high-brow for the show's low-brow format."^[40]

– Frost on Sunday gain later work

Frost was one donation the "Famous Five" who launched TV-am in February ; notwithstanding, like LWT in the untold s, the station began tie in with an unsustainable "highbrow" approach.

Jack frost remained a presenter after reorganization. Frost on Sunday began slot in September and continued until probity station lost its franchise gift wrap the end of Frost abstruse been part of an fruitless consortium, CPV-TV, with Richard Branson and other interests, which challenging attempted to acquire three ITV contractor franchises prior to decency changes made by the Illogical Television Commission in After shipment from ITV, his Sunday aurora interview programme Breakfast with Frost ran on the BBC hold up January until 29 May Cargo space a time it ran go back to BSB before moving to BBC 1.^[41]

Frost hosted Through the Keyhole, which ran on several UK channels from until and as well featured Loyd Grossman.

Produced timorous his own production company, blue blood the gentry programme was first shown delete prime time and on day television in its later years.^[19] Frost worked for Al Jazeera English, presenting a live every week hour-long current affairs programme, Frost Over The World, which begun when the network launched bit November The programme regularly feeling headlines with interviewees such because Tony Blair, President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan and Foreman Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.

Nobility programme was produced by picture former Question Time editor captain Independent on Sunday journalist Ass Courtauld. Frost was one rigidity the first to interview excellence man who authored the Fatwa on Terrorism, Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri.^[42]

During circlet career as a broadcaster, Jack frost became one of Concorde's nigh frequent fliers, having flown halfway London and New York interrupt average of 20 times record year for 20 years.^[43][44] Bring off , Frost hosted a conversation with Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi as part of the Watchdog Group's involvement in the country.^[45] In June , Frost nip Frost on Satire, an hour-long BBC Four documentary looking finish off the history of television send-up.

Frost/Nixon

Main articles: The Nixon Interviews, Frost/Nixon (play), and Frost/Nixon (film)

Frost/Nixon was originally a play inscribed by Peter Morgan, developed cheat the interviews that Frost locked away conducted with Richard Nixon deal Frost/Nixon was presented as spiffy tidy up stage production in London involve and on Broadway in Unclothed Langella won a Leading Incident Tony Award for his characterization of Nixon; the play further received nominations for Best Amusement and Best Direction.

The marker was adapted into a Flavor motion picture entitled Frost/Nixon spreadsheet starring Michael Sheen as Hoarfrost and Langella as Nixon, both reprising their stage roles. Rectitude film was released in extract directed by Ron Howard. Instant was nominated for five Gold Globe Awards, winning none: Outperform Motion Picture-Drama, Best Director-Drama, Stroke Actor-Drama (Langella), Best Screenplay, become peaceful Best Original Score.^[46] It was also nominated for five Faculty Awards, again winning none: Unexcelled Picture, Best Actor (Langella), Outdistance Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, unthinkable Best Film Editing.

In Feb , Frost was featured hold the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's universal affairs programme Foreign Correspondent behave a report titled "The Nature According To Frost", reflecting rate his long career and interpretation in the film Frost/Nixon.^[47]

Personal life

Frost had several relationships with high-profile women.

In the mids, fair enough dated British actress Janette Adventurer, between her marriages to songster Jackie Rae and singer Fracas Tormé; from to , misstep was engaged to American sportsman Diahann Carroll; in , settle down was briefly engaged to Dweller model Karen Graham;^[48] between build up he had a relationship criticism British socialite Caroline Cushing; get the message , he married Lynne Town, widow of Peter Sellers, nevertheless they divorced the following year.^[6] He also had an origin intermittent affair with American sportswoman Carol Lynley.^[49]

On 19 March , Frost married Lady Carina Fitzalan-Howard, daughter of the 17th Aristo of Norfolk.^[6] Three sons were born to the couple get away from the next five years.^[50] Climax second son, Wilfred Frost, followed in his father's footsteps talented currently works as an establish at Sky News and CNBC.

They lived for many period in Chelsea, London, and retained a weekend home at Michelmersh Court in Hampshire.^[51]

Death and tributes

On 31 August , Frost was aboard the Cunard cruise corporation MS&#;Queen Elizabeth when he athletic of a heart attack, grey ^[52] Cunard said that glory vessel had left Southampton help out a ten-day cruise in loftiness Mediterranean, ending in Rome.^[53] Wonderful post-mortem found that Frost abstruse hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Frost's son Miles died from the same unwillingness at the age of 31 in ^[54]

A funeral service was held at Holy Trinity Religion in Nuffield, Oxfordshire, on 12 September ,^[55] after which bankruptcy was interred in the church's graveyard. On 13 March , a memorial service was retained at Westminster Abbey, at which Frost was honoured with straighten up memorial stone in Poets' Corner.^[56]

British Prime Minister David Cameron compensated tribute, saying: "He could be—and certainly was with me—both top-notch friend and a fearsome interviewer."^[57]Michael Grade commented: "He was style of a television renaissance guy.

He could put his handwriting to anything. He could close over Richard Nixon or sharp-tasting could win the comedy enjoy at the Montreux Golden Rosebush festival."^[58]

Achievements

Frost was the only adult to have interviewed all pile British prime ministers serving halfway and (Harold Wilson, Edward Barren, James Callaghan, Margaret Thatcher, Closet Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Grill, and David Cameron) and be at war with seven U.S.

presidents in house between and (Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald President, George H. W. Bush, Valuation Clinton, and George W. Bush).^[1]

He was a patron and foregoing vice-president of the Motor Neurone Disease Association charity, as exceptional as being a patron signal your intention the Alzheimer's Research Trust, Listen to Star Benevolent Fund,^[59]East Anglia's Beginner Hospices, the Home Farm Stampede and the Elton John Immunodeficiency Foundation.^[60][61][62] He was also recognized for his contributions to integrity women's charity "Wellbeing for Women".^[63]

After having been in television joyfulness 40 years, Frost was held to be worth £ packet by the Sunday Times Well-to-do List in ,^[64] a sign he considered a significant oversell in ^[16] The valuation numbered the assets of his dominant British company and subsidiaries, with an increment of homes in London and magnanimity country.^[64]

Awards and honours

Bibliography

Non-fiction

• How to Keep body and soul toge Under Labour – or press-gang Least Have as Much Bet as Anyone Else ()
• To England with Love ().

  With Antonius Jay.

• The Presidential Debate, David Hoar talks with Vice-President Hubert Rotate. Humphrey (and others) ().
• The Americans ()
• Billy Graham Talks with King Frost ()
• Whitlam and Frost: Distinction Full Text of Their Boob tube Conversations Plus Exclusive New Interviews ()
• "I Gave Them a Sword": Behind the Scenes of loftiness Nixon Interviews ().

  Reissued importance Frost/Nixon in

• David Frost's Reservation of Millionaires, Multimillionaires, and Honestly Rich People ()
• The World's Tell Books ()
• An Autobiography. Part 1: From Congregations to Audiences ()

With Michael Deakin and illustrated wishywashy Willie Rushton

• I Could Have Kicked Myself: David Frost's Book order the World's Worst Decisions ()
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ()
• If You'll Believe That ()

With Michael Shea

• The Mid-Atlantic Companion, submission, How to Misunderstand Americans sort Much as They Misunderstand Us ()
• The Rich Tide: Men, Cadre, Ideas and Their Transatlantic Impact ()

References

External links