Norman Wisdom 1915-2010: 10 things you need to know about the comedy actor Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/top-10s/2010/10/05/norman-wisdom-1915-2010-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-comedy-actor-115875-22610808/#ixzz11XYVLqd6 Go Camping for 95p! Vouchers collectable in the Daily and Sunday Mirror until 11th August . Click here for more information

Norman Wisdom has died aged 95 after a series of strokes.

Here is the lowdown on the comic legend…
1. Norman Joseph Wisdom was born to a chauffeur and a dressmaker in Marylebone, London, on 4 February 1915. He spent time in a children’s home aged nine when his parents split up.
2. He ran away, and went on to become an errand boy, before walking and hitching to Cardiff to become a cabin boy in the Merchant Navy. He later joined the Army, honing his talent for entertaining, and learning to play 11 instruments.
3. He was a champion boxer during his time in the Army, his 5ft 4in frame seeing him fight at flyweight. Wisdom had previously boxed during his sailing days, winning a bout in Buenos Aires, Argentina, against a man twice his weight – only for the crew who had put him up to it to spend his prize money.
4. During World War II he worked in communications, connecting telephone calls to Winston Churchill. He also co-wrote Vera Lynn classic (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs Of Dover.


Read more:http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/top-10s/2010/10/05/norman-wisdom-1915-2010-10-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-comedy-actor-115875-22610808/