The Stage

Joy Leonard

Published Monday 22 February 2010 at 15:30 by Simon Gregory

Joy Leonard was a successful cabaret artist who had a long and varied career as a singer in theatres, hotels, clubs and on cruise ships.

Born on August 3, 1921, Leonard was inspired at the age of three to enter the world of showbusiness after peeping over the balcony to watch her father, a music hall artist, known as the Great Leonardo, perform at the historic Theatre Royal, Margate.

She appeared frequently as an entertainer at Butlin’s across Britain. She became a friend of Billy Butlin, who repeatedly requested her to sing his favourite song, Unchained Melody.

At one time Leonard appeared on the same bill as the comedienne Hylda Baker, whose pair of mischievous monkeys caused mayhem in their shared dressing room.

A turning point in her career came when she partnered the talented musician Ronnie Hughes. They moved from performing in the London parks to appearing at the seaside town of Deal. The pair entertained visitors and residents alike for successive summers at the concert hall at the end of the pier.

At Deal, Leonard befriended the camp Carry On star Charles Hawtrey and they became devoted companions.

In 1988, Leonard unveiled a blue plaque on her friend’s period property. Her humorous reminiscences of their escapades locally feature in a forthcoming biography of the irrepressible actor by former Radio 1 DJ Wes Butters.

Latterly, Leonard was a popular children’s entertainer and a welcome dinner guest at parties, where she was celebrated as a lively raconteur.

Occasionally, Leonard appeared in pantomime, where she relished the roles of female villains. Her final appearance was as the Wicked Fairy in Gordon Clarkson’s Sleeping Beauty at Margate’s Theatre Royal in 1997.

She died suddenly at her home in Deal, Kent, on February 4, aged 88.