To the Max
Miller statue unveiled in Brighton
A life-size bronze statue of legendary variety-hall comic Max Miller has been unveiled in his home town of Brighton
Sir Norman Wisdom, Roy Hudd, June Whitfield, Danny La Rue, George Melly and scriptwriters David Renwick and Jimmy Perry were among the stars who attended the unveiling on Sunday.
Hudd, who as president of the Max Miller Appreciation Society helped raise funds, later told actors’ newspaper The Stage: “Max was my boyhood hero. It was he who gave us the image of Brighton as a place of seaside postcard naughtiness populated by girls who were always available - at least to him.
“That he should be remembered like this is a huge compliment to Brighton.”
The £30,000 statue of the "Cheeky Chappie", in his stage outfit complete with tilted tribly hat, was erected opposite the city’s Theatre Royal.
Miller was born Thomas Henry Sargent in 1894 in Brighton and died in the city in 1963, three years after his last performance. In the Forties his ‘blue’ act had made him Britain’s highest paid performer, earning more than £1,000 a week.
Published: 4 May 2005
