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Roger Whittaker(1936-2023)

  • Music Artist
  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker came to renown as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, as well as possibly the best whistler in the business. His music, a mix of folk and pop songs, has sometimes been described as 'middle of the road'. Whittaker was at his peak in the late 1960s and 70s, his record sales eventually totaling nearly 50 million worldwide.

Born to British parents Edward (a grocer) and Vi Whittaker (a teacher) in Nairobi, Roger went to school in Kenya and later underwent two years of national service, seeing action during the infamous Mau Mau uprising. After being demobbed in 1956, he studied medicine in Cape Town for 18 months and briefly worked as a teacher, while sidelining as a singer in local clubs. In 1959, he moved to Britain to study zoology and marine biology at the University of Bangor in Wales, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. In between studies, he wrote several songs, one of which he sent as a demo track to a music producer. This led to recording of his first single 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. He then had a minor hit with 'Steel Man', the first to feature on British charts.

Whittaker represented Britain as the winning contestant at the 1967 Knokke music festival in Belgium. His own composition of 'Mexican Whistler' and his interpretation of 'If I Were a Rich Man' went to Nr. 3 on European charts. Two years later, Whittaker had his biggest hits yet with his whistled version of 'The Skye Boat Song' (released again in 1986 as a duet with TV entertainer Des O'Connor and becoming a UK top ten) and 'Durham Town' (aka 'The Leavin'). His most popular number in the U.S. was 'The Last Farewell', recorded in 1971. It went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide. Another hit that year was 'New World in the Morning'.

For 25 years, Whittaker went on sellout tours of Europe and North America. He had a particularly strong following in Germany -- a country he toured on several occasions - mainly due to his singing in German (though recording phonetically, as he did not speak the language). He also maintained ties to Africa, promoting wildlife conservation during a 1987 tour with his rendition of 'Save the Rhino'.

In 1989, Whittaker was awarded the prestigious Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. He retired from performing in 2012, settling in France with his wife of 59 years, Natalie O'Brien. He died there on September 13 2023, aged 87.
BornMarch 22, 1936
DiedSeptember 13, 2023(87)
BornMarch 22, 1936
DiedSeptember 13, 2023(87)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos

Engelbert Humperdinck and Roger Whittaker in The Engelbert Humperdinck Show (1969)

Known for:

Brendan Gleeson in Calvary (2014)
Calvary
7.4
  • Soundtrack("New World in the Morning")
  • 2014
Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf, Yalitza Aparicio, Daniela Demesa, Diego Cortina Autrey, and Carlos Peralta in Roma (2018)
Roma
7.7
  • Soundtrack("Mamy Blue")
  • 2018
Laululintu (1998)
Laululintu
7.0
  • Soundtrack("The Last Farewell")
  • 1998
Gael García Bernal in The King (2005)
The King
6.6
  • Soundtrack("The Mexican Whistler" (1967))
  • 2005

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Feest
    TV Movie
    • Singer
    • 1970
  • Bent Fabricius-Bjerre and Helle Virkner in Det ville glæde ... (1969)
    Det ville glæde ...
    TV Movie
    • 1969
  • Radio- en TV-salon te Antwerpen
    TV Movie
    • Performer
    • 1967
  • Amusementsprogramma uit het boudewijnpark
    TV Movie
    • Singer
    • 1967

Soundtrack

  • Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
    8.7
    TV Series
    • writer: "Here Comes Heaven" (uncredited)
    • 2022
  • Marina de Tavira, Marco Graf, Yalitza Aparicio, Daniela Demesa, Diego Cortina Autrey, and Carlos Peralta in Roma (2018)
    Roma
    7.7
    • performer: "Mamy Blue"
    • 2018
  • Birthmarked (2018)
    Birthmarked
    5.7
    • performer: "You Are My Miracle"
    • 2018
  • Häiriötekijä (2015)
    Häiriötekijä
    6.8
    • performer: "The Finnish Whistler"
    • writer: "The Finnish Whistler"
    • 2015
  • Brendan Gleeson in Calvary (2014)
    Calvary
    7.4
    • performer: "New World in the Morning"
    • writer: "New World in the Morning"
    • 2014
  • Hansi Hinterseer - Traumhaftes Seenland im Salzkammergut
    TV Movie
    • performer: "Albany"
    • 2012
  • Banda sonora (2007)
    Banda sonora
    7.2
    TV Series
    • performer: "Mammy Blue"
    • 2008
  • Philip Glenister, Marshall Lancaster, John Simm, Liz White, and Dean Andrews in Life on Mars (2006)
    Life on Mars
    8.4
    TV Series
    • performer: "I don't Believe in if Anymore"
    • writer: "I don't Believe in if Anymore" (uncredited)
    • 2006
  • Gael García Bernal in The King (2005)
    The King
    6.6
    • performer: "The Mexican Whistler" (1967)
    • writer: "The Mexican Whistler" (1967)
    • 2005
  • Heidi Klum in Blow Dry - Kierot kutriniekat (2001)
    Blow Dry - Kierot kutriniekat
    6.2
    • performer: "Good Morning Starshine"
    • 2001
  • Rankkareita ja mustia sukkia (1998)
    Rankkareita ja mustia sukkia
    7.4
    TV Series
    • performer: "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (uncredited)
    • 2000
  • Laululintu (1998)
    Laululintu
    7.0
    • performer: "The Last Farewell"
    • writer: "The Last Farewell"
    • 1998
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988)
    Mystery Science Theater 3000
    8.6
    TV Series
    • writer: "The Last Farewell" (uncredited)
    • 1998
  • Christmas in Vienna (1992)
    Christmas in Vienna
    TV Series
    • writer: "Christmas Is Here Again"
    • 1997
  • Shining Time Station (1989)
    Shining Time Station
    8.1
    TV Series
    • performer: "Home"
    • 1991

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Discogs
    • France's national library catalogue
  • Alternative names
    • Roger Whittaker & Des O'Connor
  • Born
    • March 22, 1936
    • Nairobi, Kenya Colony, British East Africa [now Nairobi, Kenya]
  • Died
    • September 13, 2023
    • Montaigu-de-Quercy, Tarn-et-Garonne, France(stroke)
  • Spouse
    • Natalie O'BrienAugust 15, 1964 - September 13, 2023 (his death, 5 children)
  • Children
    • Jess Whittaker
  • Other works
    A 1975-76 concert, videotaped in Edmonton, Canada, is still replayed on public television in the US.

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    After doing national service in Kenya, he went to medical school at the University of Cape Town, while singing in local clubs. He left med school after 18 months and decided to go into teaching, attending the University of Bangor in Wales. He composed some songs and sent a demo track to a music publisher. Soon he was recording his first single, The Charge of the Light Brigade.
  • Trademarks
      His songs are often narrative and tell stories

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