Name at birth: Alfred Hawthorn Hill

As Benny Hill, Alfred Hill appeared in comedy revues on stage, on the radio and, in 1949, on the television show Hi, There. In 1955 he began The Benny Hill Show, featuring skits and songs from the bottoms-and-bosoms school of British humor. Hill also appeared occasionally in films, including Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang. In the early 1970s The Benny Hill Show had made it to the U.S. and he became an international star of TV comedy. A lifelong bachelor, Hill was often accused of sexism, and by the 1980s his brand of humor was an anachronism. His show was canceled in 1989, by which time he was a rich man.