Bruce Forsyth, veteran British TV host and entertainer, dies at 89

Associated Press

NEW YORK — Bruce Forsyth, a legendary entertainer, host and quizmaster on English television whose career spanned the history of TV, has died.

The BBC announced that Forsyth, who had brightened its airwaves for decades, died Friday at his home. He was 89.

Dapper and mustachioed, with a toothy smile and cheeky charm, he was a television presence for 75 years, earning him recognition by Guinness World Records in 2012 for having had the longest on-screen television career for a male entertainer.

Most recently he co-hosted Strictly Come Dancing, a popular dance competition that premiered on BBC One in 2004 and where he delivered such crowd-pleasing catchphrases as “Nice to see you, to see you nice” and “Give us a whirl!” He retired from the program in 2013.

Born the son of a garage owner in a suburb of London, Forsyth took up tap dancing as a lad after seeing a Fred Astaire film. He first appeared on TV in 1939 as a child dancer on a show called Come and Be Televised and made his stage debut at the age of 14 with his billed-at-the-bottom act “Boy Bruce, the Mighty Atom.”

Forsyth’s first major TV success came in 1958, when he was signed to host a weekly variety show, Sunday Night at the London Palladium. It drew a then-remarkable audience of 10 million viewers and reportedly caused pubs to empty out as airtime approached and pub patrons headed home to watch the show. In the process, he was said to be Britain’s highest-paid entertainer.

He hosted a number of game shows including Play Your Cards Right, The Price is Right and The Generation Game, which at its peak, attracted 20 million viewers.

Decades later, he experienced a career lull, then found a professional renaissance with Strictly Come Dancing.

Forsyth was knighted in 2011.