1 A STAR IS BORN

Like Judy Garland, I was born in a trunk, so it was my destiny to be a performer. My parents were entertainers and in pantos – my mother was a Principal Boy supreme. My dad had gone to America to be a singing waiter with the comedian Jerry Lewis and came back after the war to make his way in showbusiness. He met my mum and they built little beach theatres. Mum used these dolls when she was singing songs of the American South. They remind me of Anthony Hopkins’ film Magic, about a ventriloquist and his dummy.