{{Short description|Welsh comedian (1925–2022)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Wyn Calvin<br><small>MBE OStJ</small> | image = Wyn Calvin.jpg | alt = | caption = Calvin at the Grand Order of Water Rats in 2014 | birth_name = Joseph Wyndham Calvin-Thomas | birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|8|28|df=y}} | birth_place = Narberth, Pembrokeshire, Wales | death_date = {{Death date and age|2022|1|25|1925|8|28|df=y}} | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | occupation = Comedian, entertainer, actor, broadcaster | years_active = | known_for = | notable_works = }}

'''Wyn Calvin''' MBE OStJ (born '''Joseph Wyndham Calvin-Thomas'''; 28 August 1925 – 25 January 2022), known affectionately as "The Clown Prince of Wales" and "The Welsh Prince of Laughter",<ref>{{cite web |title='The longest six months of my life': Wyn Calvin MBE |url=https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/18838512.the-longest-six |website=Western Telegraph |date=November 2020 |access-date=2 July 2021 |language=en}}</ref> was a Welsh comedian, pantomime dame, television and theatre actor, radio personality, television chat show host, after-dinner speaker, lecturer, philanthropist and newspaper columnist.<ref name="ReferenceA">The incredibly colourful life of the Welshman celebrating 75 years in showbiz - Wales Online</ref> He worked with numerous stars within the entertainment industry including Harry Secombe, Bob Hope, Christopher Biggins, Shirley Bassey, Frankie Vaughan, Vic Morrow, Bud Flanagan, Roy Hudd, Max Boyce, Morecambe and Wise and Ken Dodd.<ref name="website">{{cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/wyn-calvin-celebrates-90th-birthday-9970676|title=Wyn Calvin celebrates 90th birthday and 70th year being an entertainer|publisher=Wales Online|date=1 September 2015}}</ref>

==Life and career== Born in Narberth, Pembrokeshire, he was the seventh of eight children in the Calvin-Thomas family. At the age of four, the family left for Cardiff. His father John Calvin-Thomas felt there would be a better chance of employment there.<ref name="Longest Six Months of my Life">{{cite news |last1=Sinclair |first1=Bruce |title=Longest Six Months of my Life |url=https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/18838512.the-longest-six... |access-date=10 March 2021 |publisher=Western Telegraph |date=1 November 2020}}</ref> Calvin was a pupil of Kitchener Road School and Radnor Road School before attending Canton High School for Boys in Cardiff.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/cardiff-news/2007/10/13/ex-pupils-are-set-to-reunite-for-centenary-91466-19943693/| title=Ex-pupils are set to reunite for centenary| first=Moira| last=Sharkey| publisher=South Wales Echo| date=13 October 2007| accessdate=8 June 2012}}</ref> In 1944 he was called up and enlisted in the Royal Army Service Corps aged 17. He collapsed during training and, when a heart condition was diagnosed, was invalided out.<ref name="Longest Six Months of my Life"/>

Having left the army, he went straight into entertainment, breaking the family tradition of producing Presbyterian preachers. He auditioned at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, for he served with ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association), the forces entertainment service during World War II. With war still raging he toured camps in Britain and a few weeks later, on 14 May, six days after fighting in Europe ended, his troupe sailed to France to entertain allied soldiers in newly liberated France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jenkins |first1=Gareth |title=Heydays: A man of many faces |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/theatre-news/incredibly-colourful-life-welshman-celebrating-17711977 |access-date=10 March 2021 |publisher=The Stage |date=9 March 1995}}</ref>

After leaving ENSA he spent five years in repertory theatre touring Great Britain,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> and found his forte as a comedian. His first big break on stage came in the 1960s in the guise of Humpty Dumpty in a part written for Sir Harry Secombe who performed it at the London Palladium. Wyn took the show on the road from London to Manchester.

As a comedy performer he appeared in variety theatres around the country including summer shows (seven in Llandudno and four in Blackpool where he was referred to as "Blackpool's favourite Welsh comedian").<ref name="Water Rat">{{cite web |title=Past King Rat |url=http://www.gowr.co.uk/all-water-rats/v/70 |website=GOWR |access-date=12 March 2021 |archive-date=14 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210514133754/http://www.gowr.co.uk/all-water-rats/v/70 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was particularly well known for pantomime. Appearing annually in over 50 pantomimes, he achieved the status of one of Britain's premier pantomime dames especially renowned as a classic Widow Twankey<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/webarchive/https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fblogs%2Fwales%2Fentries%2F1dcfd162-b080-3fa2-9b12-cb6a5d9bd16f|title=My Christmas: confessions of a pantomime dame|date=19 December 2013|publisher=BBC|access-date=22 February 2019}}</ref> in ''Aladdin'' which he played until 2011. Prior to Ian McKellen playing the role in an Old Vic production (2004 and 2005), he contacted Calvin for guidance.

He broke into radio in the 1950s as Tommy Trotter in the radio show Welsh Rarebit on BBC Wales. He appeared on the BBC Light Programme's ''Workers’ Playtime'' on 47 separate occasions from 1951 to 1964 and on Midday Music Hall on 13 occasions from 1953 to 1964 as well as many other programmes.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Genome Project |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?adv=0&q=Wyn+Calvin&media=all&yf=1923&yt=2009&mf=1&mt=12&tf=00%3A00&tt=00%3A00#search |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230919152957/https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?q=Wyn+Calvin#search |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 September 2023 |website=Radio Times 1923-2008 |publisher=BBC |access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref> He was a columnist in the ''Western Mail'' for many years.

He supported many charities. In 1991 he became the first Welshman ever to be elected King Rat<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gowr.net/Members/pastkingrats.html |title=Past King Rats of The Grand Order of Water Rats |publisher=Gowr.net |date=12 December 2013 |accessdate=17 August 2015}}</ref> of the Grand Order of Water Rats, a show business fraternity and charity, and was also the Welsh chairman of the Variety Club of Great Britain,<ref>{{cite news |title=Chairman of the Welsh Regional Committee |publisher=The Stage |date=5 June 1980}}</ref> executive member of The Royal Variety Charity<ref>{{cite news |title=Executive member |publisher=The Stage |date=26 February 1976 |ref=page 32}}</ref> and supported the Cerebral Palsy charity. Calvin-Thomas was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for charitable services in the 1989 Birthday Honours<ref>United Kingdom list: {{London Gazette |date=16 June 1989 |supp=y |issue=51772 |pages=12 }}</ref> and the Officer of the Order of Saint John (OStJ) in 1993.<ref>{{cite journal |title=OStJ |journal=The London Gazette |date=22 March 1993 |volume=53253 |page=5136}}</ref>

An accomplished after-dinner speaker, he spoke at St. David's Day events all over the world. He lectured on the subject 'Laughter - The Antidote to Stress'. He appeared in Malaysia, Jakarta and Vietnam in the Far East and many American states in the West.<ref name="Water Rat"/> In 1994, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. He became Vice President of both the British Music Hall Society and the Max Miller Appreciation Society.

==Personal life and death== Calvin was a founding member and trustee of the Noah's Ark Children's Hospital Charity.<ref>{{cite web |title=Founding members |url=https://noahsarkcharity.org/our_people/wyn-calvin-mbe-ostj/ |website=Noah's Ark |publisher=Noah's Ark Charity |access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref> He married Carole Calvin, a former dancer from Tenby, in 1985. At a special event in 2021, he celebrated 75 years in show business.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.westerntelegraph.co.uk/news/19622013.wyn-calvins-75-years-showbiz-feted-british-music-hall-society/|title=Wyn Calvin's 75 years in showbiz feted by British Music Hall Society|date=3 October 2021|website=Western Telegraph|access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref>

Calvin was also President of Narberth Civic Week and was a regular supporter of the event in his home town.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

He died on 25 January 2022, at the age of 96.<ref>[https://www.pembroke-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=132677&headline=A%20life%20dedicated%20to%20show-business%3A%20Narberth%20born%20entertainer%20Wyn%20Calvin%20passes%20away&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2022&fbclid=IwAR2mCjWZxK7QH-BpeXs5SGBt6a2UFR_I5KeSgw93v5XBusuG3D3o82KYUgQ Paul Evans, "A life dedicated to show-business: Narberth born entertainer Wyn Calvin passes away", ''Pembroke Observer'', 25 January 2022] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125230132/https://www.pembroke-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=132677&headline=A%20life%20dedicated%20to%20show-business%3A%20Narberth%20born%20entertainer%20Wyn%20Calvin%20passes%20away&sectionIs=news&searchyear=2022&fbclid=IwAR2mCjWZxK7QH-BpeXs5SGBt6a2UFR_I5KeSgw93v5XBusuG3D3o82KYUgQ |date=25 January 2022 }}. Retrieved 25 January 2022</ref><ref>[https://nation.cymru/culture/one-of-wales-greatest-entertainers-wyn-calvn-has-died/ "One of Wales’ greatest entertainers Wyn Calvin has died", ''Nation.Cymru'', 25 January 2022]. Retrieved 25 January 2022</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{IMDb name|1595694}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvin, Wyn}} Category:1925 births Category:2022 deaths Category:Welsh male comedians Category:Pantomime dames Category:People from Narberth Category:British Army personnel of World War II Category:Royal Army Service Corps soldiers Category:People educated at Cardiff High School Category:Members of the Order of the British Empire Category:Officers of the Order of St John