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Jess Conrad (born Gerald James, 24 February 1936, in Brixton, South West London) is an actor and singer from England. He was highly popular in the late 1950s and early 1960s with a number of minor hits to his credit,"Cherry Pie","This Pullover","Mystery Girl,"Pretty Jenny" etc. Since then his live performances have always continued to be popular, with a notable ovation in 2005 at the London Palladium. During the late fifties and in to the mid sixties Jess appeared in a number of cult films, namely "The Boys" (Music by The Shadows), "Rag Doll", "Kil 1" and "Konga", he also features in a cameo in the Sex Pistols 70's film "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle"
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MUSICAL SUCCESS
Jess starred in many musicals throughout the seventies and eighties, his highly accalimed portrayal of 'Jesus' in Godspell led to his landing the title role in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat" when it first ran in the West End, he was the first successful Joseph and toured with the show for 9 years yet strangely when the BBC made the "Find A New Joseph" programme in 2006 he was not invited to participate. Jess continued in the role of 'Joseph' well into the 1980s. He has appeared in many rock operas and pantomimes as well as mainstream acting tours up and down the country. He has also been an enthusiastic member of the Showbiz Football XI and in fact managed the celebrity team for many years. His unassuming and cheerful personality and lasting youthful appearance have won him a faithful following, chiefly amongst the babyboomer generation. Jess struck up a notable working relationship with comic Jim Davidson after appearing in his now infamous adult panto 'Sinderella' and featured as 'the voice of viagra' on Jim's "Generation Game" for the BBC.
TV and FILM
His most notable recent appearance was in an episode of the BBC daytime show, Escape to the Country. During this programme, Conrad often referred to himself in the third person and likened himself to (tongue-in-cheek) James Bond. Today he divides his time between homes in England and Spain where he can often be found playing in celebrity golf match and appearances in concerts and cabaret. Now aged 71 (2007) he shows no sign of retiring saying how much he enjoys performing and feels so 'at home' on stage. He has been married to wife Renee for over forty years (Former Camay Girl in the sixties TV ads)
JESS IN THE 2000's
On 4 November 2007 Jess appeared his very own 'Icons of the Sixties' show at the Theatre Royal in Windsor with Craig Douglas and John Leyton, plus The Tornados with original member Clem Cattini on drums. The concert was a sell-out and huge success for Jess , his fellow artists and the theatres proprietor/ producer Bill Kenwright. Tour dates look promising for 2008. In April 2008 Jess can be seen in the new British film "Telstar" written and directed by Nick Moran and starring Kevin Spacey. Jess plays 60s pop music guru Larry Parnes.
External links
The Official Jess Conrad Website is http://www.jessconrad.com http://www.grahamhunter.com http://thebeatmagazine.com
