What was Spike Milligan's real first name?
Terence Alan "Spike" Milligan KBE (16 April 1918 – 27 February 2002) was a comedian, writer and actor.The son of an Irish father and an English mother, his early life was spent in India where he was born. The majority of his working life was spent in the United Kingdom. He disliked his first name and began to call himself "Spike" after hearing a band on Radio Luxembourg called Spike Jones and his City Slickers.
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23 Comments
Bob Bracegirdle
I ask you. Who is Spike Milligan. The famous Eccles. Count Moriarty - horse drawn airship conductor to the Kings of France. And many other characters. His insanity kept us all sane in a mad world.
Margaret O'Neill
Spike suffered from bi polar disorder and other mental issues... he was a genius although there are some who say he was mad... He struggled with these mental issues before they had names.. But he still managed to hone his craft as a writer and actor...
Jacqueline Tattam
A comic genius - sadly missed
deborahpmercer
I have a special weakness for his comic verse.
Felicity Hewitt
His war diaries are hilarious! His shows were so funny too. Spike Milligan was as mad as a box of frogs!
Denise Currie
I loved his wacky sense of humour and his crazy poems.
Jeff Carter
It’s amazing how an entertainer who is so well known and loved in the UK can be classed as an “unknown comedian” in other countries. This is probably because comedy does not travel well, that is to say that what is seen as funny in one country is not always appreciated in others, a classic example being Morecambe and Wise.
Rob Farr
A very good entertainment trivia question and brief but accurate explanation ... those of us who remember him were truly fortunate to experience his wacky, clever unique humour.
Rob Farr
A very good entertainment trivia question and brief but accurate explanation ... those of us who remember him were truly fortunate to experience his wacky, clever unique humour.
d p catalano
The man who wrote this Q, looks to be a very handsome young man. Cheers! 😎
Kevin Dale Streets
Not a clue...
Dale Ballinger
My Father's nickname
Diana Newman
Great man. The Goon Show on radio was so funny, with Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine. The show ran from 1951 to 1960. Michael Benin left after the second series to pursue his own individual career.
Tom Seigo
Luck guess!
Val Wilkinson
How sad for those Americans that hadn’t heard of him, or for younger Brits who aren’t familiar with his work. I have sat on crowded commuter trains laughing out loud reading his books!
Joanne Serin
Gery Tillmanns, if you don't know what to say, it's better to say nothing.
Vonda Summers
Another lucky guess, had no idea