Cleo Laine

Acting

Cleo Laine

Born 1927-10-28 · Middlesex, England, UK

Cleo Laine was a British jazz singer and actress known for her scat singing and vocal range.

Acting credits

The Thief of Bagdad poster
7.1

When Prince Ahmad is blinded and cast out of Bagdad by the nefarious Jaffar, he joins forces with the scrappy thief Abu to win back his royal place, as well as the heart of a beautiful princess.

The Thief of Bagdad

1940

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone poster
6.9

An aging actress travels to Rome with her husband; after he suddenly dies during the flight, she begins a passionate affair with a young gigolo.

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone

1961

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells poster
6.9

After Elizabeth's husband dies, she begins to play her tenor saxophone again, and remembers when she was 15 and a member of the Blonde Bombshells, an all-girl (with one exception) swing band. Accompanied by the exception and urged on by her grand-daughter, Elizabeth hunts up all the old members of the band and urges them to perform, and in doing so, learns more than she knew about the band, its members, the roses on the drum set, and herself--the last of the Blonde Bombshells.

The Last of the Blonde Bombshells

2000

No artwork available
NR

The 49th Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium on the 21st of November, 1977. Presented by Bob Hope, includes his own performances, Julie Andrews, Paul Anka, Pam Ayres, Harry Belafonte, Brotherhood of Man, Tommy Cooper, Alan King, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth, John Williams, Little and Large, Shirley MacLaine, Jim Henson's Muppets, Rudolf Nureyev, Jack Parnell with special visits from Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Charles, Prince of Wales

The Royal Variety Performance 1977

1977

Blackout poster
6.2

When a beautiful young woman suddenly offers inebriated Casey Morrow a lot of money for a quick and easy job, he doesn't ask too many questions. But when the girl's father is found murdered the following day and Morrow's coat is soaked with blood, he must unravel the mystery to clear his name.

Blackout

1954

I Love Muppets poster
6.3

Gonzo the Great talks about the Muppets creator Jim Henson and what he did before the television show was made in 1976.

I Love Muppets

2002

Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute poster
9.0

One of many tributes following the death of Spike Milligan. Comedians, actors and musicians join forces to present a live tribute featuring a selection of comic highlights from Spike's life. From recreations of his most famous sketches to readings of Milligan's own poems and extracts from his controversial wartime memoirs, these are all interspersed with archive film clips of the great man himself, showcasing his inimitable comic genius.

Spike Milligan I told you I was ill... A live tribute

2002

6.5 Special poster
10.0

A spin-off from the BBC television show. At the suggestion of her girlfriend, a young singer decides to try and make her name in London. Catching the overnight '6.5 Special' the two find the train full of 1950's British pop stars only too ready to burst into song. As the presenters of the show are also on board, our heroine is assured of a spot on the following Saturday's 'Six Five Special'.

6.5 Special

1958

Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me poster
7.2

Commemorating the centennial of Mercer's birth, this documentary is part biography, part archive, and part recontextualization, taking Mercer's tunes and putting them in the hands of modern singers like Jamie Cullum and Dr. John to show they are still relevant today. Host Clint Eastwood also interviews artists who collaborated with Mercer or performed his songs, including composer John Williams, Blake Edwards, Andre Previn, Tony Bennett, and Julie Andrews.

Johnny Mercer: The Dream's on Me

2009

The Third Alibi poster
6.6

A composer (Laurence Payne) is stuck in a middle-class marriage and finds that his affair with his wife's half-sister (Jane Griffiths) has resulted in a pregnancy. When his wife refuses to give him a divorce he hatches a murder scheme that is too clever by half.

The Third Alibi

1961

No artwork available
7.0

Follows Francis Essex as he puts together a variety special for television.

The Dream Machine

1964

No artwork available
NR

Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth perform jazz live on stage, chat about married life together, and recall lengthy musical careers.

Cleo and John

1982

No artwork available
NR

With an introduction from his widow Dame Cleo Laine, this programme pays tribute to Sir John Dankworth, jazz musician, big band leader and composer for TV and film. Featuring a wide variety of performances from the BBC archive, it includes John playing saxophone in the company of his hero Duke Ellington from Monitor 1958, an appearance with his orchestra at the Royal Variety Performance 1962, classic tracks from the series Jazz 625 including John's band accompanying Cleo Laine, and Cleo and John's 2007 performance on Later with Jools Holland. Information captions give background details about the tunes played and John's illustrious career. John, who died in February 2010, was a pioneer of modern British jazz and an ambassador for all genres of British music.

Sir John Dankworth at the BBC

2010

On the Town poster
NR

A concert performance of Leonard Bernstein's "On the Town" performed at the Barbican Centre in London in 1993, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas and hosted by Betty Comden and Adolph Green

On the Town

1993

Cleo Sings Sondheim poster
NR

BBC TV Special from 1988.

Cleo Sings Sondheim

1988