Elaine Paige

Acting

Elaine Paige

Born 1948-03-05 · Barnet, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Elaine Jill Paige OBE (née Bickerstaff; born 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, making her first professional appearance on stage in 1964, at the age of 16. Her appearance in the 1968 production of Hair marked her West End debut. Following a number of roles over the next decade, Paige was selected to play Eva Perón in the first production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita in 1978, which brought her to the attention of the broader public. For this role, she won the Laurence Olivier Award for Performance of the Year in a musical. She originated the role of Grizabella in Cats and had a Top 10 hit with "Memory", a song from the show. In 1985, Paige released "I Know Him So Well" with Barbara Dickson from the musical Chess, which remains the biggest-selling record by a female duo. She then appeared in the original stage production of Chess, followed by a starring role in Anything Goes which she also co-produced. Paige made her Broadway debut in Sunset Boulevard in 1996, playing the lead role of Norma Desmond, to critical acclaim. She appeared in The King and I from 2000 to 2001, and six years later she returned to the West End stage in The Drowsy Chaperone. She has also worked sporadically in television. In addition to being nominated for five Laurence Olivier Awards, Paige has won many other awards for her theatre roles and has been called the First Lady of British Musical Theatre due to her skill and longevity. She has released 22 solo albums, of which eight were consecutively certified gold and another four multi-platinum. Paige is also featured on seven cast albums and has sung in concerts across the world. Since 2004 she has hosted her own show on BBC Radio 2 called Elaine Paige on Sunday. In 2014, Paige celebrated her 50 years in show business. Paige announced on her official website a "Farewell" concert tour and a new career-spanning album The Ultimate Collection to mark this milestone in her career. Outside of her work in musical theatre, Paige is a vice-president of The Children's Trust, a UK charity for children with brain injury. Elaine Jill Bickerstaff was born and raised in Barnet, Hertfordshire, where her father Eric worked as an estate agent and her mother Irene was a milliner. Her mother had been a singer in her youth, and her father was an amateur drummer. Paige stands at just under 5 feet (1.5 m) tall, which she says has caused her to lose out on leading roles. Her original ambition was to become a professional tennis player, at which point her headmistress pointed out to her "they'd never see you over the net", but Paige continued to play tennis and has referred to the sport as one of her passions. ... Source: Article "Elaine Paige" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.

Acting credits

Cats poster
7.2

"Jellicle" cats join for a Jellicle ball where they rejoice with their leader, Old Deuteronomy. One cat will be chosen to go to the "Heavyside Layer" and be reborn.

Cats

1998

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate poster
4.2

Randy plumber Sid South enjoys a profession which offers him ample opportunity to bed sexy housewives.

Adventures of a Plumber's Mate

1978

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age poster
NR

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age explores the world of Broadway from 1959 through the early 1980s as recounted by a diverse cast of Broadway stars who lived through it, creating a first-hand archive of personal backstage stories and memories. The new documentary is the long-awaited sequel to late filmmaker Rick McKay’s award-winning 2003 film Broadway: The Golden Age, continuing the saga into the '60s and '70s and spotlighting beloved classic Broadway shows including Once Upon a Mattress, Bye Bye Birdie, Barefoot in the Park, Pippin, A Chorus Line, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chicago, and 42nd Street. Featuring a galaxy of stars including Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Glenn Close, André De Shields, Jane Fonda, Robert Goulet, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, and many more, the film also includes rare archival photos and never-before-seen footage both onstage and off.

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age

2021

Unexplained Laughter poster
10.0

Lydia is unlucky in love and retreats to the Welsh countryside with her friend Betty. But the beautiful scenery holds its own humour and passion.

Unexplained Laughter

1989

The Best of the Adventures poster
6.3

A feature-length compilation of the funniest and naughtiest bits from the legendary 1970s 'Adventures of a...' series!

The Best of the Adventures

1981

A Closed Book poster
5.5

Jane appears to be ideal: attractive, intelligent, unruffled by her employer's abrupt eccentricities. But, gradually, we come aware that Jane has another agenda. Incrementally, Sir Paul's familiar surroundings are altered. His housekeeper is diverted away, strange things happen around the house and he becomes increasingly dependent on his new assistant.

A Closed Book

2012

Our Cilla poster
6.5

Tribute to entertainer Cilla Black.

Our Cilla

2015

Musicals: The Greatest Show poster
8.8

Recorded at the London Palladium and hosted by Sheridan Smith, this joyous celebration of musical theatre is packed with showstoppers from the West End’s biggest productions, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and guests including Elaine Paige, Michael Ball, Amanda Holden, Nicole Scherzinger, Josh Groban and Lea Salonga. Idina Menzel and Elaine Paige reveal the Top 10 songs from musicals, as voted for by BBC Radio 2 listeners, and there’s even a special performance from Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s next big show, Cinderella.

Musicals: The Greatest Show

2021

Chess Moves poster
8.0

A music video compilation from the musical Chess.

Chess Moves

1985

Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration poster
7.6

British superstar composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is feted in this 50th birthday benefit gala produced by Lloyd Webber's own theatrical company at London's historic Royal Albert Hall. The tribute includes highlights from Lloyd Webber's blockbuster stage hits, including The Phantom of the Opera, Cats, Evita, and Sunset Boulevard. An eclectic performing cast filmed live during the event features Tina Arena, Michael Ball, Antonio Banderas, Boyzone, Sarah Brightman, Glenn Close, Julian Lloyd Webber, Marcus Lovett, Lottie Mayor, Dennis O'Neill, Donny Osmond, Elaine Paige, Ray Shell, Kiri Te Kanawa, and Bonnie Tyler

Andrew Lloyd Webber: The Royal Albert Hall Celebration

1998

A Midsummer Night's Dream poster
5.2

At the tyrannical court of Athens, pitiless dictator Theseus plans his wedding to Hippolyta, a prisoner of war, while young Hermia is sentenced to death by her own father for loving the wrong man. Meanwhile, in the town below, an amateur theatre group rehearses. And beyond Athens, in the wild woods, dark forces are stirring...

A Midsummer Night's Dream

2016

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece poster
NR

September of 2001 saw the ground breaking introduction of musical theater to China, with MASTERPIECE - THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER presented at The Great Hall of the People. This spectacular live concert stars Elaine Page and recording sensation Kris Philips (Fei Xiang) together with an international ensemble cast and sixty piece orchestra. MASTERPIECE - THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER includes performances of many hits from his internationally acclaimed productions including CATS, THE FANTOM OF THE OPERA, EVITA and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. Be a part of this truly historic Masterpiece that is THE MUSIC OF ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER, live in Beijing.

Andrew Lloyd Webber: Masterpiece

2001

Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh poster
6.7

'Hey, Mr Producer!' features selected scenes from the productions of the world's most successful musical producer, Cameron Mackintosh - classic songs from classic musicals performed by the ultimate cast.

Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh

1998

Magasinet Special: Chess 1984 poster
NR

A documentary about the recording of the CHESS concept album by Tim Rice, Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus.

Magasinet Special: Chess 1984

1984

The One and Only Phyllis Dixey poster
NR

Aspiring dancer Phyllis Dixey makes her name as a stripper.

The One and Only Phyllis Dixey

1978

Elaine Paige at the BBC poster
5.0

Selection of Elaine Paige’s appearances on BBC TV over her four decades in show business and musical theatre

Elaine Paige at the BBC

2022

A View of Harry Clark poster
NR

Harry Clark is a social worker on the verge of cracking up. His job is to help other people: who is there to help him?

A View of Harry Clark

1989

Elaine Paige: I’m Still Here poster
7.0

Award-winning actress, singer, producer and broadcaster Elaine Paige has made a unique and major contribution to the development and production of the stage musical. Elaine Paige: I’m Still Here is a special concert that was filmed at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall, and features ‘The First Lady of British Musical Theatre’, with the 60-piece BBC Concert Orchestra. Full of great musical moments, Elaine performs musical numbers from some of the highlights of her extraordinary career, which saw her originating the roles of Eva Perón in Evita, Grizabella in Cats and Florence in Chess. The songs featured include Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, As If We Never said Goodbye, I Know Him So Well, Memory, a specially written version of I’m Still Here by Stephen Sondheim, plus many more musical theatre favourites and a few surprises.

Elaine Paige: I’m Still Here

2015

Evita: The Making of a Superstar poster
NR

Suzy Klein travels deep into the world of musical theatre, and the colourful landscapes of Argentina, to discover the story of one of the West End's most celebrated characters. Intertwining the stories of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's creation with the true story of Eva Peron, she celebrates the extraordinary show in the 40th year after its creation. Meeting musical stars including Elaine Paige, Hal Prince and Tim Rice, she hears how the show came into being, all inspired by a face on a postage stamp. She then travels to Argentina, meeting politicians, performers and Eva fans to hear how this intensely divisive figure - loved by the poor, loathed by the rich - became one of the enduring icons of our time.

Evita: The Making of a Superstar

2018

ABBA: Super Troupe poster
NR

Few bands have been able to dominate the industry in the same way as ABBA. Bursting onto the scene at the 1974 Eurovision song contest, ABBA took the world by storm, going on to sell over 300 million albums and singles and gave birth to the billion-dollar franchise, Mamma Mia.But their fame didn’t come without pain.Behind their lyrics were honest signs of true heartbreak. Since announcing their break in 1982, ABBA have continued to welcome new fans, generation after generation. Follow their journey to celebrity stardom, through archival interviews and performances from ABBA, with added inside knowledge from leading industry professionals.

ABBA: Super Troupe

2019

Show Tunes at the BBC poster
7.5

A collection of Elaine Paige's personal favourites from the BBC's song and dance archives, including songs from Cats, Sunset Boulevard, My Fair Lady, West Side Story and The Sound of Music.

Show Tunes at the BBC

2024

Des O'Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer poster
NR

ITV pay tribute to Des O'Connor in this special celebrating his life and work, telling how Des went from Butlins Redcoat to become the ultimate entertainer.

Des O'Connor: The Ultimate Entertainer

2020

No artwork available
9.0

The singer performs for and interacts with a small audience.

An Audience with Cliff Richard

1999

I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story poster
NR

A biopic of Susan Boyle's journey from a small village in rural Scotland to international fame and fan-fare following her inspiring performance on “Britain’s Got Talent,” the British reality competition series executive produced by Simon Cowell that rocketed her to superstardom.

I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story

2009