About David Essex
David Essex (born David Albert Cook; 23 July 1947) is an English singer-songwriter and actor. From 1973 to 1994, he had nineteen Top-40 singles in the UK (including two number ones) and sixteen Top-40 albums. Internationally, he had the most success with his 1973 single "Rock On". Essex has also had an extensive career as an actor, which includes a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for the film That'll Be the Day (1973) and a nomination for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Musical for Evita in 1978. == Early life == Essex was born in Plaistow, Essex (now an area in the London Borough of Newham, included within Greater London) on 23 July 1947. His father, Albert, was an East End docker and his mother, Olive (née Kemp), was a self-taught pianist and an Irish Traveller. His grandfather, Thomas Kemp, was nicknamed "Philimore", which was the anglicised version of "Philly Mor" – being Irish for "Big Philly". Essex was two years old when his parents moved out of the overcrowded home the family was sharing with relatives, to Canning Town where he grew up. Essex attended Star Lane Primary School. He loved playing football and did not answer any of the questions in the Eleven plus exam for entry into a grammar school, so that he could ensure he attended Shipman County Secondary School where he knew they played the game.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.