About Bernard Manning
Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was an English comedian and nightclub owner. He gained a high profile on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows such as The Comedians and The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club. His act became controversial as attitudes changed, with the result that Manning was rarely seen on television in the last few decades of his career. However, he continued to perform at live venues until his death. == Early life == Manning was born in Harpurhey, Lancashire, and raised in Ancoats, both poor districts of Manchester. The second of three brothers and two sisters, he had Russian Jewish ancestry on his father's side, as well as roots in Ireland, and was brought up a "strict Catholic". In an interview with The Daily Telegraph's Allison Pearson, he stated that his paternal grandfather came from Sebastopol and changed the family name from Blomberg. He left school aged 14, worked in a tobacco factory and joined his father's greengrocery business, before joining the British Army to do his National Service. Manning had little thought of entertainment as a career, until posted to Germany, where, according to his self-written obituary (in which he claimed to have guarded Nazi war criminals Rudolf Hess and Albert Speer in Spandau Prison, Berlin, just after the Second World War), he began to sing popular songs to entertain his fellow soldiers and pass the time. This ability led him to put on free shows at the weekends.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.