I have to do a presentation next week on "My hobby" (playing the piano) and thought I'd start off by getting people to guess what I had in common with certain famous people (who are famous for other things rather than playing the piano!).

The only ones I can think of are William Hague and Diane Abbott (who was on the BBC Play it again programme) - there was also Jo Brand, but she played the organ rather than the piano.

Can anyone think of anyone else?

Two comedians I can think of..Dudley Moore and Les Dawson. These are both sadly departed though. Do they have to be living??

*Tries to think of others*.

Perhaps you could broaden it to "playing an instrument" and then you could include not only Jo Brand but also Edward Heath (the former Prime Minister) who played the organ.

I like the idea of using Dudley Moore and Les Dawson. I think I saw a clip of Ted Heath on TV last night playing the piano, so I can certainly use him!

No, it doesn't matter if they are not still alive.

I believe the wonderful Sir Anthony Hopkins is a pianist

Actor Anthony Hopkins is a dedicated amateur pianist and composer who says the piano has soothed his nerves when nothing else could. He is about to undergo a tour playing his own compositions.

Doesn't the chappie who presents "The Sky At Night " play the piano?? Can't think of his name.
Bev.

Not to be confused with the "big band" leader


Patrick Moore?

Do you know if he played the Goldberg Variations for the "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal" films himself?

Dudley Moore was a great pianist.

Jonny Wilkinson - see this article on the Guardian website.

When published, the article also included a picture of Jonny in dinner jacket, bowtie undone, posing next to a grand piano (?Yamaha) in the Cadogan Hall. Guess one of the pictures on the notice board above my desk...

Patrick Moore? He certainly plays the xylophone (or something like it) and very well too!

Holly Hunter from 'The Piano'

Hugh Laurie plays the piano and I think he's also done some composing.

Have a look at this site. It's full of lists of famous people who play(ed) a musical instument so you should be able to find plenty of pianists.

and and read music at University I think

William Hague

I think Stephen Fry plays too.

Or maybe I'm just assuming that because I can't imagine someone like him not being to play piano for some reason

Condoleeza Rice I believe plays to a high level.

The actor Geoffrey Rush played all the pieces in "Shine"

Yes, apparently she's a concert standard player.

Aren't these pianists clever people?!

Bruce Forsythe



Sir Patrick Moore (whom I've had the pleasure of meeting) is better know for the Xylophone than the piano, not that I'm saying you're wrong.

Alastair Cooke - now departed this world, the radio correspondent and journalist
Condolleza Rice - plays in a quartet when not organisaing the invasion of foreign countries
Princess Anne - I've seen her piano on Britannia
Clint Eastwood - when he's not shootin' up baddies

The Pope.

Actually, Stephen Fry can't play any instrument at all. According to his autobiography "Moab Is My Washpot" being amusical is one of his greatest regrets - he adores music, but is constitutionally incapable of making it.

Kevin Kline is quite a fine pianist. Condoleeeeeeeza Rice trained as a classical pianist and has (I think) accompanied Yo-yo Ma. Apparently Myleene Klass can play as well, but the video evidence is inconclusive.

Edward

Dudley Moore was a professional musician at least as much as he was a professional actor or comedian, if not more so as it was what he actually trained as: I might direct you to the Beethoven Sonata Parody on Youtube, but that is him as comedian as well as musician (it's from "Beyond The Fringe").

A better demonstration of his musical pedigree would be to point out that his score for the film "Six Weeks", in which he also starred, was nominated for a Golden Globe (the year after he won the Golden Globe for best actor in "Arthur"). Alternatively, on my computer drive at this very moment is the CD "Jazz, Blues & Moore" by the Dudley Moore Trio, with 5 original DM compositions and 7 standards.

However, to answer your question: Hugh Lawrie and Clint Eastwood are both accomplished amateur Jazz pianists. Not sure if it counts as famous really, but one of the Cardiologists at the John Radcliffe in Oxford, (and a fellow of Keeble), was a concert standard pianist before he went to medical school.

Sorry, that's not true. Geoffrey Rush took piano lessons in order to add authenticity to his miming, but the actual sounds you hear were produced either by David Helfgott or Ricky Edwards - see

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shine_(film).

Edward

Patrick Moore is/was a virtuoso xylophonist: I remember he performed at a prom once, a piece specially written for him. He is still alive but I don't know if he still plays.

Woody Allen - film Director & Actor, plays Jazz Clarinet

Kelsey Grammar and David Hyde-Pierce, better known as Frasier and Niles Crane. Kelsey is a jazz pianist whereas David is an organist.

Fiona Bruce, the news reporter is an accomplished pianist too.

unknown to many
Kelsey grammer has an amazing singing voice
and i also the voice of SideShow Bob in the Simpsons

Allannah, you are absolutely amazing at coming up with appropriate internet sites for anything and everything! The web is really quite scary these days; there is so much information that old-style encyclopedias are almost redundant. The only trouble is, you are never quite sure how accurate web info is, whereas encyclopedias are thoroughly checked.

Anyway, thanks very much for finding this site - very interesting.

I am just reading his classical music history book, and he says he is most definately NOT musical.
Bev.

Jonny Wilkinson plays the piano (and guitar!) and James Toseland plays piano too...

...and if you watch Dancing on Ice, Kristina Lenko apparently plays too

Good luck for the presentation!

He doesn't play any more; his arthritis prevents it. He has composed a lot of stuff, and indeed I have a vinyl record downstairs of some of his music!
He does play the piano too; most famously - but unfortunately unrecorded - he accompanied Einstein, who was playing Saint-Saens "The Swan" on violin!

Hugh Laurie does all his own piano playing in House (incidental bits, mostly; but in one episode there was a bit more as the patient was a musician [played by Dave Matthews. Dave Matthews had a piano double for his complicated musical bits]). Hugh Laurie is also the keyboard player in the Band From TV

Oh well - I suppose he's more then talented enough

i really don't know. If i remember rightly, a Liszt piece was also in one of those Hanibal Lecter films..not the popular 3rd Liebestraum, but the 1st one, which is so beautiful. It's possible that Tony was the pianist, i believe he's pretty good.

Yes. She was a child prodigy and could easily have been a professional concert artist.
Lots of us wish she had followed that route - it would have kept her out of politics!

The strong British chess player Francis Rayner (well he is famous amongst chess players) is an exceptionally fine pianist

Ah not that unknown, considering we hear his voice every time the closing credits are played!

"...Hey baby, I hear the blues a-callin', tossed salad and scrambled eggs. Mercy!..."

IMDB credits Zimmerman for 'Silence of the Lambs' and Gould for 'Hannibal'.

thanks BerkshireMum

Also, Tara Palmer-Tomkinson is an accomplished pianist, and Jonathan Ross has been learning to play. Last time I heard him speak about it, which was at least a year ago, he was saying how difficult he was finding it and was working towards his Grade 1.

Oh yes, I remember seeing Jonathan Ross play a bit of Creepy Crawly once !

James May (blokey car fanatic, TV presenter, does Top Gear and also a wine thing) is a talented pianist I believe.

...and flautist. He did Music at Lancaster.

Wow, you learn something new every day He goes up even further in my estimation

Richard Armitage (Guy of Gisborne in the current Robin Hood) plays cello and flute.

Hugh Laurie did a fair bit of playing in 'Jeeves and Wooster'. I don't think you can call Stephen Fry 'amusical' as he says he can hear whole symphonies in his head in great detail - he just finds it very hard to replicate with voice or instruments (although he did say he learned to play a few piano pieces, I think).

Many years ago I remember hearing Graeme Garden (The Goodies) play in a jazz group in a local pub, which I think he did regularly.

I very much doubt it. When I met him, around 2001, he couldn't even sign his name due to arthritis. He autographed a book for me using a rubber stamp.

...................
Yes. Maybe you don't know the Pope (Benedict XVI is it? Ratzinger, I mean) is a keen piano player. When he's not busy with engagements, trips and the like, he stays in his room playing the piano for hours (and insists nobody is present when he plays !).
Hope this helps,
John

Apparently Boris Johnson failed Grade 1. When he was at university (I think - at least when he was an adult) someone bet him that he couldn't pass it, and Boris who had only ever got top marks in every exam he'd taken thought it would be a pushover.

Well it was less of a pushover than he'd imagined!

Thank you all so much for your suggestions - I think I'll go for the more unusual ones like Tara Palmer Tomkinson, Jonny Wilkinson, Clint Eastwood, Condoleeza Rice, Jonathan Ross and James May. I knew James May was a pianist, but didn't know he could also play the flute. I have a bit of a soft spot for him! He was born in the same year as me.

I think a lot of people will know Dudley Moore as a pianist, so I think I'll leave him out.

I'll also definitely use the Pope - that's a really good one!

Not sure if Gary Oldman still plays, but he did have to learn pieces for the film The Immortal Beloved ... his role as Beethoven, i thought he did really well.

Just how good are some of these other celebrities? Does anyone know how well they play? Has anyone heard them? Tara Palmer Tomkinson, Jonny Wilkinson, Clint Eastwood, ... It would be nice to hear that Tara is say a Grade 5 or Grade 8 standard player, or that Clint could make a living from it (as could Rolf Harris when he wasn't busy painting, being silly, or winning national titles at backstroke!)

I know some celebrities list chess as a serious hobby, but when I check up on them they it usually turns out that they wouldn't make into the 4th team squad in a small village!