Ivor Lewis Emmanuel (1927 - 2007)

Born 7 Nov 1927 in Margam, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Patricia A Bredin — married 1963 (to 1966) in Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom

Died 20 Jul 2007 at age 79 in Málaga, Andalusia, Spain

Biography

Ivor Emmanuel was born in Wales.

Wikidata: Item Q6099383, en:Wikipedia - Welsh singer and actor ("Zulu")

Ivor was born in 1927. Ivor's birth was registered in the Oct-Nov-Dec quarter of 1927 in the Neath district.^[1] He was the son of Stephen John Emmanuel and Ivy Margretta Lewis.^[2]

He moved to the nearby village of Pontrhydyfen as a young child and lived there during World War II. He was 14 years old when his father, mother, sister Mair and grandfather John Lewis were killed by a stray German bomb that hit their village on 11 May 1941. He claimed he and his brother only survived because the people who came to rescue him were colliers, who knew where to dig in the rubble, and where to put beams for support.^[3]

In August 1951 he married (1) Jean Beazleigh, a fellow chorister in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.^[4]. Her mother's maiden name was Biazi.^[5] They had two children, Sian and Simon, but later divorced.

In the 1950s and 60s he was a mainstay of London's West End musical theatre, His breakthrough was in Oklahoma!, later appearing in South Pacific, The King and I, and Plain and Fancy before finally getting lead roles in Damn Yankees and Finian's Rainbow. From the mid-1960s his career became more focused on pantomime and cabaret, although he is probably best remembered for one particular film role as Private Owen in the epic 1964 war film Zulu.

In 1963 he married (2) Patricia A Bredin, a singer and actress.^[6] They had no children and divorced within 2 years.

In 1978, in Buckinghamshire, he married (3) Malinee Oppenborn,^[7] and the couple had one daughter, Emily.

In later life he retired to Malaga, Andalusia, Spain.

He passed away there in 2007,

Find A Grave: Memorial #233302232

Sources

1. ↑ Birth Registration: "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008"
   citing Birth Registration, Neath, Glamorganshire, Wales, citing General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QV3J-JDBD (accessed 16 August 2023)
   Ivor L Emmanuel birth registered Oct-Nov-Dec 1927 in Neath.
2. ↑ https://www.swansea.gov.uk/article/7112/The-civilian-war-dead-of-Neath-and-Port-Talbot
3. ↑ https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/special-memories-for-ivor-2323610
4. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005"
   citing 1951, quarter 2, vol. 5C, p. 2103, Lambeth, London, England, General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QVD8-Z6BX (accessed 16 August 2023)
   Jean D Beazleigh marriage to Ivor D Emmanuel registered Apr-May-Jun 1951 in Lambeth.
5. ↑ Birth Registration: "England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008"
   citing Birth Registration, Lambeth, London, England, citing General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QV3J-TX7H (accessed 16 August 2023)
   Jean D Beazleigh birth registered Apr-May-Jun 1927 in Lambeth. Alternatively, her mother could have been Emily Lewis or Daisy Cook, both of who married different John Beazleighs in Lambeth in the 1920s. The "Biazi" reference could be a poorly transcribed Beazleigh.
6. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005"
   citing 1963, quarter 2, vol. 6A, p. 802, Eton, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QV6S-8Q4N (accessed 16 August 2023)
   Ivor L Emmanuel marriage to Patricia A Bredin registered Apr-May-Jun 1963 in Eton.
7. ↑ Marriage Registration: "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005"
   citing 1978, quarter 2, vol. 19, p. 1079, Chiltern & Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England, General Register Office, Southport, England
   FamilySearch Record: QVX4-V19D (accessed 16 August 2023)
   Ivor L Emmanuel marriage to Malinee S Oppenborn registered Apr-May-Jun 1978 in Chiltern & Beaconsfield.

• Familysearch: Ivor Lewis Emmanuel