Ernie Wise was born on November 27, 1925 in Bramley, Leeds, Yorkshire, England as Ernest Wiseman. He was a writer and actor, known for The Morecambe & Wise Show (1968), Night Train to Murder (1984) and Two of a Kind (1961). He was married to Doreen Blythe. He died on March 21, 1999 in Wexham, Buckinghamshire, England.
Ernie Wise's wife, Doreen Blythe, was a former dancer.
Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show (1948) (aka "The Ed Sullivan Show"), with his partner in comedy, Eric Morecambe, numerous times during the 1960s.
He began a comedy partnership with Eric Bartholomew when he was 16. "Wiseman and Bartholomew" was too long for theater marquees, so they changed it to "Morecambe and Wise". They became comedy legends in the UK, with a mix of self-deprecating charm and schoolboy humor. Their Christmas specials became a national institution. They were both awarded OBE (Officers of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1976 Queen's Honours List for their services to comedy.
He made the first mobile phone call in the UK on 1 January 1985, from St Katherine's Dock, near Tower Bridge in London, to Vodafone's headquarters in Newbury.
He was the straight man of the comic duo, his fictitious toupee and 'short, fat hairy legs' being the butt of countless Morecambe jibes.
First on stage in the double act of Morecambe & Wise at the Empire Theatre in Liverpool in 1941.
Joined the Merchant Navy during World War II. Alongside Eric Morecambe, did his bid in entertaining troops during wartime as part of the Entertainment National Service Association (ENSA).
Professional debut in 1939 at the Prince's Theatre in London, in the stage production of the BBC radio program 'Band Waggon', starring bandleader Jack Hylton (who also appeared in the film version in 1940). It was Hylton, who changed Ernie's stage name from Wiseman to Wise. Around this time, Ernie was briefly touted as Britain's answer to Mickey Rooney.
Performed with his father, a railway porter, in a song-and-dance act from the age of seven, billed variously as Bert Carson and His Little Wonder, and as The Two Tetleys.
He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1976 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to entertainment.
With Eric Morecambe they received the Top Comedy Act award at the 1973 Sun Awards.
Theme song was "Bring Me Sunshine"