Shirley Bassey: Biography

Birth name: Shirley Veronica Bassey

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Height

5' 3" (1.60 m)

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Mini biography

Shirley Bassey was born and raised in the working class area of Tiger Bay, Cardiff. Her father was a Nigerian/West Indian seaman who died when she was only two. She later helped to support her family by working in an Enamel factory. She made her professional debut at 16 appearing in a touring revue "Memories of Al Jolson". Her first major hit was "The Banana Boat Song" and she later sang "Goldfinger" in the James Bond movie Goldfinger (1964). Her younger daughter died of drowning in 1985 and the British tabloid newspapers reported there were implications of neglect for her daughter. She currently lives in Switzerland.

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Spouse

Sergio Novak (1968 - 1977) (divorced) 1 child

Kenneth Hume (1961 - 1965) (divorced)

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Trivia

Was named a Dame by Britain's Queen Elizabeth on New Year's Eve, 1999

She returned to the U.K. top forty with the 'Propellerheads' on the hit single "History Repeating" in 1997 after an absence of chart action for 24 years

Shirley Bassey recorded the single "There's No Place Like London" written by Lynsey De Paul and Gerard Kenny.

Sang Perry Como's song "And I Love You So" at the wedding of Joan Collins and Percy Gibson.

She was awarded the C.B.E. (Commander of the order of the British Empire) in 1993.

Measurements: 34B/C-25-36 1/2 (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Her daughter Sharon was born in September, 1954. Shirley's sister raised her until she was nine. This caused a scandal when the public found out.

Her father was West Indian and Nigerian. She never knew him.

Daughter Samantha was born in 1963. She drowned in 1985, after falling from The Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol.

Her first husband, Kenneth Hume, was openly homosexual and denied fathering any of her children born during their marriage. They remarried each other after their divorce.

She adopted a son from whom she is now estranged.

She had three children altogether. She had a son, Mark, with husband Sergio and two daughters with fathers she refuses to name.

Daughter Sharon has 4 sons.

Her son, Mark, is her niece's biological son. She and her second husband adopted him in 1971.

Sang the theme songs for three of the James Bond movies - more than any other performer. 'Goldfinger' (1964), 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971), and 'Moonraker' (1979). 'Goldfinger' reached the #8 position, on the Billboard Top 40 chart, in February of 1965.

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Personal quotes

On being awarded Dame Commander of the British Empire, "I was asleep and my manager came to wake me up because we were going out that night. I didn't feel like getting up and I said go away, let me sleep. Just as I was going back to sleep he said 'You wouldn't get up even for Damehood?' I had to keep quiet for seven weeks. I nearly had a nervous breakdown. I was afraid to go out in case I told someone - my social life was nil."

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Where are they now

(June 2005) Auctioned off the contents of her London flat, with proceeds going to charity. She now lives in Monaco.

Source: imdb.com

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