Freddie Davies

Freddie Davies (born 21 July 1937) is a British comedian and actor. He is the grandson of music hall comedian Jack Herbert.

Freddie Davies was born in Brixton, London. At the start of World War II Davies was evacuated in 1939 to Seend in Wiltshire and subsequently to Torquay in Devon and then to Salford, Lancashire in 1941. After national service in the Royal Army Pay Corps Davies became a stand-up comedian, beginning his career in 1958 as a Butlins holiday camp Redcoat (Butlins) entertainer. He started on the cabaret circuit in 1964, when he turned professional, and he appeared on many television shows in the 1960s, '70s and '80s including Opportunity Knocks, Sunday Night at the London Palladium, The Des O'Connor Show, The Tom Jones Show, The Bachelors Show and Blackpool Night Out.

In an sketch on Opportunity Knocks he recounted telling a tiresome official 'look here, Parrot Face'. Audience reaction to the sketch prompted him to bill himself as "Freddie "Parrot-Face" Davies". He made further allusions to birds in jokes about budgies and playing a character he named Samuel Tweet. His visual identity included wearing a black bowler hat pulled low over his ears.

From 1968 to 1971, the long-running British children's comic Buster featured a comic strip Freddie "Parrot-Face" Davies, based upon the adventures of Freddie and his "boodgies" (budgies). In 1974 he had a BBC children's television series, The Small World of Samuel Tweet. Mr. Tweet worked in a pet shop in Chumpton Green, appearing with many animals during the series. He also appeared in a television commercial for "Trill" bird seed, with the slogan, "Trill makes budgies bounce with health".

Freddie also recorded several children's albums and stories for children. The Last of the Summer Wine actor Bill Owen wrote the lyrics to a romantic ballad called "So Lucky" which Freddie recorded in 1972. It became a hit record in Brazil, the Philippines and South America, going gold in Brazil.

After a spell touring the U.S.A. he returned to the U.K and began an acting career appearing in Heartbeat, Casualty, Last of the Summer Wine, Preston Front, two series of Harbour Lights (as George Blade), Born and Bred, Sensitive Skin and My Family.

Freddie acted in films including the 1995 comedy Funny Bones and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 2004.

He now runs the "Sheep Shop" on Atholl Road in Pitlochry, Scotland and had been involved in production of the DVD for the local Aberfeldy and District Gaelic Choir.