Percy Edwards

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Percy Edwards (June 1, 1908, Ipswich, Suffolk - June 7, 1996, Hintlesham, Suffolk), was an English ornithologist and entertainer.

1 Biography
2 Filmography
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Biography

As a child, Edwards was fascinated by the wildlife he found in his local area, and by the age of 12 was accomplished enough at imitating many of them, that this became his Party Piece.

In 1930 he debuted on the BBC radio series Vaudeville, the start of a career that would last the best part of 60 years. During World War Two, Edwards worked at Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies in Ipswich.^[1]

Edwards became a household name after his animal imitations in the radio shows Ray's a Laugh with Ted Ray; and playing Psyche the dog in the radio series A Life of Bliss. It was said that at the height of his career he could accurately imitate over 600 birds, as well as many other animals. Among other things, he provided the voices for the Whales in Orca (1977), the Reindeer in Santa Claus: The Movie (1985), sheep and bird sounds on Kate Bush's song The Dreaming, and the alien in the film of the same name. One of his last stage appearances was in the Grand Order of Water Rats centenary show at the London Palladium in 1989.

Although he always referred to himself as an entertainer, Edwards was a fellow of Zoological Society of London, and a respected and published ornithologist.