Peppi Borza
Peppi Borza (22 October 1936 - 24 July 1990) was a British-American dancer, entertainer, actor and circus performer who was also a life-long friend of singer Dusty Springfield.
Peppi Borza | |
|---|---|
| Born | Giuseppe Mario Chaly Borza 22 October 1936[1] |
| Died | 24 July 1990 (aged 53) |
| Occupation | Actor, circus performer, entertainer, singer, dancer, songwriter |
| Years active | 194?-1989 |
Early life
Born to a circus performing family and brought up in Sarasota, Florida, Peppi performed in a double act with his sister Nita. They were acrobats and performed with the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Jack Benny and Judy Garland.
Singer/Songwriter
As the partner of Tom Springfield, Peppi participated in the composition of four songs with him: No Tears for Johnnie, Chain Gang Blues, The Skip and O Holy Child (which Dusty recorded in 1964 as a Christmas charity single for Barnardo's). In 1965, Peppi co-wrote Matt Monro's single Before You Go.
For a time, Peppi attempted to become a pop star himself in the 1960s - as Peppi and the New York Twisters. Despite recording several singles including The Skip (an attempt to start a new dance craze) and Pistol Packin' Mama, it unfortunately came to nothing. He also performed at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, teaching a young Cilla Black how to dance the Twist.
Theatre and Screen
Peppi made a name for himself on stage in London and New York, appearing on Broadway in the original cast recording of Evita. He played a Muleteer in the 1972 film version of Man of La Mancha and appeared in Intimate Games (1976). His other roles include a pirate in the 1976 musical Peter Pan and a policeman in Gilbert and Sullivan's 1983 musical The Pirates of Penzance as well as playing a Vervoid in parts 11 and 12 of the Doctor Who saga The Trial of a Time Lord (segment: Terror of the Vervoids).
Among Peppi's final work was appearing in the 1987 West End revival of Follies.
Death
Borza died from AIDS. Dusty frequently visited him at the hospice, which cared for him towards the end of his life. Borza left money to his closest friend in his will.[2]
References
- Some sources give the birth year as 1938 in Florida but his official birth was registered in the Dec 1936 quarter in Portsmouth as Giuseppe M C Borza. Also, The Kansas City Times (29 August 1945) gives his age as 8 and Billboard - 11 Nov 1950 - page 52 mentions Peppi's 14th birthday celebration (other American newspapers I've seen list his age corresponding with 1936). In addition, I have seen travel records giving the birth year as 1936.
- Valentine, Penny; Wickham, Vicki. Dancing with Demons: The Authorized Biography of Dusty Springfield. Hodder & Stoughton. ISBN 9781444719024.
External links
- Peppi Borza at IMDb
- Peppi Borza at the Internet Broadway Database