Frankie Vaughan

(Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1997 Queen's Honours List for his services to drama.

He was appointed Deputy Lord-Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire in 1993.

(Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1965 Queen's Honours List and the C. B. E.

Devoted to his wife and children, he decided not to pursue a Hollywood career after his experiences on The Billionaire (1960). He said he never regretted that decision. Son Andrew Ableson is an actor and son David was a record promoter.

He was closely associated with the song "Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl," an old song which he discovered in a Glasgow music shop in 1954. He first sang it on stage wearing a top hat hired from an undertaker, and it became his signature tune.

Initially trained for a career in commercial art, he won a scholarship to the Lancaster College of Art, then studied at Leeds College of Art where he gained his Art Teacher's Diploma in 1950.

He was a British pop singing star with Top 10, hits including "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" and "Green Door". He studied at Leeds College of Art, but switched to show business after his audition succeeded and led to week's work in music hall. He went on to stardom as "Mr. Moonlight" in English variety-show world, based on his hit tune, "Give me the Moonlight". He is famous for his formal tails/top hat outfit, starred in cabaret shows in New York and Las Vegas, too. He also starred in British stage production of the musical "42nd Street". He was awarded O. B. E.