Dee Dee Wilde is an actress, dancer, comedian and choreographer whose TV credits include "Digging the Dancing Queens," "TV's Funniest Music Moments" and "Tales of Television Center."
Born Patricia Alida Marie Wilde on September 24, 1946 in London, England, she and her twin brother, Stuart Wilde, were born of British and Italian descent. Her father was a Commander in the Royal Navy and her mother, Liliana Wilde, was of Italian ancestry. As a child, Dee Dee lived for several years with her family in Africa before moving to England to study ballet at the Elmhurst Ballet School in England.
Showing a preference for modern dance over ballet, Dee Dee co-founded the dance group Pan’s People, the dance troupe on the highly popular TV show "Top Of The Pops" in 1966. The group became highly successful over the next ten years and worked with several of the top music acts, including the Who, David Bowie, Mark Bolan, Tom Jones, Stevie Wonder and the Jackson Five, possibly influence the dance styles of performers such as Michael Jackson, Cilla Black, Lulu and many others.
In addition to "Top of the Pops," Wilde also appeared in the "3-2-1" dance show and the wildly successful "The Benny Hill Show," where she worked behind the scenes as a choreographer in the March 14, 1979 episode and on-screen with Pan's People on April 25, 1979. After several members of Pan's People joined the show as the Hill's Angels, Wilde moved on to working as a choreographer full time. She co-founded The Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Charity, the largest Rock charity in the world, for autistic and handicapped children in 1975.
In 1981, Wilde and her first husband, Andrew Corbet Burcher, co-produced two West End shows, "The Mad Show" and "Le Cirque Imaginaire" (The Imaginary Circus), the latter featuring Jean Baptiste Thierree and his wife Victoria Chaplin, daughter of Charlie Chaplin. She also formed Dance Attic Studios in Fulham, London which ended up producing many of the dancers and performers appearing in the theaters in the West End.
During the 1990s, Wilde performed in "Erda" as the eponymous character at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. A highlight of her career, the role was especially devised for her by Richard Jones, the director of Wagner’s "The Ring Cycle," setting a precedent by being the first person to dance the role rather than sing it.
Still performing and teaching, Wilde lives in Wiltshire with her second husband, composer Henry Marsh. She has two children from her first marriage, Alex Burcher, who is an actor, and Poppy Burcher, an events organiser. They also help run The Dance Attic.
Episode(s)[]
- The Police Raid in Waterloo Station - (choreographer)
- Leprechaun TV - (choreographer/dancer)