A blue plaque marking the Brighton home of music hall star Max Miller is to be replaced after it was discovered he was born a year earlier than originally thought.
The plaque on 25 Burlington Street, Miller’s last home, was first put up in May 1980, when it was believed the comedian was born in 1895.
But it’s now established he was born a year earlier, and so a new plaque is being unveiled next Thursday.
Both plaques have been organised by the British Music Hall Society. A spokesman said: “As Max (like many performers) was never entirely transparent about his date of birth, we later discovered the plaque had the incorrect date and decided to install a new one.”
Max is also commemorated around Brighton with a statue in The Pavilion Gardens and another plaque on Marine Terrace, both arranged by the Max Miller Appreciation Society.
Next Thursday’s unveiling will be done by actor Jamie Kenna, who has played Max Miller more than once in the play The Cheeky Chappie by Dave Simpson, at 2pm.
Max Miller became one of Britain’s top comedians in the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Born in Kemptown, Brighton, on 21 November 1894, after serving in the First World War he joined Jack Sheppard’s concert party, performing as a light comedian at an alfresco theatre on Brighton beach during the 1919 summer season.
His career gained momentum through the 1920s, with his debut at London’s Holborn Empire in 1926, followed by his first appearance at the prestigious London Palladium in 1929.
In 1932, he made his first recording, Confessions of a Cheeky Chappie. His popularity continued to soar, culminating in February 1942 when he broke all records as the highest-paid variety artist, earning £1,025 in a single week at the Coventry Hippodrome.
However, a heart attack in 1958 forced him to slow down. Following his recovery, Max made his final West End appearance at the Palace Theatre in April 1959, before taking his last bow in variety at Folkestone in December 1960. He died on 7 May, 1963 at his Burlington Street home.
Glad his date of birth has been changed in your article as well as on the plaque.