Miller, Max (1895–1963)

English music hall comedian. The highest paid variety artist in Britain, he was top of the bill at the Holborn Empire in 1926, and maintained this position for three decades. His superb timing and raucous vulgarity turned innuendo into an art form, earning him the nickname the ‘Cheeky Chappie’.

He made his first film appearance in The Good Companions (1933), and featured in a host of modest British comedies during the next 10 years, but remained at his best as a live performer.

Miller was born in Brighton. He worked with the original Billy Smart's Circus and army concert parties during World War I, and subsequently pursued a solo career as a stand-up comedian, touring throughout the UK before making his London debut in 1922.