William James Te Wehi Taitoko MBE (17 January 1948 - 7 August 1991) better known by his stage name "Billy T. James", was a New Zealand entertainer, comedian, musician and actor. He became a key figure in the
Billy with his Trademark Black Singlet.
development of New Zealand comedy, a household name during his lifetime, and remains an icon to the present day
Career
Taitoko joined the Maori Volcanics Showband in the 1970s and performed around the world. Going solo in Australia and then New Zealand saw him in great demand for his skits and impressions and his cabaret singing. He adopted the stage name Billy T. James because "it was something the Australians could pronounce". In 1980 he appeared in the variety show Radio Times, the success of which led to his own comedy sketch show in 1981, The Billy T James Show (see section). The same year he was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Year. In 1985 his cabaret act was recorded live and released on LP as "Billy T Live! at Pips Cabaret, Whangarei". Featuring standup comedy selections and live versions of songs such as Running Bear and When A Child Is Born, this title was out-of-print for more than a decade before being re-released in CD format in 2008. He made a notable appearance in the 1985 feature film Came a Hot Friday and provided voice-talent for the popular animated film Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail. Also in 1985 Billy was named New Zealand Entertainer of the Decade. In 1986 James was appointed as a member of The Order of the British Empire for services to entertainment. In 1986 Billy and Chris Slane published "Real Hard Case" which contained comic-strip interpretations of Billy's comedy. "Real Hard Case 2" followed in 1987. During this period his name and likeness was used for the company "Billy T's Hangi Takeaways," with locations in Auckland. The business did not last and closed after several years. In 1990 Billy received the prestigious Benny Award from the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand Inc for a lifetime of excellence in the performing arts
Deteriorating health, transplant and death
In 1988 James suffered a major heart attack and underwent a quadruple bypass operation. The operation was not successful, and in November 1989 he received a heart transplant. He returned to the stage of the Aotea Centre in April 1990 for the variety special Billy T James, Alive and Gigging. Howard Morrison appeared as a special guest. James died of heart failure on 7 August 1991. Billy is survived by his adopted-daughter Cherie James, herself an award-nominated actress and presenter of the 1997 documentary, "A Daughter's Story" about her father
Legacy, recent biographies and documentaries
The Billy T Award was founded in 1997 in honour of James. It is New Zealand's most prestigious comedy award,[citation needed] recognizing comedians with outstanding potential. Winners are presented with a yellow towel, Billy's trademark from his "Te News" sketches. In 2009, nearly 50% of respondents voted him the country's greatest comedian in a New Zealand Listener survey,[1] eighteen years after his death. The first biography of James was released in 2009. Entitled The Life and Times of Billy T. James, it was written by Matt Elliott and was based upon interviews with more than fifty friends and colleagues of Billy as well as wife Lynn and sister Ngaire. In December 2010, funding was given for the production of a biopic based on Billy T. James' life. In March 2011, it was revealed the film was to be titled Billy and would star Tainui Tukiwaho as Billy and Morgana O'Reilly as wife Lynn.[7] The film premiered on 21 August 2011 on TV One. Liberties were taken for dramatic purposes including arguments with co-writer and television partner Peter Rowley and a minor heart-attack while filming, neither of which occurred. Both Peter Rowley and James' daughter criticised the inaccuracies of the production in the press. A documentary entitled Billy T : Te Movie was released theatrically in August 2011. Directed by Ian Mune, it proved popular with both theatre-goers and reviewers, becoming the week's top box office performer on the week of release with $263,000 in sales. Te Movie is now available on DVD. In 2011, Peter Rowley wrote and starred in Billy T & Me, a one-man show which combined Rowley's memories of working alongside Billy with archival video footage. The show toured New Zealand and was made available on DVD.