and help from the show business charity "The Water Rats", Lena was Becoming a teenager and attending stage school in London, Zavaroni struggled to cope. appeared on the Thames Television talent show, LP and Single: Ma! And Coward could never have imagined the internet, an awesome platform for those who live to pass judgement on those who try to entertain. We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse. The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. What a voice and what a pair of lungs for a wee girl who was only 4ft 11in. Zavaroni, the subject of a new stage play Lena by Tim Whitnall, which is being premiered in Greenock this month, was separated from the childrens life she would have known, thrust into an adult world of grown-up demands. The Carol Burnett Show: S8 E7 - Alan King, Lena Zavaroni Theyve done it with Abba and lots of other stars, so why not Lena? Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, SE1 9GF. Ive since gone on and trained to be a teacher. Lena was just 4' 10" tall and had Victor saw it as a chance to set her up for her entire life. In Australia, the Butterfly Foundation is at 1800 33 4673. I know Jon Culshaw and asked him to play Hughie Green from Opportunity Knocks and he jumped at it. But the story didnt run to a happy ending. performer: "Ma! on the Isle of Bute, just off the West coast of Scotland. Lynsey Lohan underwent stints in rehab, convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, 6. Although Scottish, her family was of Scottish and Italian descent and she grew up in a musical environment, performing at an early age. The singers stock in trade was the offering up of vaudevillian, deep-throated gutsy adult vocals, while appearing in childrens frilly blouses and long white socks. Victor is such a wordsmith and raconteur and I loved listening to him speak. But she was well aware of how fickle showbiz can be. Theres a sobering lesson to be learned, because we still see so many young people going this way. Find the right content for your market. Yet, you cant present an audience with relentless depression. It does feel like a long time ago, but I have always got Lena in my mind. Im not reliant on acting. By John Devlin. The writer was certainly aware that fame, more often than not, requires talent, that talent usually has to be accompanied by a perfect body shape and facial beauty. Lena Zavaroni: fame, anorexia and the tragedy of a 1970s child star The year was 1974 and Lena Zavaroni, then only ten years old, was on top of the world. She followed this with the album Ma! Very special and very, very good", although some sources[who?] Tim Whitnall says we will never know. Girls are girls and dont like to get too fat. And when I was 16 and the auditions came up for the part in Shetland, which I was lucky enough to get, I was clueless about the whole process. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts Copyright 2000 Gale, Cengage Learning. Zavaroni, who grew up in Rothesay, became the youngest person in musical history to have an album in the Top 10. Margaret, whose dad was the brother of Lenas father, Victor, spent plenty of time with her cousin when they were little. That amazing, astonishing talent that became lost would have shown through., Lena opens at the Beacon Arts Centre on Wednesday March 16. Stressed-out boss wins payout of pounds 175,000. Are you sure you want to delete this comment? I hope it will take off and Id love to see it on Broadway. Photograph: PA The Observer Pop and rock Lena Zavaroni: fame, anorexia and the tragedy of a 1970s child star Zavaroni was in the charts. Just six months after Lenas death, Margarets mum also died. Posts Biographies Discography+ On This Day More. Born in 1963, Zavaroni became an overnight . She became depressed. Readers comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. As a ten year old, she Before she died in 1999 the girl from Rothesay on the Scottish island of Bute had hosted her own TV shows, performed at the White House and shared a stage with Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. [citation needed] They starred in the ITV special Lena and Bonnie. the increasing suffering. How to capture that charisma, the singing talent, yet also show a mix of a once-confident, cheeky young girl who would throw tantrums and is also incredibly vulnerable? Later she starred in her own television series, made numerous TV guest star appearances, and appeared on stage. We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments. Michael Jackson became drug dependent, his closest relationships with children, 3. https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SHOCKING+LAST+PICTURE+OF+SCOTS+SINGER+LENA.-a060884885. This was an enjoyable hobby. Copyright 2023 Farlex, Inc. | Weighing less than four stone, she died of pneumonia a month after the surgery, aged 35. Were all like that but then it just got extreme. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Its a very difficult illness for the person, and for the people round about them. I think it helped her a wee bit. Im proud to have been Lenas dad and I try to remember the happy times.. Her father Victor (b. I was approached by Scottish Screen about 10 years ago, who asked me for my blue-sky list of subjects Id like to write about, and I said Lena Zavaroni. And the teaching keeps me grounded.. She liked entertaining people. I could see youth was a currency. Fanz of Lena Zavaroni | This is a fan made website and is not endorse Published 7th Oct 2021, 14:49 BST. Songs Are Such Good Things [1] [2] is the fifth album by Scottish singer Lena Zavaroni, released in 1978 by Galaxy Records. Whitnall first spoke to Lenas dad, Victor, a decade ago and it was those conversations which prompted him to write the script from her fathers point of view. She begged doctors to operate on her to relieve her depression. I want the people to leave the theatre and ask themselves what they think happened to Lena., Who is the villain in the piece? [3] She continued to have anorexia throughout the 1980s. I could look around me and see sex was a currency. Lena rocketed to fame in 1974 when she won Opportunity Knocks five times in a row at the tender age of nine. These are just some of the attack weapons on the vulnerable. Suddenly she was everywhere, he says. When opportunity came knocking in the 1970s for ten-year-old Lena Zavaroni, it would propel her from the Isle of Bute to America where she shared stages with Frank Sinatra and Liza Minnelli. I dont think Lena liked that Ma! Starring Erin Armstrong and Jon Culshaw, as Hughie Green as the Opportunity Knocks presenter, it tells her story with tears and laughter before her death at 35 from anorexia nervosa in 1999. The operation involved inserting a probe into the brain to sever nerve If you take a nine or ten-year-old girl and you stick them in the spotlight, then you can have serious problems. Hes Making Eyes At Me, Roses and Rainbows and (Youve Got) Personality. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. Slut shaming. She died at the age of 35 from pneumonia in 1999. Opportunity Knocks winner Lena Zavaroni, aged 10, in 1974. There are a few recordings of television interviews with Lena Zavaroni around online. Although the operation would not cure her anorexia, she was desperate for it to proceed and threatened suicide if it did not (she also took a drug overdose). Victor Zavaroni, 69, is furious that producers of the . The little girl from the Isle of Bute had won Opportunity Knocks, then the biggest thing on television, for a recordbreaking five weeks running. Alex said that if you take a child on the edge of puberty and you change them, they stay changed forever. And so, this is the story of how fame affects people, but its also the story of an incredible performer. She blamed this on the pressure placed upon her to fit into costumes while at the same time "developing as a woman". It attracted me to Lenas story. Actress: Morecambe and Wise at the BBC. [4] She also appeared on The Morecambe and Wise Show, the May 29th 1975 episode of The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club, in the 1976 Royal Variety Show and performed at the White House for US President Gerald Ford. Lena Zavaroni was an extraordinarily talented Scottish singer whose greatest claim to fame is becoming the youngest artist with a record in the top 10 'UK Albums Chart'. I know about anorexia now because I made it my business to, but then? The story of her life is told in Lena, a play with songs written by Tim Whitnall premiering in March. Britney Spears gave testimony to a Los Angeles court that she had been held against her will in a psychiatric institution and denied agency over her reproductive rights and her romantic relationships. And when I began to write this play I said to Victor, Look, we cant dodge the tough issues in this play. But I hope Ive got it right and we get to show a real balance., He adds: We want to educate and inform. I never knew about her but I remember my mother had told me at some point. It wasnt easy to keep in touch with her, said Margaret. It will premiere at the Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, 16-19 March, before touring in 2023. She would just jump up and do her thing. Tonight's guest stars are Alan King and Lena Zavaroni! Chartbuster Lena leaves pop queens in her wake. I kept wondering how they expected me to fit into these dresses. It was unheard of. From the earliest times to 2004. Lena Zavaroni | | The Guardian Lena Zavaroni was just 10 years old when she appeared on TV variety show Opportunity Knocks in 1974 and went on to become a singing sensation. That horrific scenario was, sadly, played out by a young Scot who become world famous in the 1970s. The moment she found out Lena had died, in October 1999, will stay with Margaret forever. She developed anorexia nervosa. Her mum and dad had divorced by then. For Lenas dad the memories are bittersweet. TVTimes TV Guide. LENA DAD'S AGONY OVER BIOGRAPHY; Book drags up painful memories of star's death. Get a weekly round-up of stories from The Sunday Post: Something went wrong - please try again later. Drew Barrymore was in drug rehab aged 13, attempted suicide, 7. Im not sitting here wondering what Ill be doing in four weeks time. You can make a complaint by using the report this post link . [2] Track listing [ edit] "Ma! All rights reserved. Six episodes were aired by the BBC in the spring of 1979. (He's Making Eyes At Me), she was the youngest person in history to have an album in the top ten of the UK Albums Chart. Were celebrating a talent, but we have to weave in the fact she was so ill and had so many mental health battles connected to the condition, he said. She stayed with me when she came for the funeral, and again when she came to do Songs Of Praise.. She was such a special wee girl., Lena, Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock, March 16-19, Writer: I remember after Opportunity Knocks everyone talking about Lena. You have a job. An album contract followed, with her debut LP, Ma! We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Lena Zavaroni: fame, anorexia and the tragedy of a 1970s child star Erin Armstrong, who has starred in BBC drama Shetland for 10 years, plays Lena. To be very good? Zavaroni was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire and grew up in the small town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. Whitnall points out that Lena Zavaroni initially viewed performance as a hobby.