Jack Tripp born 4 February 1922 (d. 2005)Jack Tripp was a British comic actor best known for his many performances as a pantomime dame.
In his youth he began tap dancing in talent competitions. He was billed in local pubs as Plymouth's Fred Astaire. He also appeared in several small shows.
During World War II he served in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers. During this time he joined the Central Pool of Artists, known as the Stars in Battledress. He organised shows with other performers such as Charlie Chester and Bryan Forbes. Jack Tripp also toured the Middle East and appeared in Cairo and Khartoum.
After the war Jack Tripp went into revue and variety and also performed as an eccentric dancer. For several seasons he appeared in the Fol de Rols summer seaside shows.
In the 1950s he performed as Douglas Byng's son in Howard & Wyndham pantomime productions and learned many of the classic dame routines. By the 1960s Jack Tripp was topping the bills as pantomime dame.
For many years he lived with his partner, the singer and dancer, Allen Christie. They often appeared together in Jack Tripp's own summer show, Take a Tripp, which he took to resorts throughout the UK during the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1982 he appeared in the ITV documentary The Pantomime Dame and talked about his art along with Arthur Askey, Douglas Byng, and Terry Scott.
During the 1990s Jack Tripp often performed in pantomimes with Roy Hudd and they broke box office records in Plymouth and Croydon.
Jack Tripp retired in 2000 but was often a guest at showbusiness functions.
Jack Tripp was awarded an MBE for services to pantomime.
On 10th July, 2005 he was taken ill at his home in Hove. He was taken by ambulance to Brighton General Hospital where he died.