Gracie Fields was born Grace Stansfield in Rochdale, Lancashire on 9 January 1898.

Her talent was apparent at an early age, and in 1905 she made her first stage appearance in a singing contest at a local theatre. Her professional debut followed in 1910 in variety at the Rochdale Hippodrome, and for the next few years she worked with several juvenile troupes and concert parties, and toured in revue.

In 1917 Gracie joined a new revue, Mr Tower of London, which was eventually to tour for an incredible total of nine and a half years, clocking up more than 4,000 performances. In 1925 the show was booked to play for a week at the Alhambra Theatre in London's West End, and this proved to be the break that she had worked so hard for. Press and public alike were bowled over by her talent. Hannen Swaffer wrote in the Daily Express of 'gifts which amount to genius'. She was suddenly inundated with work, and made her straight acting debut when Sir Gerald du Maurier cast her in his play SOS. As she only appeared in the first act, Gracie was able to play the second house of variety at the Alhambra, as well as late night cabaret at the Cafe Royal.

In March 1928 she made the first of her ten appearances in the Royal Variety Show, and later that year played the London Palladium for the first time. Her first film Sally In Our Alley was a great box-office hit and led to a series of movies made in both England and America over the next 15 years. With the advent of war, Gracie answered the call of her country and visited practically every war zone entertaining the troops.

In the immediate postwar years she often talked of retirement, but still kept on working in the theatre and recording studio, as well as undertaking a prodigious amount of charity work which included setting up a Children's Home at Peacehaven in Sussex.

During the last years of her life Gracie appeared regularly on the TV show Stars On Sunday, and in November 1978 made a deeply moving final appearance in the finale of the Royal Variety Show singing 'Sally' and stealing the show. When in 1979 she was awarded the DBE, she said 'Dame Gracie. Fancy that! I hope my friends will still think of me as "Our Gracie".' She fell ill in July 1979, and died on 27 September.

As singer, comedienne and actress Gracie Fields was one of the most talented artistes of the 20th century.