Home > Impressionist (entertainment)

Usually, the most impressive aspect of the performance is the vocal fidelity to the target - usually a politician or famous entertainer.

Props may also be employed, such as glasses or hats, but these are now considered somewhat old fashioned and cumbersome: the voice is expected to carry the act.

1 Impressionists in Britain

During the 1970s British television was awash with impressions of Frank Spencer, a character from a hugely popular British sitcom called Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em. This may have been because Frank had such distinctive mannerisms and dress sense which gave performers a number of visual shortcuts to cover for failings in their abilities. At any rate it seemed that, for about a decade, no British impressionist's act was complete without a dose of Frank.

Impressionists were very popular on the televised talent show s of the 1970s; Lenny Henry is a notable example of an act that developed from these roots.

2 Notable Impressionists

• Ronnie Ancona
• Rory Bremner
• Frank Caliendo
• Jim Carrey
• Phil Cool
• Jon Culshaw
• André-Philippe Gagnon
• Frank Gorshin
• Darrell Hammond
• Alistair McGowan
• Mike YarwoodMike Yarwood OBE (born 14 March 1941) is a British impressionist and comedian. He was Britain's top rated impressionist on television from the mid 1960s to the early 1980s. London Palladium & Tony Hancock Yarwood was one of the stars of British television