STRICTLY DELFONT: The impresario Lord Delfont.

John Swinfield's Big Business

STRICTLY DELFONT: The impresario Lord Delfont.

Lord Bernard Delfont began as a dancer and rose to the top of the entertainment industry. A powerhouse in London’s theatre land and New York’s Broadway he was part of a media and entertainment dynasty and worked with myriad superstars from Frank Sinatra to Judy Garland.
His brothers were Lew and Leslie Grade. Leslie was a theatrical agent who died prematurely. Lew became a big wheel in television and cinema. Bernard’s nephew, Michael Grade, ran Channel 4 TV and BBC Television.
At one time Bernard’s show business and leisure empire covered everything from bowling alleys to theatres, cinemas, sports clubs, even a clutch of seaside piers and the iconic Blackpool Tower with its ornate, chandeliered ballroom, a venue for BBC TV’s Strictly Come Dancing.