Al Pillay is a star of international renown, whose electrifying and captivating career has spanned multiple disciplines, including theater, film, cabaret, television, radio, and the recording industry.
Born in the 1960s in Grimsby, Al Pillay's life began amidst the fish heads and neon lights of the city, which would later influence his flamboyant and daring approach to show business.
As a young performer, Al Pillay took the Northern club circuit by storm, but soon outgrew the small pond and moved to London at the age of 18 to pursue his dreams.
His early television appearances included stints on Channel 4's "Whatever You Want" with Keith Allen and "Four For Tonight" with Ruby Wax, followed by a parallel career in music when he caught the attention of Stock, Aitken, and Waterman, who wrote and produced his worldwide disco smash, "Pistol in My Pocket."
Throughout the 1980s, Al Pillay toured the world's top clubs, performing in a whirlwind of sequins and feathers, PAs, and limos, and achieving great success in Australia, Paris, and Italy.
When the call came from "The Comic Strip Presents...," Al Pillay stole the show in several episodes, including "Gino," "Susie," "Consuela," and "The Bullshitters." His performance in the movie "The Supergrass" inspired Peter Richardson to write "Eat The Rich" as a vehicle for Al's multi-faceted talent.
Al Pillay also collaborated with Gary Clail on his Top Ten hit "Human Nature," which featured Al in a Vegas-style headdress singing "Let the Carnival begin, every pleasure, every sin."
Subsequent dance-floor classics included "I Can Make A Man Out Of You" and "Pistol in My Pocket," before television lured him back with a stint as a critic on ITV's "Funky Bunker."
In 1996, Al Pillay premiered his solo show "Hello La," co-written and directed by Paul McVeigh, at the Islington's Kings Head Theatre, followed by a sell-out run at the Riverside Studios.
Radio and voice-over work, as well as numerous TV appearances on shows like "The Clothes Show" and "The ITV Chart Show," kept Al Pillay busy for a few years before he returned to the stage with his new show "Wide Open For You," which played to sold-out houses at the Jermyn Street Theatre in London's West End in 2001.
Al Pillay made a surprise move into children's broadcasting as a resident voice-over artist and guest interviewer on the BBC World Service's groundbreaking new show "The Edge."
Most recently, Al Pillay has been working on his new autobiographical play, "Glitter and Twisted," written by Tim Fountain and directed by Matt Ryan, which will premiere at the Manhattan Musical Festival in September 2004.
Welcome to the remarkable world of Al Pillay, one of the UK's most gifted contemporary performers.
