Engelbert Humperdinck was born on 2 May 1936 in Madras, India. He has a name Arnold George Dorsey and later changes his name for his music career.
Humperdinck was one of ten children to British Army NCO Mervyn Dorsey and his wife, Olive. He is of Welsh, German, and Anglo-Indian descent. His family moved to Leicester, England, when he was ten years old.
Engelbert attended the University of Leicester and received the honorary degree of Doctor of Music in January 2006.
Engelbert has a height of 6 feet 1 inch.
Engelbert Humperdinck Net Worth
According to celebritynetworth.com, Engelbert Humperdinck has a net worth of $180 million throughout his music career. Engelbert is a British Indian pop singer. He has sold more than 140 million records worldwide during his career to date, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time.
After Engelbert moved to Leicester, England, he showed interest in music when he was ten years old. He begins learning to play the saxophone. By the early '50s, Humperdinck played saxophone in nightclubs but didn't start singing until he was in his late teens.
He was inspired by Jerry Lewis, which prompted his friends to give him the nickname Gerry Dorsey, a name he worked under for nearly a decade. His attempt to get his music career off went as he is drafted into the British Army Royal Corps of Signals.
Engelbert Humperdinck performing in the music show (©: okgoodreads.com)
After Engelbert's discharge from Army, he got a chance to record in 1958 with Decca Records. His first single, I'll Never Fall in Love Again, but didn't release. Engelbert continued working in nightclubs but in 1961 was stricken with tuberculosis.
He eventually regained his health and returned to music, but with little success. He teamed up with Gordon Mills, who had become Tom Jones's manager. Mills suggested a name-change to the more interesting-sounding like Engelbert Humperdinck and adopted the name professionally but not legally.
Mills arranged a new deal for him with Decca Records, and Dorsey has been performing under the name ever since. He enjoyed early success in July 1966 in Belgium, where he and four others represented Brian in the Knokke song contest.
In the mid-60s, Humperdinck visited Spain, German songwriter Bert Kaempfert and offered him to make arrangements for three songs: Spanish Eyes, Strangers in the Night, and Wonderland by Night. He returned to Britain to record all three songs. Frank Sinatra quickly requested the song Strangers in the Night.
Due to quick recognization as his first hit single, Release Me (and Let Me Love Again), due to it's he is known as King of Romance. The song made the top ten lists on both sides of the Atlantic and got to No. 1 in Britain. His B-side Ten Guitars became a huge hit in New Zealand, which was released in 2000. He released seven songs, and all songs became consecutive #1.
Engelbert performed regularly at the Riviera Hotel in Vegas through the early and middle years of the decade. In 1976, he released the hit song, After the Lovin', which became a top 10 hit in the U.S. and was later nominated for a Grammy award.
From 1969-1970, Humperdinck fronted his own TV series, The Engelbert Humperdinck Show for ATV in the UK and ABC in the U.S. In 1972, he starred in another series for BBC 1, Engelbert with the Young Generation, and it ran for 13 weeks. In the mid-80s, he made many appearances as an actor on popular TV shows at the time, including The Love Boat and Fantasy Island.
In the late 90s, he recorded a track for the animated film Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and also released The Dance Album, which featured dance-club style versions of his hits. He was starred in different TV shows and movies such as The Love Boat (1983), Hotel (1984), Oddville, MTV (1997), Showpalast (2000), and Grace and Frankie (2020).
In 1989, he was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and won a Golden Globe Award as Entertainer of the Year. Humperdinck's recording career has continued into the new century and includes a range of musical collaborations.
In 2014, he teamed up with a huge list of A-listers for an album of duets called Engelbert Calling, featuring Elton John, Cliff Richard, Olivia Newton-John, John Il Divo, Willie Nelson, Lulu, Gene Simmons, Shelby Lynne, Smokey Robinson, Wynonna Judd, Kenny Rogers, Andrea Corr, Johnny Mathis, Tini, Neil Sedaka, Dionne Warwick, Charles Aznavour, Beverly Knight, Armando Manzanero, Luis Fonsi, Ron Sexsmith.
Humperdinck has real estate investments in Hawaii, Mexico, and the U.S. In the late 70s, he bought the Pink Palace in Los Angeles, previously the home of actress Jayne Mansfield. He sold the property to developers in 2002. In the eighties, Humperdinck bought a hotel in La Paz, Mexico, and renamed it La Posada de Engelbert.
The hotel flourished for some time and acquired a reputation of a quirky, off the beaten path gem. The hotel was eventually demolished in 2012 and replaced by the Posada Hotel Beach Club.
Humperdinck's philanthropic efforts include involvements in such nonprofits as the American Red Cross, the American Lung Association, and several AIDS relief organizations.