Michael Heath (cartoonist)
Michael Heath | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 13, 1935 Bloomsbury, London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Cartoonist, illustrator |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Known for | Cartoon editor at The Spectator since 1991; cartoons in Punch, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times, Private Eye |
Michael John Heath (born 13 October 1935 in Bloomsbury, London) is a British cartoonist and illustrator known for his work in strip cartoons. Since 1991, he has held the position of cartoon editor at The Spectator.
Biography
Heath’s father, George Heath, worked as a cartoonist specializing in boys' adventure comics. During the Second World War, Michael was evacuated to Devon and subsequently relocated to Brighton in 1947. Although he was enrolled in art college, which he did not enjoy, he managed to sell his initial cartoons to Melody Maker and created album cover illustrations for Decca Records. By the 1960s, Heath had become part of Soho’s artistic community alongside figures like Jeffrey Bernard and Francis Bacon.
His cartoons have been featured in prominent British outlets such as Punch, The Guardian, The Independent, The Sunday Times, and Private Eye, all signed simply as "HEATH". As the cartoon editor for The Spectator since 1991, he has shaped the magazine’s visual satire, occasionally presenting work that contrasts with its conservative viewpoint. His political cartoons have also appeared in The Independent.
In August 2016, Heath was a guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he shared his passion for jazz and classic music recordings. For his book selection, he chose The Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith.
Heath has been married three times and has four daughters from his first two marriages. He currently lives in Bloomsbury with his third wife, Hilary (née Penn).
Great Bores of Today
Great Bores of Today was a long-standing feature in Private Eye, presenting single-panel cartoons portraying well-known contemporary cultural bores in their typical environments, delivering long-winded and monotonous speeches. The accompanying text was provided by other regular contributors to Private Eye. This series was later revived with Heath’s illustrations in Richard Ingram's monthly publication, The Oldie.
The Suits
This series ran in The Spectator and humorously critiqued the uniformity and seriousness of men wearing suits, emphasizing their ineptitude when stripped of their customary attire.
The Regulars
Published in Private Eye, "The Regulars" illustrated Jeffrey Bernard along with other frequent visitors to Soho’s Coach & Horses pub. These cartoons were incorporated into the theatrical production Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell.
The Gays
A series featured during the early 1980s in Private Eye.
Style Victims
Appearing in the London edition of the Sunday Times, this series satirized both deliberate and inadvertent fashion enthusiasts, including a memorable cartoon depicting stern-faced judges dressed in ceremonial robes questioning "What is a style victim?"
Numero Uno
Running within Private Eye, "Numero Uno" mocked young people sporting baseball caps and constantly wearing Walkman headphones.
The Outlaw
A brief comic strip set in the year 2000 focusing on Michael Common as "the last person to smoke in England," published by The Spectator.
Partners
This series explored themes of partnership and child-rearing during 1990s England and appeared in The Independent.
Henry King
A character depicted as an unsettlingly advanced infant, consistently depicted with a baseball cap, appeared in The Spectator.
Anthologies of Heath's cartoons
- Private Eye Michael Heath. 1973.
- Book of Bores. London: Private Eye & André Deutsch, 1976.
- Michael Heath's Automata. London: A. P. Rushton, 1976.
- The Punch cartoons of Heath. Harrap, 1976.
- Love All? Michael Heath's Cartoons from the Guardian. London: Blond & Briggs, 1982.
- Private Eye's Bores 3. London: Private Eye, 1983.
- The Best of Heath. Newton Abbott: David & Charles, 1984.
- Welcome to America. London: Heinemann, 1985.
- Baby. London: Heinemann, 1988.
- The Complete Heath. London: John Murray, 1991.[n 1]
- Heath's 90s. London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1997.[n 2]
Selected works illustrated by Heath
- Back with Parren, E. W. Hildick, London: Macmillan, 1968
- The Computer People, Anne Denny Angus, London: Faber & Faber, 1970
- Robert Morley's Book of Bricks, Robert Morley, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1978 (with Geoffrey Dickinson)
- The Job of Acting: A guide to working in the theatre, Clive Swift, London: Harrap, 1979
- Robert Morley's Book of Worries, Robert Morley, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1979 (with Geoffrey Dickinson)
- Loose Talk: Adventures on the streets of shame, Tina Brown, London: Michael Joseph, 1979
- The Anti-Booklist, Brian Redhead and Kenneth McLeish (eds), London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1981
- Fanny Peculiar, Keith Waterhouse, London: Michael Joseph, 1983
- Second Best Bed, Fenton Bresler, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1983
- Merde! The real French you were never taught at school, Genevieve, London: Angus & Robertson, 1984
- No Laughing Matter: A collection of political jokes, Steven Lukes and Itzhak Galnoor, London: Routledge, 1985
- How's Your Glass? A quizzical look at drinks and drinking, Kingsley Amis, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1985
- Waterhouse at Large, Keith Waterhouse, London: Michael Joseph, 1985
- Merde encore! More of the real French you were never taught at school, Genevieve, London: Angus, 1986
- Talking Horses, Jeffrey Bernard, London: Fourth Estate, 1987
- Beyond Fear, Dorothy Rowe, London: Fontana, 1987
- Winewise; or, How to be streetwise about wine, Alice King, London: Methuen, 1987
- All Gourmets Great and Small, Clive and Angela Russell-Taylor, Southampton: Ashford Press, 1988
- High Life, Taki, London: Viking, 1989
- Generation Games, Laurie Graham, London: Chatto & Windus, 1990
- A Parent's Survival Guide, Laurie Graham, London: Chatto & Windus, 1991
- Countryblast, Clive Aslet, London: John Murray, 1991
- British Teeth: An excruciating journey from the dentist's chair to the rotten heart of a nation, William R. Leith, London: Faber & Faber, 2002
- The English at Table, Digby Anderson, London: Social Affairs Unit, 2006
Notes
External links
- Michael Heath: Profile at the British Cartoon Archive, University of Kent