Leslie Hutchinson

Grenadian-born British cabaret star

Leslie 'Hutch' Hutchinson, also known as "Hutch" (born Gouyave, Grenada, 7 March, 1900 – died London, England, 18 August, 1969) was one of the biggest cabaret stars in the world during the 1920s and 1930s. A friend and lover of Cole Porter's, he recorded several of his songs. He was for some time the highest paid star in Britain and was one of the biggest stars during the twenties and thirties in the UK. "Hutch" was rumored to have been a bisexual and was alleged to have had relationships with Ivor Novello, Merle Oberon, and actress Tallulah Bankhead. The rumors included affairs with Edwina Mountbatten and members of the British Royal Family which supposedly led to his social ostracism and the destruction of his professional career, a staggering fall for someone who was once the highest paid entertainer in Britain to a man who died penniless with only 42 people attending his funeral. In 2008, Channel 4 TV in the UK showed a documentary on his life called "High Society's Favourite Gigolo" focusing on the meteoric rise and fall of one of Britain's first black superstars.