How tall was Bruce Forsyth

Bruce Forsyth's Height

5ft 11 (180.3 cm)

British TV presenter, best remembered for hosting The Generation Game, Price is Right, and Strictly Come Dancing. He said in the Telegraph in 2009 "I'm six feet tall!" and in his autobiography he also said "six feet tall"

How tall is Bruce Forsyth
Photos by PR Photos

Add a Comment63 comments

Average Guess (35 Votes)
5ft 11.44in (181.5cm)
Sinclair said on 12/Dec/22
Yes, probably a solid 5'11" peak and no more. 5'11.25" is not ruled out but Forsyth looked 5'11" maximum in The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins. In Bedknobs and Broomsticks however, 186cm David Tomlinson only looked 5cm taller than Forsyth. There are several explanations for this:

1) Tomlinson was wearing less footwear, so Forsyth gained a centimetre there
2) Tomlinson (53 years old at the time) had already shrunk a quarter of an inch
3) Forsyth was actually 5'11.25"
Arch Stanton said on 2/Sep/22
Yes, he certainly gave a much taller impression than 5 ft 11 Rampage peak and I can see what you mean on Vincent Price. He had the face and chin of a 6 ft 4 guy.
Sandy Cowell said on 2/Sep/22
I would have believed over 6ft as a teenager. Such a class entertainer was Bruce, I still enjoy watching his shows on the Challenge channel.

He used to talk about being tall and skinny.

5ft11.5.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 29/Aug/21
So sorry - the programme was 'Play Your Cards Right'.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 29/Aug/21
Brucie's The Price Is Right this afternoon:

Bruce asked the question, "How many pet owners would be willing to take on a parrot if it swore?"

The answer was 74 out of 100, I think. My Dad and his wife had a parrot who swore like ****, and they didn't have any trouble rehoming him! 🐦

If I was offered a fowl-mouthed bird, I would snap him up!

5ft11.5 for Brucie. 😂👍🐦...🕯️
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 28/Apr/21
On an old showing of 'Bruce's Price Is Right' this morning, there was a tall female contestant who was told to "Come on down!"

Bruce asked her how tall she was and when she said, "5ft9," I felt quite surprised because she looked so much taller. Then I noticed she was wearing high heels, and in those, she was probably 6ft. I must say, Bruce kept his height well over the years. I'd have put her at about Bruce's height.

BTW, Bruce was very flattering about her height; he liked tall girls, dear old Brucie!
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 12/Apr/21
On Bruce's card game 'Play Your Cards Right' just now, Bruce asked "How many TV game contestants bought brand new clothes to appear on TV?"

He looked at the first couple and said, "Well you didn't, that's for sure!"

How many show hosts could get away with that, past and present? Yet Brucie had this cheeky way that enabled him to get away with ANYTHING!

5ft11.5. 😁
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 24/Jan/21
On Bruce's 'Play Your Cards Right' just now, Bruce asked a guy of 6ft2 how tall he was, and added, "Are you wearing platform shoes?"

That's only around 3" taller than Brucie was, which isn't a mammoth difference at all. I certainly wouldn't remark on someone just 3" taller than myself!

5ft11.25.

⭐ It goes to show that he wasn't used to meeting people taller than him to any reasonable degree.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 29/Nov/20
⭐ In addition to my comment mentioning Des O'Connor dated today, I'd like to add that I found 5ft10.5 for him. Could he please have a page? Thanks Rob!
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 29/Nov/20
We lost dear old Brucie over three years ago, which was such a loss to the entertainment business. This month, alas, we lost another of our Golden Greats in Des O'Connor. He passed on on the 14th, aged 88. Brucie was 89. I'm watching him on the Challenge Channel in 'Play Your Cards Right'. Yet again he's been the tallest on his show; taller than his two hostesses and taller than all the contestants so far.

I'm giving this warm-hearted all round entertainer 5ft11.25. 😉👍
Rampage(-_-_-)Clover said on 12/Jul/20
Tallest looking 5ft11 guy I’ve ever seen. I thought he was well over 6ft originally. A bit over 5ft11 is probable. If you look at photos of him when he was younger, he closely resembled Vincent Price
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 25/Mar/20
I turned my TV on this morning to Bruce Forsyth and 'The Price Is Right'. Initially, he was far and away the tallest, there being a really tiny woman contestant and some average ones, but later on there was a male of well over 6ft - and a 'Dolly Dealer' who, in shoes, was also in access of 6ft. The show ended with Bruce looking distinctly average, which was most unusual. He was nearly always the tallest when I watched 'The Generation Game'!

5ft11.25 for this comedy treasure. 😁
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 22/Feb/20
Brucie was born 92 years ago today. I was devastated when he passed on, as was my brother. He always seemed so fit, I'd have thought he'd live well into his 90s. 5ft11, but often looked taller.

RIP Bruce Forsyth XXX 🕯️
texluh said on 20/Nov/19
Bruce was 6ft - 6 ft to 6 ft 1/2 ins, in 1996. I was on stage with him in Basingstoke, pulled out of the audience to be ridiculed, in the nicest possible way, along with a few others (tap dancing). I am 6 ft 1 and he was eye to eye with me. I was deliberately slouching, but that's another story.
Nik said on 30/Sep/19
R.I.P Bruce Forsyth.
Miss Sandy Cowell said on 13/May/19
I'm watching the late Brucie on an old edition of 'The Price Is Right'. There is an extremely tall guy called Paul playing, and Bruce has remarked on how huge he is. The fellow talking to Bruce now looks more of average height to me. His name is Bill and he seems to hail from Cornwall. Bruce likes his accent, and next to Bill, Bruce looks tall.

When I was a kid, I watched Bruce's 'The Generation Game' every Saturday night. It was all part of our routine: scones, delicious cakes with chocolate bases and flavoured fondant toppings 😋 and finally TV! Blimey, I must have been young because I stopped eating cakes at 15! I was always under the impression that Bruce was around 6ft, but he was very lean, and that helped to elongate how tall he looked.

He was the ultimate friendly showman, and put all his guests at complete ease. Truly one of a kind.

5ft11.5.
FE said on 30/Aug/18
@Edtior Rob,

Is an Upgrade to 181-2cm possible for Bruce?
Click Here
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Paul Killick (Listed 5'11.5") and George Best (listed 5'9")
Click Here
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Andrew Webber (Listed 5’9-9.25”) and Peggy Mount (Listed 5’5”)
Click Here
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Harry Secombe (Listed 5’8”) and Jack Jones (Listed 6’1”)
Click Here
Click Here

He still looked near 5’11” even in his 70s, He really does look near his 6ft claim.

What do u think Rob?
Editor Rob
I know Best claimed 5ft 8.5, Bruce could have been 5ft 11.5, but a full six foot I am not so sure about that.
John Stannard said on 1/Mar/18
spot on I think 5'11, Anton du beke claims he's 5'11& when he did a strictly duet with Bruce on strictly they looked same height
Editor Rob
Anton has pushed his claim to 6ft before, but then that's no surprise for Anton!
Aza said on 22/Aug/17
RIP Bruce.
Nik said on 20/Aug/17
RIP Bruce Forsyth. He was a smashing man and personality.
Vibram said on 20/Aug/17
RIP Bruce. But yeah he was about 179cm / 5'10.75 peak. Look at him next to 178cm prime Michael Parkinson in the mid 70's, there wasn't much in it, they looked almost equal with a slight 1cm brucie bonus. Probably 175cm at his death.
Arch Stanton said on 20/Aug/17
Can you add a photo of him, with his wife :-)?
Arch Stanton said on 20/Aug/17
His wife is stunning, pure class, one of those Latina fashionistas who tend to marry presidents or millionaires.
Arch Stanton said on 20/Aug/17
Arch Stanton said on 18/Aug/17
RIP, Rob time to give him his full height back. His son looks tall, could be a 6'4 er? Click Here
Editor Rob: wouldn't have thought as tall as 6ft 4, maybe 6ft 3.

Yes, I was thinking of Bruce as 5'10-11 rather than 5'9.5 though!
Sandy Cowell said on 19/Aug/17
What terrible news.

RIP Bruce xxx
MSJC said on 19/Aug/17
RIP Sir Bruce
James said on 18/Aug/17
He was 5'10" when I saw him on stage.
Arch Stanton said on 18/Aug/17
RIP, Rob time to give him his full height back. His son looks tall, could be a 6'4 er? Click Here
Editor Rob
wouldn't have thought as tall as 6ft 4, maybe 6ft 3.
Teddy said on 18/Aug/17
RIP TV legend. Well he might have been 6' at his peak after his was born in the 1920
James B said on 18/Aug/17
RIP Bruce

You had a lot of charisma
Aza said on 16/Oct/16
Legendary host. Think he might have Ben a bit taller.
Chris said on 25/Dec/14
Anyone over a certain age will know Bruce was well known for being tall in the 1960s and 1970s. He was honestly about 6 foot 1. He's obviously shorter now but he's 80+
andrew said on 3/Oct/13
This is quite a useful photo, alongside the Beatles back in the day, hope the link works:
Click Here
Flying Scotsman said on 3/Nov/12
I used to be a security officer in Harrods and i stand, in shoes, at 5'11". I stood next to Bruce many a time in the store and i can assure you he is not over 6' tall. I looked down on him, not by much but he is without doubt no taller than 5'10" in his shoes.
little sue said on 6/Oct/12
Watching him on Strictly last night I would say he was barely 5ft 9 now.
Delaney Rickett said on 25/Jan/12
My mum and dad thought he was about 6 ft.
Adam Cornwell said on 30/Dec/11
Anonymous: No, fortunately, I'm well over 6 ft (6 ft 1 7/8 in the morning and down to as low as 6 ft 0 1/2 some evenings). Funnily enough this correlates with being taller than about 4 out of every 5 men or more, so there is feedback there other than the tape measure. And my eyesight isn't bad either. Bruce was a tall man in 1996 and over six feet tall. There is a small really number of comments here for Brucey - but it's interesting that no one is even evaluating how he compares on TV, to people he stands next to. The only 'standing next to' accounts we have are people who were actually standing in the same room as him! I guess me and Greg could both be lying, but there is not much evidence for that. Peak height should be revised to what he was when he was 70ish in 1996 - or maybe to more, like when he was 40? Also, in 15 years from about age 70 to 84, his gait, fitness and health would have deteriorated ostensibly if he is ageing in a big way, and that hasn't really happened. In other words, he is exceptional and therefore his shrinkage may have been average (say an inch) or exceptional (say 1/4 inch). In that time he may only have shrunk 1/2 an inch.
Dean said on 29/Mar/11
My opinion would be 179cm prime and 175cm now hes definetly under 5'10 now and on play your cards right in the 90s he looks about 5'10.
Chris Danks said on 12/Dec/10
Really? That is suprising compared to wht he looks like on there!
coops said on 27/Nov/10
Doug says on 21/Apr/09
Look 6' in his prime.
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But that was a long time ago

I guess 5ft 9 max
tubbs said on 14/Jun/09
5'10 without the rug.......
Doug said on 21/Apr/09
Look 6' in his prime.
Ejel Khan said on 14/Feb/09
Claimed 6' in his prime.
Anonymous said on 26/Nov/08
hey does anyone know if old brucey here has lost any height and if so by how much please?.
Ian said on 17/Aug/08
A man of 80 years 5ft 11 is tall. I bet he must have been about 6ft-6ft1 in his prime. My dad is 65 and a recent doctor checkup revealed he had lost an inch at this age so an inch or two loss may have occured by this age.
Daii said on 12/Aug/08
He looks tall, more or less 6 foot, i would say 5'11 is correct
Markus said on 24/Feb/08
Happy birthday brucie
Anonymous said on 28/Dec/07
He is 79 years old! he must have surely lost some height!
Anonymous said on 28/Dec/07
I read an interview that Bruce gave in a magazine, about 10 years ago that he stated that by the time he was 14 he was already 6' tall.
Robbie H said on 26/Dec/07
hes in is late 70's now, must have been at least 6ft in his prime
Anonymous said on 15/Feb/07
Paul Merton has himself stated that he is 5-11
alto said on 22/Jan/07
If Tess Daly is 5'9, and in Strictly, she's wearing heels to match Bruce's height, perhaps look a bit taller, then the accuracy of Bruce's height is spot on. I've met the guy and I can safely say he's 5'11.
Rastus said on 18/Dec/06
I know what you're saying Mikex but if you ever see clips from Sunday Night at the palladium, Bruce was always pretty tall and skinny - maybe just over 6'. He was usually the tallest of the performers and I think that he has actually shrunk a bit with age. Probably all that tap dancing.
Mikex said on 10/Oct/06
No way was he ver 6'1''. I think he was probably 5'11 when young, down to about 5'10'' now. He hasn't really shrunk much with age I think.
Rastus said on 11/Sep/06
Yes, on the Generation Game in the 70s there was once a question 'what height is Bruce?' and the answer was 6'1". I think he may have been over 6' up to his 40s (a long time ago), but age has definitely shortened him. By the way, on the picture of Boris below, remember he's standing next to the 6'7" and 6'9" Klitchkos!
the king said on 28/Aug/06
clearly 5"10 dropped to 5"9 with age....from what iv seen on the star golf show this weekend.
Joe Chip said on 3/Aug/06
I've seen Bruce a few times shopping in Surrey. He's only 5'6" maximum. He looks taller on TV although I suppose it depends on how big the TV is.

Editor Rob
crikey...if bruce is only 5ft 6 then sammy davis junior must be about 4ft 11...was channel flicking and saw clip of him interviewing sammy way back in the 70's and towering over him!
Elio said on 11/Apr/06
You're right, after looking at photos of him with various people, he only seems 5'10". Weird... perhaps I misjudged him because I was expecting him to be a short guy (5'6") and he ended up being ~5'10" + unknown shoes. This was at Granada Studios in Manchester, and I think he was filming the gameshow 'Wipeout'. There was a makeup room just outside of the studio doors ( 2 studios next to each other) , saw him standing outside there with the people I was with at the time (we were all 13-16) , and he looked 6 foot stood next to them. I didn't approach him (whereas they did), so was probably about 5 metres away. Only spoke to him in the makeup room shortly after, by which time he was sat down. Wish I could go back in time and have a more educated guess. :)
Elio said on 10/Apr/06
I met the late Bob Monkhouse (another UK presenter) back in 1998. I remember thinking he looked much taller than I imagined. Seemed 6 feet minimum. I was probably 5'10" at the time.

Editor Rob
is it possible you were shorter, just looking at pics of him in the 90's just now, monkhouse doesn't look over 5ft 10, although I've no idea what his peak height was back in the 50's
Editor Rob said on 9/Apr/06
Just throwing a couple of heights on here, for want of not wanting to give them a page ;-)

Lionel Blair (uk audiences will know this guy) claims 6ft.
Rolf Harris has 5ft 10 now on his CV, possibly shrunk to that now in 70's.
Anonymous said on 3/Feb/06
Becker does look short in that foto. But the Kilitsko's are massive.
Mikex said on 7/Jan/06
Jonathan Ross of the platform boots fame. Ross is approx 6'1'' I guess yet he always appears to be as tall as 6'3'' guys like Boris Becker on his chat show.

Editor Rob
Becker looking shortish for once! Becker himself, I've always thought might not be a full 6ft 3, maybe a smidge under...
elio said on 27/Dec/05
Definately seemed this tall (if not brushing 6ft) in his prime. After seeing him stand next to Jonathan Ross recently, he seemed 3-4 inches shorter which would put him around 5'9"-5'10" today.

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