Fred Perry and lover Marlene Dietrich in 1934. Photograph: Imagno/Getty Images
Who knew Fred Perry was such a ladies' man?
Fred Perry is best known today for the chain of leisurewear that bears his illustrious name. But almost three quarters of a century ago, he set Wimbledon ablaze when he won the men's singles – a feat that no Briton has achieved since. He was feted internationally, but in the genteel world of the 1930s no mention was made of his torrid love life.
The first biography of the tennis star, The Last Champion, paints Perry as the heartthrob of his day: flirting with Hollywood and dating some of the world's most beautiful women, while governments sought his services for propaganda purposes.
The book, written by the Observer's tennis correspondent Jon Henderson, spells out how Perry's glamorous life was a far cry from his humble origins: his father, Sam, had worked in a factory before becoming a powerful figure in the Co-operative movement and a Labour MP. But Perry's immense talents – first at table tennis, eventually becoming world champion; then at lawn tennis – propelled him to international stardom.
It helped that Perry had matinee-idol looks. "He is 6ft tall, weighs around 12 stone; sculptors declare his physique perfect ... women fall for him like ninepins," Henderson quotes one star-struck commentator as having said at the height of Perry's success. "When he goes to Hollywood, male film stars go and sulk in Nevada
I've heard or read different accounts about what male film stars might do in Perry's presence, but what do I know? So much rumor, so little fact. This new biography sets the record straight and I'd imagine is the story that will stick.
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