Engelbert Humperdinck

Engelbert Humperdinck is not the man’s real name. His true name is Arnold George Dorsey.

So the question is, where did ‘Engelbert Humperdinck’ actually come from?

In fact Engelbert Humperdinck was the name of a German composer from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Humperdinck was a genius composer and managed to write a complete opera in his lifetime, one that proved to be exceedingly popular before and after his death in 1921.

But Engelbert Humperdinck was not his first nickname. Arnold’s initial stage name was actually Gerry Dorsey, a name taken from his uncanny ability to mimic Jerry Lewis. After suffering from tuberculosis and seeing his early career crash down, however, Dorsey knew he needed a fresh start. A new name.

And who, reasoned Dorsey’s manager, could ever forget a name like Engelbert Humperdinck? A legend was born.