Donny Osmond remains one of the world’s biggest stars after finding fame as a child star in The Osmonds. The American singer, dancer and actor has just started his 12-date UK tour, and to some, this would be considered the ultimate Christmas present.
While he is one of the most recognisable faces in the entertainment industry, he is difficult to spot in a sweet family photo from the early years of the family’s fame. The snap from 1966 depicts Donny at the age of nine with some of his family.
In the throwback, his mother Olive and father George are sitting with three of their children: Marie, Jimmy and Donny in Stockholm, Sweden. Young Donny is matching with his dad in an orange jumper and green trousers as he smiles for the camera.
As his highly-anticipated tour gets underway, Express.co.uk has rounded up a few historic snaps of the popular star who was once a huge teen idol. Because he’s never really been out of the limelight, it will come as a surprise to even the biggest fans to be reminded of how young Donny was when he was launched into stardom.
His first solo hit away from his family band was a cover of Roy Orbison’s 1958 song ‘Sweet and Innocent’. However, he is perhaps most well-known for his cover of Puppy Love.
The singer looks a world away from the 65-year-old he is today. Donny made his television debut at five, singing ‘You are my Sunshine’ on The Andy Williams Show.
Donny, along with his brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy, continued to perform on the show during the 1960s. The group’s peak lasted from 1971 to 1975.
Marie, who was the only sister in the family, rarely sang with the brothers initially and launched a successful career in 1973 as a sole artist and also Donny’s duet singer. In 1976, the band stopped producing hit singles and siblings Donny and Marie transitioned into a television career with their self-titled variety show.
Another picture, taken in 1975, shows the brother and sister duo smiling for the cameras as they enjoyed the height of their TV career. The show ran until 1979 and throughout the 1980s the original Osmond Brothers were revived, and Donny and Marie also made solo comebacks.
From 2002 to 2004, Donny hosted UK game show Pyramid. He later took part in two reality shows, going on to win Dancing With The Stars in 2009 which is America’s version of Strictly Come Dancing.
He also came runner-up in season one of The Masked Singer which airs on ITV and will return in due course. However, it’s clear Donny remains a favourite with loyal fans from across the world.
Donny will be touring the UK from December 2 to December 14.