Dead Funny
Great American Comedians
Bud Abbott
Bud Abbott Memorabilia
Fred Allen
John Florence Sullivan was born on May 31, 1894 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Irish Catholic parents, Cecilia Herlihy and James Henry Sullivan. Though actually good friends with his comtemporary Jack Benny, they had a long-running mock dispute which fooled many into thinking it was the real thing. Fred Allen Memorabilia
Gracie Allen
There is some confusion over Gracie Allen's actual birth-date with Census records of the State of California recording her birth in July 1895 though the date of birth given on her death certificate is July 26, 1902. Gracie Allen Memorabilia
Lucille Ball
Born Lucille Désirée Ball in Jamestown, New York on 6th August, 1911, Lucille, much loved star of I Love Lucy, died in California on 26th April 1989 of a heart attack.Lucille Ball Memorabilia
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi born on January 24th, 1949 is perhaps best remembered for his acting roles in National Lampoon's Animal House and the Blues Brothers. His brother is the actor James Belushi.John Belushi Memorabilia
Jack Benny
Benjamin Kubelsky was born on Valentine's Day, 1894 in Chicago. He changed his name to Jack Benny and was an actor, a vaudeville performer and a very popular comedian. He died on Boxing Day, 1974 of pancreatic cancer.Jack Benny Memorabilia
Milton Berle
Born Milton Berlinger on July 12, 1908, Milton Berle was the first star of television and was affectionately called Mr. Television.Milton Berle Memorabilia
Victor Borge
Born Børge Rosenbaum in Copenhagen Denmark on January 3rd, 1909 to Jewish parents, Victor Borge became a naturalised citizen of the United States in 1948.Victor Borge Memorabilia
Lenny Bruce
Born Leonard Alfred Schneider, on October 13th, 1925, Lenny Bruce was a social critic and stand up comedian during the 1950's and 1960's. In 1964 he was convicted of obscenity but this was overturned after his death.Lenny Bruce Memorabilia
George Burns
Born Nathan Birnbaum on January 20th 1896, cigar smoking George Burns was a great entertainer who carried on making people laugh practically until he died 43 days after his 100th birthday. Red Buttons
With a name like Aaron Chwatt it is perhaps not surprising that Red Buttons, born February 5th 1919 in New York should later change his moniker. His red hair and the shiny buttons of his bellboy jacket inspired orchestra leader Charles Dinty Moore to give him the new name.Red Buttons Memorabilia
John Candy
Canadian John Franklin Candy born on October 31st, made his first movie appearance in 1973 in 'Class of '44' and went on to play a series of roles in movies like Planes. Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck and Canadian Bacon.John Candy Memorabilia
Johnny Carson
Host of The Tonight Show for thirty years, Johnny Carson was born on October 23rd, 1925. He started his media career in radio and television at the age of 25 and after hosting several game and variety shows took over from Jack Paar as host of The Tonight Show in 1962.Johnny Carson Memorabilia
Charlie Chaplin
A master of comedy and surely the only one who has both been knighted and had a planet named after him, Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. was born in London on April 16th, 1889. His most famous creation, The Little Tramp, is universally adored to this day and despite the controversy that often dogged him, it is this facet of Charlie Chaplin that remains his legacy.Lou Costello
Funny guy to Bud Abbott's foil, Lou Costello's rubber face and child-like air of permanent confusion was a standard part Abbott and Costello routines. Costello was born on March 6th, 1806 in New Jersey and died on March 3rd 1959. Rodney Dangerfield
On October 5, 2005, on the one year anniversary of the death of Rodney Dangerfield, a skywriting plane scawled the word RESPECT in letters 2000 feet tall. The goggle-eyed comedian whose tag line was - I don't get no respect! - is remembered as much for his generosity and support of up-and-coming young comedians like Jim Carrey as for his own hilarious routines.Jimmy Durante
James Francis Durante, born on February 10th 1893 was a favourite of American audiences from the 1920's through to the 1970's. His large nose which he himself dubbed, the Schnozzle, led to his nickname and his gruff voice provided the inspiration for Spike the bulldog of Tom and Jerry fame.Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby Farley was born on February 15th, 1964. On December 18th 1997, aged only 33, he died of a drug overdose. He played regular character, Matt Foley on Saturday Night Live and appeared in several comedic movies of the 1990's, including Wayne's World and Beverley Hills Ninja.W.C. Fields
Born William Claude Dukenfield on January 29, 1880, the on-screen portrayal of W.C. Fields curmudgeonly, tight-fisted, child-hating boozer was so tightly played and exploited by the movie-studio machine that a lot of people considered him not to be acting at all. His life does seem to have been filled with paradoxes with peers and aquantainces each contradicted the other as to his real character. W.C. Fields died on Christmas Day in 1946.Jackie Gleason
Herbert John "Jackie" Gleason born in Brooklyn on February 26th, 1916 was one of the earliest stars of television. His father abandoned the family and his early years were hard. In later life, he was a big spender and a drinker, excessive and generous but with a darker side that gave his comedy a sharp edge.Buddy Hackett
Buddy Hackett was born Leonard Hacker in Brooklyn, New York on August 31st, 1924. In the 1950's and '60's he was a feequent guest of talk show hosts Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey and on the game show Hollywood Squares but it was his role as comedy writer Benjy Benjamin in the classic comedy movie, It's a MAd, Mad, Mad, Mad World which ensured his rise to fame.Buddy Hackett Memorabilia
Oliver Hardy
Norvell Hardy born January 18th, 1892 was rather a difficult child. With no iterest in schoolwork at all he ran away from home to join the theatre. After retriving her child and packing him off to boarding school in Atlanta only for Norvell to make his escape again, his frustrated mother sent him to military college. Absconding once again the boy flirted briefly with studying law before setting his sights on a singing career.Danny Kaye
David Daniel Kaminsky was born on January 18, 1913 in Brooklyn to Jewsih parents of Ukranian descent. In 1944, Samuel Goldwyn fretting over his new star's ethnic appearance ordered Danny Kaye to get a nose job which Danny refused to do. Instead the studio boss settled for dying Danny's hair a red-golden hue and this together with his beaky nose became the comedian's trademark.Buster Keaton.
Joseph Frank Keaton was born on October 4, 1895 into a family of vaudeville performers. He joined his parents on-stage in a series of comedy acts titled, The Three Keatons at the age of three. The sketches mainly constituted Buster getting thrown about the stage. It may have been at this point that he developed the dead-pan expression that earned hin the nickname, The Great Stone Face, for Buster who enjoyed the choreographed routines learned early that the more he laughed at his fathers antics, the less the audience would find them funny.Sam Kinison
Sam Kinison was born on December 8th, 1953 in Yakima, Washington. Son of a Pentecostal preacher, Sam himself initially became a preacher before his teachings became a little too radical for the average house of worship. His comedy monologues and sometimes outrageous outbursts often references his early years and nobody was safe. Not the Pope, not Jim Bakker and not 'Jesus, the Miracle Caterer'.Ernie Kovacs
Though his genius for experimental camera work and visual jokes was under-appreciated by the television audience, Kovacs short career, which ended abruptly with his death in a car crash, nevertheless influenced the work of comedy giants for years to come.Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley's parents, Arthur and Madge Jefferson must have had no idea that there son born on June 16, 1890 in Ulverston, England would go on to win a Lifetime Achievemnt Award, have a star on Hollywood Boulevard and together with his acting partner Oliver Hardy, be one of the most recognised stars of the silver screen in his own lifetime and ever after.
Jack Lemmon
Double Academy Award winner and recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award, John Uhler Lemmon III, better known as Jack Lemmon also holds the record for the most Golden Globe award nominations. He played against a bevvy of assorted Hollywood beauties including Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak and Rita Hayworth in movies like SOme Like It Hot, The Fortune Cookie and The Front Page and played eleven times againt the slightly less beautiful Walter Matthau.
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd born April 20 acted and produced in silent movies at the same time as his comtemporaries Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Unlike these two, his screen character was more true-to-life, a love-lorn 'everyman' in horn-rimmed glasses whose escapades involved dare-devil stunts, most of which were performed by Harold Lloyd himself.
Groucho Marx
Julius Henry Marx born October 2, 1890 never intended to become an instantly recognised comedian and filmstar. His ambitions were to become a doctor until his family's finances took a downturn and Julius had to leave school to find work. After several unsuccessful attempts to succeed in lowly office positions, Julias became instead a vaudeville singer in 1905.
Walter Matthau
Walter John Matthau born October 1, 1920 may have started his long acting career playing baddies, but he will be remembered for his talent at poe-faced comedy routines especially in those movies he partnered with Jack Lemmon like The Fortune Cookie and The Odd Couple.Walter Matthau Memorabilia
Ethel Merman
Ethel Agnes Zimmerman born 16 January 1908 broght a clipped, strong singing voice to the Broadway stage which together with her sassy personality and take-no-prisoners style made her a true star. Her role as a nagging mother-in-law In It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World was played to perfection but it is as Rose in Gpysy that she gave her greatest performance.
Marilyn Monroe
Sadly remembered today more for the conspiracy theories surrounding her death and her relationship with JFK, Norma Jeanne Mortenson, born June 1st 1926 was a star who outshone every other of her time. The circumstances of her lonely death aside, Marilyn Monroe possessed a great talent for comedy and timing as evidenced by the Golden Globe she was awarded for her role in Some Like It Hot.
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner born on June 28, 1946 to Jewish Americans Herman Radner and Henrietta Dworkin won several entertainment awards in her lifetime and after her death recieved yet more posthumously but her legacy is the work carried out in her name for the early detection of ovarian cancer and the support groups set up for the victims of this disease.
Mack Sennet
Founder of the Keystone Studios Mack Sennett had a lot to answer for. Since his police force of incompetent cops first bumbled across the silver screen, the term Keystone Cops has been used pejoratively against police departments around the world.
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers born May 11th 1911 will be forever remembered as Sergeant Bilko and like that character he was a compulsive gambler. He also suffered intermittently with depression and pointed titled his autobiography, The Laughs Were On Me.
Red Skelton
Though circus performer Joe Skelton died before his son reached one year of age, he would've been immensely proud of the boy. Not only did the lad become a household name as an actor and comedian but he was also an accommplished artist . Red Skelton clown and hobo paintings and lithographs have become sought after collector's items and many of the images are also available in a series of collector's plates.Ben Turpin
Skinny, cross-eyed Ben Turpin was a silent movie icon. His bizarre ability to bend his body and withstand the most bone-shattering prat-falls made him a slapstick hero. He revelled in giving various accounts the cause of his visual affliction but was supremely aware of his trademerk - so much so that he had a massive insurance with Lloyd's of London in case his eyes should ever un-cross themselves. Henry Youngman
Henry Youngman was born on March 16th 1906. His was an unusal act for the time. Rather than regale his audience with elaborate anecdotes and funny stories, ?Henny'' Youngman played the violin punctuated by short quips and snappy one liners, the most famous of which is "Take my wife... Please!"