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Dick Shawn (born Richard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. He played a wide variety of and was a prolific character actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comedies, usually portraying caricatures of counterculture personalities, such as the hedonistic but mother-obsessed Sylvester Marcus in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and the hippie actor Lorenzo Saint DuBois ("L.S.D.") in The Producers (1967). Beyond his film work, he appeared in numerous television shows from the 1960s through the 1980s.
In addition to roles in more than 30 movies and seven Broadway productions, Shawn made television appearances, toured often, and periodically performed a one-man show that mixed songs, sketches, and pantomime. He was a speaker at the Friars Club Roasts in Los Angeles and New York. At one of the X-rated roasts (a 1986 Playboy roast of Tommy Chong) that had overdosed on tasteless routines by previous speakers, Shawn walked up to the microphone, took a long pause, and "vomited" pea soup onto himself and other speakers at the dais.
In the Mel Brooks 1967 movie The Producers, Shawn won accolades for his portrayal of Lorenzo St. DuBois, whose "friends call" him LSD, an actor for and winning the part of Hitler in a theatrical production that was intentionally meant to fail.
Shawn's television appearances included The Ed Sullivan Show, TV movies, sitcoms (including Three's Company on which he played Jack Tripper's father), dramas including The Fall Guy and Magnum, P.I., and a music video for "Dance" by the hair metal band Ratt (1986). In the UK he appeared in Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1958.
Amongst his roles in anthology TV series, he starred in an Amazing Stories episode "Miss Stardust", directed by Tobe Hooper, about a bizarre intergalactic beauty pageant, and played the Emperor in The Emperor's New Clothes for Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre. He filled in for vacationing Johnny Carson as guest host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on January 1, 1971, which saw the airing of the last cigarette commercial on American television (for Virginia Slims), one minute before the cigarette ads were banned.
After CPR had been initiated, the audience was asked to leave the auditorium. Most in attendance remained, assuming that it was part of Shawn's act, and only began leaving after paramedics arrived. A notice in the following day's San Diego Union newspaper announced that Shawn had died during the performance at the age of 63. Shawn was interred at Hillside Memorial Park, a Jews cemetery in Culver City, California.
Actor Matthew Glave portrayed Shawn in Leave 'Em Laughing, a short film surrounding his final moments.
Legacy
Jim Knipfel claims that Andy Kaufman was inspired by Shawn.
Filmography
Film
1956 The Opposite Sex Psychiatric Patient 1960 Wake Me When It's Over Gus Brukaber The Wizard of Baghdad Genii-Ali Mahmud 1963 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Sylvester Marcus 1965 A Very Special Favor Arnold Plum 1966 What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? Captain Lionel Cash Way... Way Out Igor Valkleinokov Penelope Dr. Gregory Mannix 1967 The Producers L.S.D. — Lorenzo St. DuBois 1969 The Happy Ending Harry Bricker 1977 Looking Up Manny Lander 1979 Love At First Bite Lieutenant Ferguson 1982 Good-bye Cruel World Rodney Poinsetter / Ainsley Poinsetter 1983 Rock 'n' Roll Hotel Weevil King of Evil Young Warriors Professor Hoover 1984 Angel Mae The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud The Ultimate Patient 1985 Water Deke Halliday Beer Talk Show Host 1986 The Check Is in the Mail... Donald uncredited The Perils of P.K. The psychiatrist Captain EO Commander Bog Short Film 1987 Maid to Order Stan Starkey 1988 Rented Lips Charlie Slater Posthumous Release
Television
1954–55 Max Liebman Spectaculars unknown role 3 episodes 1955 Max Liebman Presents: Kaleidoscope Guest TV movie 1955–58 The Ed Sullivan Show Himself 8 episodes 1958 The Eddie Fisher Show Himself 3 episodes 1959 The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Himself "Eve Arden / Dick Shawn / Red Norvo" 1961 General Electric Theater Felix Franklin "Don't Let It Throw You" Checkmate Danny Whitman "Laugh Till I Die" The DuPont Show with June Allyson Charlie Wilson "The Old-Fashioned Way" Michael Shayne Ernie Trask "The Trouble with Ernie" 1963 The Jimmy Dean Show Himself "Dick Shawn / Whitey Ford" The Judy Garland Show Himself #1.11" 1963–67 The Jerry Lewis Show Himself 2 episodes 1964 The Price Is Right Himself "03.20.1964" 1964–86 The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Himself 38 episodes 1965 For the People Ernie Garatella "Secure Any Special Privilege or Advantage" 1966 The Andy Williams Show Himself 2 episodes The Bob Hope Show Himself "Murder at NBC" 1967 ABC Stage 66 Paul Benderhof "I'm Getting Married" Sheriff Who Crawford Offwhite TV movie Off to See the Wizard Tom Thumb "Who's Afraid of Mother Goose?" That Girl Himself "The Mailman Cometh" 1968 The Lucy Show Ace Winthrop "Lucy and the Pool Hustler" What's My Line? Self – Mystery Guest "Dick Shawn" 1969 That's Life unknown role "Sex and the Married Man" The Joan Rivers Show Himself "05.04.1969" The Liberace Show Himself "07.27.1969" 1971 Dames at Sea The Captain TV movie Nick Sutton "The Glass Cage" 1971–78 The Hollywood Squares Himself – Panelist 3 episodes 1972 Evil Roy Slade Marshal Bing Bell TV movie 1972–73 Love, American Style Henry Chadwick / Howard 2 episodes 1973–74 The $10,000 Pyramid Himself – Celebrity Contestant 18 episodes 1974 CBS Daytime 90 unknown role "My Little Love" The Year Without a Santa Claus Snow Miser (Voice Role) TV movie 1975 Medical Center Pete Rashid "The Price of a Child" 1975–77 Captain Kangaroo Doc Grannick the Mechanic / E.J. Fusay 3 episodes 1976 You're Just Like Your Father Harry Tofler, Sr. TV movie 1978 Mary Skit characters unknown episode(s) 1979 Fast Friends Deke Edwards TV movie Laverne & Shirley Gatekeeper/Phone Representative "Upstairs, Downstairs" 1980 Fantasy Island Vic Erskine "Skater's Edge / Concerto of Death / The Last Great Race" 1980–81 Mr. & Mrs. Dracula Dracula 2 episodes 1981 Aloha Paradise Cyrus "Fiona / Engaged to Be Dumped / Fantasie Impromptu" 1981–82 The Love Boat Harvey Blanchard / David Jackson 3 episodes 1982 Private Benjamin Drysdale "You Oughta Be in Pictures" Madame's Place Himself "Pinky's Shock" Slapstick Studios Sheldon unknown episode(s) 1983 Magnum, P.I. Buzz Benoit "Squeeze Play" Three's Company Jack Tripper, Sr. "Like Father, Like Son" 1984 Legmen Casanova "Knight at Casanova's" Steambath Frankie Melnick "Madison Avenue Madness" The Fall Guy Edward Seraph "Losers Weepers" Body Language Himself 5 episodes 1985 Tales from the Darkside Bo Gumbs "If the Shoes Fit..." Hail to the Chief Ivan Zolotov series regular (6 episodes) Faerie Tale Theatre Emperor / Guest Interviewee 2 episodes 1986 The Twilight Zone Nelson Westbrook "Gramma / Personal Demons / Cold Reading" St. Elsewhere Edgard Eisenberg "The Equalizer" 1987 Amazing Stories Joe Willouhby "Miss Stardust"
Theatre
1948 For Heaven's Sake, Mother! Milton Rubin 1961–62 Come Blow Your Horn Alan Baker (replacement) replaced Hal March 1962 The Egg Emile Magis 1962–64 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum Prologus / Pseudolus (replacement) replaced Zero Mostel 1964–65 Fade Out – Fade In Byron Prong (replacement) replaced Jack Cassidy 1965 Peterpat Peter 1968 I'm Solomon Yoni, Solomon 1975–76 A Musical Jubilee Performer
External links
The Official Dick Shawn website Dick Shawn Website
Categories: Jewish American Male Actors, Jewish American Comedians, American Male Comedians, Male Actors From Englewood, New Jersey, Burials At Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Deaths Onstage, 1923 Births, 1987 Deaths, Jewish Male Comedians, 20th-century American Male Actors, Male Actors From Buffalo, New York, People From Lackawanna, New York, Comedians From New York, 20th-century American Comedians, 20th-century American Jews, Comedians From Bergen County, New Jersey
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