Jack Albertson Freddie Prinze Avery Schreiber Chico and the Man 1975

Avery Lawrence Schreiber (April 9, 1935 – January 7, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. He was a veteran of stage, television, and movies who came to prominence in the 1960s in a comedy duo with

Jack Burns John Francis Burns (November 15, 1933 – January 27, 2020) was an American comedian, actor, voice actor, writer, and producer. During the 1960s, he was part of two comedy partnerships, first with George Carlin and later with Avery Schreiber. ...

. He acted in an array of roles mostly on television sitcoms and a series of popular advertisements for ''

Doritos Doritos () is an American brand of flavored tortilla chips produced since 1964 by Frito-Lay, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The original Doritos were not flavored. The first flavor was Toasted Corn, released in 1966, followed by Taco in ...

'' tortilla chips.

Life and career

Schreiber was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Minnie (née Shear) and George Schreiber. He started his career in Chicago at the Goodman Theatre. He joined

The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise and is the oldest ongoing improvisational theater troupe to be continually based in Chicago, with training programs and live theatres in Toronto and Los Angeles. The Second City Theatre o ...

and later teamed with

to form the comedy team of Burns and Schreiber. They recorded several comedy albums and appeared on numerous television shows. Schreiber is remembered for his many

commercials during the 1970s and 1980s, as well as his appearances on several television series. He was known for his trademark bushy

handlebar moustache A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy and upwardly curved extremities. These moustache styles are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a bicycle. It is also known as a spaghetti moustache, because of its ste ...

, curly hair, and comedic reactions. In 1965, Schreiber played the role of Captain Manzini on ''

My Mother the Car ''My Mother the Car'' is an American fantasy comedy that aired for a single season on NBC between September 14, 1965 and April 5, 1966. Thirty episodes were produced by United Artists Television. The premise features a man whose deceased mothe ...

''. In the summer of 1973, he co-hosted the ABC comedy ''The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour''. He was a regular guest star on the situation comedy ''

Chico and the Man ''Chico and the Man'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on NBC for four seasons from September 13, 1974, to July 21, 1978. It stars Jack Albertson as Ed Brown (the Man), the cantankerous owner of a run-down garage in an East Los ...

'', and was also a frequent guest panelist on the game show ''

Match Game ''Match Game'' is an American television panel game show that premiered on NBC in 1962 and has been revived several times over the course of the last six decades. The game features contestants trying to match answers given by celebrity panelis ...

'', and a guest in a first-season episode of ''

The Muppet Show ''The Muppet Show'' is a sketch comedy television series created by Jim Henson and featuring the Muppets. The series originated as two pilot episodes produced by Henson for ABC in 1974 and 1975. While neither episode was moved forward as a s ...

'' (written by former partner Jack Burns, whom he mentioned during a stand-up routine in the episode). In addition, he participated in the 1980 Tournament of Celebrities on the

Jim Perry James Perry may refer to: * James Perry (journalist) (1756–1821), journalist * James Franklin Perry (1790–1853), early Texas settler (with wife Emily Austin Perry) * Jimmy Perry (1923–2016), English actor and scriptwriter * James E. C. Perr ...

-hosted version of ''

Card Sharks ''Card Sharks'' is an American television game show. It was created by Chester Feldman for Mark Goodson- Bill Todman Productions. The game features two contestants who attempt to predict the outcome of survey questions to gain control of a ro ...

''. His movie appearances include '' The Monitors'' (the first film production of Chicago's Second City comedy troupe, 1969), '' Don't Drink the Water'' (1969), ''

Deadhead Miles ''Deadhead Miles'' is a 1972 American road comedy film directed by Vernon Zimmerman from a script by Terrence Malick, and starring Alan Arkin, Bruce Bennett and Paul Benedict. Actors George Raft and Ida Lupino make cameos. Plot Cooper (Alan Ark ...

'' (1972), ''

Swashbuckler A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

'' (1976), ''

The Last Remake of Beau Geste ''The Last Remake of Beau Geste'' is a 1977 American historical comedy film. It stars and was also directed and co-written by Marty Feldman. It is a satire loosely based on the 1924 novel ''Beau Geste'', a frequently-filmed story of brothers a ...

'' (1977), '' The Concorde ... Airport '79'', '' Silent Scream'' (1979), ''

Scavenger Hunt ''Scavenger Hunt'' is a 1979 American comedy film with a large ensemble cast which includes Richard Benjamin, James Coco, Scatman Crothers, Ruth Gordon, Cloris Leachman, Cleavon Little, Roddy McDowall, Robert Morley, Richard Mulligan, Tony R ...

'' (1979), ''

Caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or "ape-like" by Marcellin ...

'' (1981), ''

Jimmy the Kid ''Jimmy the Kid'' is a 1982 American comedy film starring Gary Coleman and Paul Le Mat. It was directed by Gary Nelson, produced by Ronald Jacobs, and released on November 12, 1982 by New World Pictures. Following 1981's ''On the Right Track'', ...

'' (1983) and '' Robin Hood: Men in Tights'' (1993). Avery continued to work in film, television and theater, as well as teaching

improvisational theater Improvisational theatre, often called improvisation or improv, is the form of theatre, often comedy, in which most or all of what is performed is unplanned or unscripted: created spontaneously by the performers. In its purest form, the dialogue, a ...

technique up until the time of his death. He taught master classes at The Second City in Chicago and Los Angeles. He and his wife Rochelle had two children.

Death

In 1994, Schreiber suffered a heart attack resulting from complications of

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

. Although he survived triple coronary artery bypass surgery, he never fully recovered. He died of another heart attack on January 7, 2002, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Legacy

In 2003, the Avery Schreiber Theatre was founded in North Hollywood, California. In 2013, the Avery Schreiber Theatre changed its name to The Avery Schreiber Playhouse with the approval of Rochelle Isaacs Schreiber (née Shelley), Avery's widow. It is located at 4934 Lankershim Boulevard in the NoHo Arts District.

Filmography

Features

Television

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schreiber, Avery 1935 births 2002 deaths American male comedians American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Comedians from Illinois Male actors from Chicago 20th-century American comedians 20th-century American male actors