Lee Delano (January 19, 1931 – October 8, 2017) was an American

character actor A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to b ...

. Delano was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He graduated from the

Neighborhood Playhouse A neighbourhood (British English, Irish English, Australian English and Canadian English) or neighborhood (American English; see spelling differences) is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town, suburb or rural area, ...

School of the Theater, where he studied with Sandy Meisner for acting and

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

for dance. His classmates included Joanne Woodward,

Susan Oliver Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...

and

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

. McQueen convinced Delano to make the move west to Hollywood where he began to obtain guest roles in episodes of numerous television series, including the original ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' in "A Piece of the Action". Delano's tough guy looks and legitimate stage training made him a natural for 'cops and crooks' roles. In 1968,

Sid Caesar Isaac Sidney Caesar (September 8, 1922 – February 12, 2014) was an American comic actor, comedian and writer. With a career spanning 60 years, he was best known for two pioneering 1950s live television series: ''Your Show of Shows'' (1950� ...

hired Delano to replace his longtime improvisational co-star Carl Reiner. Delano co-starred with Caesar on-stage and television around the world, including appearances at the Kraft Music Hall in London, Hollywood Palace, the Kennedy Center in

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, and theaters and concert halls throughout the United States. These engagements included a four-month stint with Caesar and

Imogene Coca Imogene Coca (born Emogeane Coca; November 18, 1908 – June 2, 2001) was an American comic actress best known for her role opposite Sid Caesar on ''Your Show of Shows''. Starting out in vaudeville as a child acrobat, she studied ballet and wishe ...

at Michael's Pub Cabaret, and a run on Broadway. An association with

Mel Brooks Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a writer and director of a variety of successful broad farces and parodies. He began h ...

led to roles in the films ''

High Anxiety ''High Anxiety'' is a 1977 American satirical comedy film produced and directed by Mel Brooks, who also plays the lead. This is Brooks' first film as a producer and first speaking lead role (his first lead role was in ''Silent Movie''). Veteran ...

'' (as an orderly with one half a mustache) and ''

Silent Movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Cae ...

''. He also appeared in dramatic roles in ''Report to the Commissioner'' and ''

Executive Action Executive actions of the CIA are directives issued to the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. History The CIA was created under the National Security Act of 1947, which Harry S. Truman signed on July 26, 1947. Richard Bissell was ...

'', in which he played one of three assassins of President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. Delano co-founded the Oxford Theater with

Jack Donner Jack Donner (October 29, 1928 – September 21, 2019) was an American actor whose career in theater, television and film extended over six decades. Career A native of Los Angeles, Donner worked in television and film since the 1950s including ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. Their students included Barry Levinson,

Craig T. Nelson Craig Theodore Nelson (born April 4, 1944) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Hayden Fox in the sitcom ''Coach'' (for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series), Deputy Ward Wilson in the 19 ...

, Barbara Parkins, and Don Johnson.

Filmography

References

External links

Lee Delano website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Delano, Lee American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors Male actors from Los Angeles Male actors from New York City 1931 births 2017 deaths