Leonard Elliott (November 23, 1905, New York City — December 31, 1989, New York City
) was an American actor and comedian of the stage, television, and film.
Life and career
Born Leonard Elliott Gothelf in New York City, Elliott began his career as a comedienne in
nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
s and in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
in the 1920s. He remained active as a nightclub performer in Manhattan for five decades.
He made his
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
debut as Bomboski in Brad Greene and Fabian Storey's 1938 musical ''
Right This Way'' with
Joe E. Lewis
Joe E. Lewis (born Joseph Klewan; January 12, 1902 – June 4, 1971) was an American comedian, actor and singer.Obituary ''Variety'', June 9, 1971, page 54.
Early life
Lewis was born was born into a family of Russian immigrants on Januar ...
and
Joey Ray.
He appeared in seven more Broadway production during his career; including Lenore Coffee and William Joyce Cowen's ''Family Portrait'' (1939, as
Judas
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...
; with
Judith Anderson
Dame Frances Margaret Anderson, (10 February 18973 January 1992), known professionally as Judith Anderson, was an Australian actress who had a successful career in stage, film and television. A pre-eminent stage actress in her era, she won two ...
);
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
's ''
As You Like It
''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...
'' (1941, as Touchstone);
Clay Warnick
Henry Clay Warnick, Jr., also known as Buck Warnick, Clay Warnick, and H. Clay Warnick, (born, December 14, 1915, Tacoma, Washington — died February 8, 1995, West Orange, New Jersey) was an American composer, arranger, lyricist, conductor, and m ...
's ''Dream With Music'' (1944, as Sinbad);
George Marion, Jr. and
Karl Farkas
Karl Farkas (28 October 1893 – 16 May 1971) was an Austrian actor and cabaret performer.
Biography
In accordance with the wishes of his parents, he was to study law, but decided to follow the call of the stage. After attending the Academy of ...
's ''
Marinka'' (1945, as Francis);
Molière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...
's ''
The Would-Be Gentleman
''Le Bourgeois gentilhomme'' (, translated as ''The Bourgeois Gentleman'', ''The Middle-Class Aristocrat'', or ''The Would-Be Noble'') is a five-act '' comédie-ballet'' – a play intermingled with music, dance and singing – written by Moliè ...
'' (1946, as Covielle; with
Bobby Clark); Albert Wineman Barker's ''Grandma's Diary'' (1948, as Boris); and
Howard Dietz
Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz.
Biography
Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...
and
Arthur Schwartz
Arthur Schwartz (November 25, 1900 – September 3, 1984) was an American composer and film producer, widely noted for his songwriting collaborations with Howard Dietz.
Biography
Early life
Schwartz was born in Brooklyn, New York City, on Novem ...
's ''
The Gay Life
''The Gay Life'' is a musical with a book by Fay and Michael Kanin, lyrics by Howard Dietz, and music by Arthur Schwartz.
Based on a cycle of seven short plays by Arthur Schnitzler, published in 1893 and first staged in 1910, ''The Gay Life'' foc ...
'' (1961-1962, as Franz).
He also appeared in light operas and musicals in summer stock.
Elliott was a
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 ...
in several
classic Hollywood comedies from 1940 to 1970. He made his film debut as Tilchinski, the orchestra conductor, in the 1940 Yiddish film ''Overture to Glory''. In 1941 he portrayed Henry in the
Abbott and Costello
Abbott may refer to:
People
*Abbott (surname)
*Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist
* Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act
Places Argentina
* Abbott, Buenos Aires United States
* Abbott, Arkansas ...
musical
Musical is the adjective of music.
Musical may also refer to:
* Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance
* Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...
military comedy
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the olde ...
''
Buck Privates
''Buck Privates'' is a 1941 musical film, musical military comedy film that turned Bud Abbott and Lou Costello into bona fide movie stars. It was the first service comedy based on the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, peacetime draft o ...
''. Other Hollywood comedies he appeared in included ''
Bachelor Daddy
''Bachelor Daddy'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Harold Young and written by Robert Lees and Frederic I. Rinaldo. The film stars Baby Sandy, Edward Everett Horton, Donald Woods, Raymond Walburn, Evelyn Ankers, Kathryn Adams Doty, ...
'' (1941, as Clark), ''
It Started with Eve
''It Started with Eve'' is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score (Charles Previ ...
'' (1941, as Reverend Stebbins), and ''
Diary of a Mad Housewife
''Diary of a Mad Housewife'' is a 1970 American comedy-drama film about a frustrated wife portrayed by Carrie Snodgress. Snodgress was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won a Golden Globe award in the same category. The film wa ...
'' (1970, as M. Henri). He also appeared as Ken in the drama ''
Weddings and Babies'' which won the Critics Award at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
in 1958.
Elliott's first appeared on television in 1948 in the title role of ''
Captain Applejack'' for
Kraft Television Theatre
''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...
. Elliott portrayed
Merlin in the 1955 television adaptation of the
Rodgers and Hart
Rodgers and Hart were an American songwriting partnership between composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and the lyricist Lorenz Hart (1895–1943). They worked together on 28 stage musicals and more than 500 songs from 1919 until Hart ...
musical ''
A Connecticut Yankee''. He appeared twice on ''
The Billy Rose Show
''The Billy Rose Show'', aka ''Billy Rose's Playbill'', is a 30-minute American dramatic anthology series produced by Jed Harris. A total of twenty-five episodes aired on the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) from October 3, 1950 to March 27, 1 ...
'' in 1950-1951, and twice on ''
Mister Peepers
''Mister Peepers'' is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from July 3, 1952, to June 12, 1955.
Overview
Wally Cox starred as Robinson J. Peepers, Jefferson City's junior high school science teacher. Others in the cast included Tony Randall a ...
'' in 1952. Other television programs he appeared as a guest on included ''
Star Tonight'' (1955), ''
The Phil Silvers Show
''The Phil Silvers Show'', originally titled ''You'll Never Get Rich'', is a sitcom which ran on CBS from 1955 to 1959. A pilot titled "Audition Show" was made in 1955, but it was never broadcast. 143 other episodes were broadcast – all half-a ...
'' (1957), ''
Naked City'' (1962), ''
ABC Stage 67
''ABC Stage 67'' is the umbrella title for a series of 26 weekly American television shows that included dramas, variety shows, documentaries and original musicals.
It premiered on ABC on September 14, 1966, with Murray Schisgal's ''The Love ...
'' (1966), and ''
Coronet Blue
''Coronet Blue'' is an American adventure drama series that ran on CBS from May 29 until September 4, 1967.
It starred Frank Converse as Michael Alden, an amnesiac in search of his identity. Brian Bedford co-starred. The show's 13 episodes were f ...
'' (1967).
Elliott died the age of 84 at
Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers
Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers of New York d/b/a as Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Centers (Saint Vincent's, or SVCMC) was a healthcare system, anchored by its flagship hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital Manhattan, locally referred to a ...
on New Year's Eve 1989.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Leonard
1905 births
1989 deaths
Male actors from New York City
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male musical theatre actors
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers