SHELDON LEONARD
Name: Sheldon Leonard
Born: 22 February 1907 New York City, New York
Died: 10 January 1997 Beverly Hills, California
Sheldon Leonard (February 22, 1907 - January 10, 1997) was a pioneering American
film and television producer, director, writer, and actor.
Leonard was born Sheldon Leonard Bershad in New York City, the son of middle
class Jewish parents Anna and Frank Bershad. As an actor, Leonard
specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies",
in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946), To Have and Have Not (1944), and
Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent. In
the cult classic Decoy, Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled
police detective Joe Portugal. In the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy
cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Robert McKimson.
In radio, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program
in the late 1940s and early '50s. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue
in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("hey Bud, come
here a minute"), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to
argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant
racing logic. Ironically, as "The Tout," he never gave out information on horse
racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was "Who knows about
horses?" He also appeared frequently on "The Adventures of the Saint," often
playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles.
But he is better known as the producer of hugely popular television series,
including The Danny Thomas Show (1953 - 64), The Andy Griffith Show (1960 - 68),
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 66), and I Spy (1965 - 68). He also was briefly
the star of his own television show "Big Eddie", where he played the owner of a
large sports arena. The show lasted only one season.
The character of Andy Taylor was introduced in a 1960 episode of "The Danny
Thomas Show," which led to the series of "The Andy Griffith Show." Leonard is
informally credited with inventing what we now know as the spinoff on TV,
although the concept began on radio two decades earlier with Fibber McGee and
Molly spinning off The Great Gildersleeve.
Leonard also has the distinction (along with author Mickey Spillane) of being
the first Miller Lite spokesmen. Using his trademark accent, he told the
audience I was at first reluctant to try Miller Lite, but then I was persuaded
to do so by my friend, Large Louis. One of his last acting roles was a guest
appearance on the TV series Cheers, in which he played the proprietor of "The
Hungry Heifer," Norm Peterson's favorite eating establishment.
Leonard died at 89, and was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver
City, California. He was recently given a posthumous tip of the hat in the
situation comedy, Big Bang Theory. The lead characters are named Sheldon and
Leonard.
Name: Sheldon Leonard
Born: 22 February 1907 New York City, New York
Died: 10 January 1997 Beverly Hills, California
Sheldon Leonard (February 22, 1907 - January 10, 1997) was a pioneering American
film and television producer, director, writer, and actor.
Leonard was born Sheldon Leonard Bershad in New York City, the son of middle
class Jewish parents Anna and Frank Bershad. As an actor, Leonard
specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies",
in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946), To Have and Have Not (1944), and
Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent. In
the cult classic Decoy, Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled
police detective Joe Portugal. In the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy
cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. cartoons directed by Robert McKimson.
In radio, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program
in the late 1940s and early '50s. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue
in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("hey Bud, come
here a minute"), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to
argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant
racing logic. Ironically, as "The Tout," he never gave out information on horse
racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was "Who knows about
horses?" He also appeared frequently on "The Adventures of the Saint," often
playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles.
But he is better known as the producer of hugely popular television series,
including The Danny Thomas Show (1953 - 64), The Andy Griffith Show (1960 - 68),
The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961 - 66), and I Spy (1965 - 68). He also was briefly
the star of his own television show "Big Eddie", where he played the owner of a
large sports arena. The show lasted only one season.
The character of Andy Taylor was introduced in a 1960 episode of "The Danny
Thomas Show," which led to the series of "The Andy Griffith Show." Leonard is
informally credited with inventing what we now know as the spinoff on TV,
although the concept began on radio two decades earlier with Fibber McGee and
Molly spinning off The Great Gildersleeve.
Leonard also has the distinction (along with author Mickey Spillane) of being
the first Miller Lite spokesmen. Using his trademark accent, he told the
audience I was at first reluctant to try Miller Lite, but then I was persuaded
to do so by my friend, Large Louis. One of his last acting roles was a guest
appearance on the TV series Cheers, in which he played the proprietor of "The
Hungry Heifer," Norm Peterson's favorite eating establishment.
Leonard died at 89, and was buried at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver
City, California. He was recently given a posthumous tip of the hat in the
situation comedy, Big Bang Theory. The lead characters are named Sheldon and
Leonard.