Ed Wynn
Ed Wynn
Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor. Ed Wynn first appeared on television on July 7, 1936 in a brief, ad-libbed spot with Graham McNamee during an NBC experimental television broadcast. In the 1949–50 season, Ed Wynn hosted one of the first network, comedy-variety television shows, on CBS, and won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award in 1949. Buster Keaton, Lucille Ball, and The Three Stooges all made guest appearances with Wynn. This was the first CBS variety television show to originate from Los Angeles, which was seen live on the west coast, but filmed via kinescope for distribution in the Midwest and East, as the national coaxial cable had yet to be completed. Wynn was also a rotating host of NBC's Four Star Revue from 1950 through 1952. After the end of Wynn's third television series, The Ed Wynn Show (a short-lived situation comedy on NBC's 1958–59 schedule), his son, actor Keenan Wynn, encouraged him to make a career change rather than retire. The comedian reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. Father and son appeared in three productions, the first of which was the 1956 Playhouse 90 broadcast of Rod Serling's play Requiem for a Heavyweight. Ed was terrified of straight acting and kept goofing his lines in rehearsal. When the producers wanted to fire him, star Jack Palance said he would quit if they fired Ed. (However, unbeknownst to Wynn, supporting player Ned Glass was his secret understudy in case something did happen before air time.) On live broadcast night, Wynn surprised everyone with his pitch-perfect performance, and his quick ad libs to cover his mistakes. A dramatization of what happened during the production was later staged as an April 1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode, "The Man in the Funny Suit", starring both senior and junior Wynns, with key figures involved in the original production also portraying themselves. Ed and his son also worked together in the Jose Ferrer film The Great Man, with Ed again proving his unexpected skills in drama. Requiem established Wynn as a serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series The Twilight Zone in "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written that episode especially for him, and Wynn later in 1963 starred in the episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". For the rest of his life, Wynn skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. He appeared in feature films and anthology television, endearing himself to new generations of fans.
Known For Acting
Most Rating 0.071
Birthday 1886-11-09
Place of Birth Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Also Known As Isaiah Edwin «Ed» Wynn, Isaiah Edwin Wynn, Isaiah Edwin Leopold, Isaiah Edwin "Ed" Wynn,
Mary Poppins
1964

Mary Poppins

The Greatest Story Ever Told
1965

The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Diary of Anne Frank
1959

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Gnome-Mobile
1967

The Gnome-Mobile

Alice in Wonderland
1951

Alice in Wonderland

Babes in Toyland
1961

Babes in Toyland

Marjorie Morningstar
1958

Marjorie Morningstar

Those Calloways
1965

Those Calloways

Cinderfella
1960

Cinderfella

The Patsy
1964

The Patsy

The Daydreamer
1966

The Daydreamer

Follow the Leader
1930

Follow the Leader

The Chief
1933

The Chief

The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers
1962

The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers

The Great Man
1956

The Great Man

Hollywood on Parade
1932

Hollywood on Parade

Boulevard! A Hollywood Story
2021

Boulevard! A Hollywood Story

Stage Door Canteen
1943

Stage Door Canteen

The Absent-Minded Professor
1961

The Absent-Minded Professor

Son of Flubber
1963

Son of Flubber

Turn Back the Clock
1933

Turn Back the Clock

That Darn Cat!
1965

That Darn Cat!

Meet Me in St. Louis
1959

Meet Me in St. Louis

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge
2008

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge

That's Entertainment, Part II
1976

That's Entertainment, Part II

For the Love of Willadean
1964

For the Love of Willadean

Dear Brigitte
1965

Dear Brigitte

The Sound of Laughter
1963

The Sound of Laughter

Operation Wonderland
1951

Operation Wonderland

Backstage Party
1961

Backstage Party

The Golden Horseshoe Revue
1962

The Golden Horseshoe Revue

Requiem for a Heavyweight
1956

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Miracle On 34th Street
1959

Miracle On 34th Street

On Borrowed Time
1957

On Borrowed Time

The Three Stooges: Live and Hilarious
1941

The Three Stooges: Live and Hilarious

Rubber Heels
1927

Rubber Heels

Hooray for Hollywood
1976

Hooray for Hollywood