Dick Shawn
Actor, Writer
December 1, 1923 — April 17, 1987 (63 years)
Dick Shawn (December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.
Known For
Filmography
| 2002 | The Making of 'the Producers' · as L.s.d. - Lorenzo St. Dubois |
| 1997 | Batman & Robin · as Snow Miser (archive Sound) (uncredited) |
| 1987 | Rented Lips · as Charlie Slater |
| 1987 | Maid to Order · as Stan Starkey |
| 1986 | Captain EO · as Commander Bog |
| 1986 | The Perils of P.K. · as The Psychiatrist |
| 1986 | The Check Is in the Mail... · as Donald |
| 1986 | |
| 1985 | Amazing Stories (1985) · as Joe Willoughby |
| 1985 | The Twilight Zone (1985) · as (segment "cold Reading") |
| 1985 | Beer · as Talk Show Host |
| 1985 | Hail to the Chief · as Ivan Zolotov |
| 1985 | Water · as Deke Halliday |
| 1984 | The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud · as The Ultimate Patient |
| 1984 | Legmen · as Casanova |
| 1984 | Angel · as MaeOn Plex |
| 1983 | Tales from the Darkside · as Bo Gumbs |
| 1983 | Young Warriors · as Professor Hoover |
| 1982 | St. Elsewhere · as Edgar Eisenberg |
| 1982 | Good-bye Cruel World · as Rodney Pointsetter / Ainsley Pointsetter |
| 1982 | Faerie Tale Theatre · as Emperor |
| 1981 | The Fall Guy · as Edward Seraph |
| 1981 | Private Benjamin · as Drysdale |
| 1981 | Aloha Paradise · as Cyrus |
| 1980 | Magnum, P.I. · as Buzz Benoit |
| 1979 | Love at First Bite · as Lieutenant Ferguson Nypd |
| 1977 | Looking Up · as Manny Lander |
| 1977 | The Love Boat · as Harvey Blanchard |
| 1977 | Fantasy Island · as Vic Erskine |
| 1976 | Three's Company · as Jack Tripper, Sr. |
| 1976 | |
| 1974 | The Year Without a Santa Claus · as Snow Miser (voice) |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Slade · as Marshal Bing Bell |
| 1969 | The Happy Ending · as Harry Bricker |
| 1969 | Love, American Style · as Henry Chadwick (segment: Love And The Memento) |
| 1969 | The Bold Ones: The New Doctors · as Nick Sutton |
| 1969 | |
| 1968 | That's Life (1968) · as Cast |
| 1967 | The Producers · as Lorenzo St. Dubois (l.s.d.)On Plex |
| 1967 | Off to See the Wizard · as Tom Thumb |
| 1966 | What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? · as Captain Lionel Cash |
| 1966 | Penelope · as Dr. Gregory Mannix |
| 1966 | Way... Way Out · as Igor Valkleinokov |
| 1966 | ABC Stage 67 · as Paul Benderhof |
| 1966 | That GirlOn Plex |
| 1965 | A Very Special Favor · as Arnold Plum |
| 1965 | For the People · as Ernie Garatella |
| 1963 | It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World · as Sylvester MarcusOn Plex |
| 1963 | |
| 1962 | The Lucy Show · as Ace WinthropOn Plex |
| 1960 | The Wizard of Baghdad · as Genii-Ali Mahmud |
| 1960 | Michael Shayne · as Ernie Trask |
| 1960 | Checkmate · as Danny Whitman |
| 1960 | Wake Me When It's Over · as Gus Brubaker |
| 1959 | The June Allyson Show · as Charlie Wilson |
| 1956 | The Opposite Sex · as Singer |
| 1955 | Captain Kangaroo · as Doc Grannick The Mechanic |
| 1953 | General Electric Theater · as Felix Franklin |
| 1982 | Good-bye Cruel World · as Screenplay |