CineScope
Dick Shawn picture

Dick Shawn

Acting
Known For

63 Years Old

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.

Born

Buffalo, New York, USA on 1st December 1923

Died

17th April 1987

All Credits

The Dick Cavett Show Image
The Dick Cavett Show
Self - Guest
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Image
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
Harvey Blanchard
The Love Boat Image
The Love Boat
David Jackson
The Merv Griffin Show Image
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
Laverne & Shirley Image
Laverne & Shirley
The Mike Douglas Show Image
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
The Mike Douglas Show Image
The Mike Douglas Show
Self - Co-Host
Medical Center Image
Medical Center
The DuPont Show with June Allyson Image
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
Charlie Wilson
Amazing Stories Image
Amazing Stories
Joe Willoughby
Magnum, P.I. Image
Magnum, P.I.
Buzz Benoit
The Twilight Zone Image
The Twilight Zone
(segment "Cold Reading")
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show Image
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
Self
The Lucy Show Image
The Lucy Show
Ace Winthrop
Madame's Place Image
Madame's Place
Self
The Ed Sullivan Show Image
The Ed Sullivan Show
Self
No Image
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
St. Elsewhere Image
St. Elsewhere
Faerie Tale Theatre Image
Faerie Tale Theatre
Emperor
Faerie Tale Theatre Image
Faerie Tale Theatre
Guest Interviewee
Tales from the Darkside Image
Tales from the Darkside
Bo Gumbs
The Judy Garland Show Image
The Judy Garland Show
Self
That Girl Image
That Girl
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Image
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Sylvester Marcus
Batman & Robin Image
Batman & Robin
Snow Miser (archive sound) (uncredited)
General Electric Theater Image
General Electric Theater
Felix Franklin
ABC Stage 67 Image
ABC Stage 67
Paul Benderhof
The Producers Image
The Producers
Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)
The Year Without a Santa Claus Image
The Year Without a Santa Claus
Snow Miser (voice)
Angel Image
Angel
Mae
Love at First Bite Image
Love at First Bite
Lieutenant Ferguson NYPD
Hail to the Chief Image
Hail to the Chief
Ivan Zolotov
The Opposite Sex Image
The Opposite Sex
Singer
Water Image
Water
Deke Halliday
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? Image
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
Captain Lionel Cash
Penelope Image
Penelope
Dr. Gregory Mannix
Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World' Image
Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
Self (archive footage)
Evil Roy Slade Image
Evil Roy Slade
Marshal Bing Bell
The Happy Ending Image
The Happy Ending
Harry Bricker
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped Image
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
Self (archive footage)
The Check is in the Mail... Image
The Check is in the Mail...
Donald
Maid to Order Image
Maid to Order
Stan Starkey
Way... Way Out Image
Way... Way Out
Igor Valkleinokov
A Very Special Favor Image
A Very Special Favor
Arnold Plum
The Emperor's New Clothes Image
The Emperor's New Clothes
Emperor
Rented Lips Image
Rented Lips
Charlie Slater
The Wizard of Baghdad Image
The Wizard of Baghdad
Genii-Ali Mahmud
Young Warriors Image
Young Warriors
Professor Hoover
Best Chest in the West Image
Best Chest in the West
Self - Host
Fast Friends Image
Fast Friends
Deke Edwards
Wake Me When It's Over Image
Wake Me When It's Over
Gus Brubaker
The Perils of P.K Image
The Perils of P.K
The Psychiatrist
The Making of Captain EO Image
The Making of Captain EO
Self
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration Image
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
Self
Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man Image
Annie: the Women in the Life of a Man
Himself
Good-bye Cruel World Image
Good-bye Cruel World
Rodney Pointsetter / Ainsley Pointsetter
Captain EO Image
Captain EO
Commander Bog
The Tommy Chong Roast Image
The Tommy Chong Roast
The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud Image
The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud
The Ultimate Patient
Dames at Sea Image
Dames at Sea
Lucky
If the Shoes Fit... Image
If the Shoes Fit...
Bo Gumbs
Leave 'em Laughing Image
Leave 'em Laughing
Self (archive footage)
No Image
Looking Up
Manny Lander