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Sheldon Leonard picture

Sheldon Leonard

Acting
Known For

89 Years Old

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and writer. Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle class Jewish parents Anna Levit and Frank Bershad. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1929. As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick), To Have and Have Not (1944), Guys and Dolls (1955), and Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent, usually delivered from the side of his mouth. In Decoy (1946), Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled police detective Joe Portugal. On radio from 1945 to 1955, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program and later in the TV series of the same name. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey Bud. C'mere 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. 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?" Leonard was part of the cast of voice actors on the Damon Runyon Theatre radio show (1948-1949). He was part of the ensemble cast of the Martin and Lewis radio show. He also appeared frequently on The Adventures of the Saint, often playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles. Leonard was also a regular on the radio comedy series The Adventures of Maisie in the 1940s. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy fat cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons directed by Robert McKimson. In the adventure movie The Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives. Later in the 1950s and 1960s, he established a reputation as a producer of successful television series, including The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room For Daddy) (1953–64), The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68), Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (1964–69), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66), and I Spy (1965–68). He also directed several TV series episodes, including four of the first eight episodes of the TV series Lassie (Season 1, 1954). Leonard also provided the voice of Linus the Lionhearted in a series of Post Crispy Critters cereal TV commercials in 1963-64, which led to a Linus cartoon series that aired on Saturday (and later, Sunday) mornings on CBS (1964–66) and ABC (1967–69). He also was briefly the star of his own television show Big Eddie (1975), where he played the owner of a large sports arena. The show lasted for only ten episodes.

Born

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA on 22nd February 1907

Died

10th January 1997

All Credits

I Love Lucy Image
I Love Lucy
Harry Martin (uncredited)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson Image
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self
The Merv Griffin Show Image
The Merv Griffin Show
Self
The Dick Van Dyke Show Image
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Big Max Calvada
The Facts of Life Image
The Facts of Life
The Jack Benny Program Image
The Jack Benny Program
Bobby Darin's Agent (uncredited)
The Jack Benny Program Image
The Jack Benny Program
Tombstone Harry
The Jack Benny Program Image
The Jack Benny Program
Racetrack Tout
The Jack Benny Program Image
The Jack Benny Program
Elevator Tout
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In Image
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self
Cheers Image
Cheers
Sid Nelson
The Mike Douglas Show Image
The Mike Douglas Show
Self
Murder, She Wrote Image
Murder, She Wrote
Sgt. Bulldog Kowalski
The Danny Thomas Show Image
The Danny Thomas Show
Gus
The Colgate Comedy Hour Image
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self
The Bob Hope Show Image
The Bob Hope Show
Self
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Image
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Silky Thompson
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show Image
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Johnny Velvet
The Cosby Show Image
The Cosby Show
Dr. Wexler
The David Susskind Show Image
The David Susskind Show
Self
I Spy Image
I Spy
Disc Jockey
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. Image
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Norman Miles
The Lucy Show Image
The Lucy Show
Sheldon Leonard
Screen Director's Playhouse Image
Screen Director's Playhouse
George
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts Image
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Self
Matlock Image
Matlock
Casino Tipster
Dinah! Image
Dinah!
Self
Burke's Law Image
Burke's Law
'Chicasaw Pete' Wickowski
Burke's Law Image
Burke's Law
Ronald 'Touchy' Touchstone
Sanford and Son Image
Sanford and Son
No Image
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self
It's a Wonderful Life Image
It's a Wonderful Life
Nick
My World and Welcome to It Image
My World and Welcome to It
Dream On Image
Dream On
Don Monteleoni
General Electric Theater Image
General Electric Theater
No Image
Big Eddie
To Have and Have Not Image
To Have and Have Not
Lt. Coyo
Captain Kidd Image
Captain Kidd
Cyprian Boyle
Pocketful of Miracles Image
Pocketful of Miracles
Steve Darcey
Guys and Dolls Image
Guys and Dolls
Harry the Horse
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life Image
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
Behave Yourself! Image
Behave Yourself!
Shortwave Bert
City Without Men Image
City Without Men
Monk LaRue
Sinbad the Sailor Image
Sinbad the Sailor
Auctioneer
Linus the Lionhearted Image
Linus the Lionhearted
Linus (voice)
Another Thin Man Image
Another Thin Man
Phil Church
Gambler's Choice Image
Gambler's Choice
Chappie Wilson
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man Image
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Boots Morgan
Somewhere in the Night Image
Somewhere in the Night
Sam
Money from Home Image
Money from Home
Jumbo Schneider
The Brink's Job Image
The Brink's Job
J. Edgar Hoover
Rise and Shine Image
Rise and Shine
Menace
My Dream Is Yours Image
My Dream Is Yours
Grimes
Frontier Gal Image
Frontier Gal
'Blackie' Shoulders
Tortilla Flat Image
Tortilla Flat
Tito Ralph
Bowery Bombshell Image
Bowery Bombshell
Ace Deuce Baker
The Falcon in Hollywood Image
The Falcon in Hollywood
Louie Buchanan
Hit the Ice Image
Hit the Ice
Harry 'Silky' Fellowsby
Decoy Image
Decoy
Sergeant Joe Portugal
Lucky Jordan Image
Lucky Jordan
Slip Moran
No Image
The Duke
Sam Marco
Take One False Step Image
Take One False Step
Detective Pacciano
The Gangster Image
The Gangster
Cornell
The Iroquois Trail Image
The Iroquois Trail
Chief Ogane
Color Adjustment Image
Color Adjustment
Self
Born to Sing Image
Born to Sing
Pete Detroit
Crime, Inc. Image
Crime, Inc.
Capt. Ferrone
Passport to Suez Image
Passport to Suez
Johnny Booth
Her Kind of Man Image
Her Kind of Man
Felix Bender
The Last Crooked Mile Image
The Last Crooked Mile
Ed 'Wires' MacGuire
Young Man with Ideas Image
Young Man with Ideas
Rodwell 'Brick' Davis
Timber Queen Image
Timber Queen
Smacksie Golden
Zombies on Broadway Image
Zombies on Broadway
Ace Miller
Stop, You're Killing Me Image
Stop, You're Killing Me
Lefty
Taxi, Mister Image
Taxi, Mister
Gangster Louis Glorio / The Frisco Ghost
Come Fill the Cup Image
Come Fill the Cup
Lennie Garr
Open Secret Image
Open Secret
Detective Sgt. Mike Frontelli
If You Knew Susie Image
If You Knew Susie
Steve Garland
A Peck o' Trouble Image
A Peck o' Trouble
Dodsworth (voice)
Uncertain Glory Image
Uncertain Glory
Henri Duval
Married Bachelor Image
Married Bachelor
Johnny Brannigan
River Gang Image
River Gang
Peg Leg
Klondike Kate Image
Klondike Kate
'Sometime' Smith
Top Secret Image
Top Secret
Carl Vitale
Here Come the Nelsons Image
Here Come the Nelsons
Duke
Jinx Money Image
Jinx Money
Lippy Harris
Tall, Dark and Handsome Image
Tall, Dark and Handsome
Pretty Willie Williams
Street of Chance Image
Street of Chance
Joe Marruci
Pierre of the Plains Image
Pierre of the Plains
Clairou
Buy Me That Town Image
Buy Me That Town
Chink Moran
Violence Image
Violence
Fred Stalk
Shep Comes Home Image
Shep Comes Home
'Swifty' Lewis
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All Image
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
Hermon
Madonna of the Desert Image
Madonna of the Desert
Nick Julian
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life' Image
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Self
The Fabulous Joe Image
The Fabulous Joe
Louie
Radio Stars on Parade Image
Radio Stars on Parade
Lucky Maddox
Trocadero Image
Trocadero
Mickey Jones
The Diamond Queen Image
The Diamond Queen
Mogul
My Mummy's Arms Image
My Mummy's Arms
Abdullah
Rainbow Over Texas Image
Rainbow Over Texas
Kirby Haynes
Week-End in Havana Image
Week-End in Havana
Boris
Alias a Gentleman Image
Alias a Gentleman
Harry Bealer
Daughter of the Jungle Image
Daughter of the Jungle
Dalton Kraik
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life Image
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
Self
Breakdown Image
Breakdown
Nick Sampson
Private Nurse Image
Private Nurse
John Winton
Why Girls Leave Home Image
Why Girls Leave Home
Chris Williams
Kiddin' the Kitten Image
Kiddin' the Kitten
Dodsworth (voice) (uncredited)
It's Always Sunday Image
It's Always Sunday
George
Ouanga Image
Ouanga
LeStrange, the Overseer
Harvest Melody Image
Harvest Melody
Chuck
The Islander Image
The Islander
Paul Lazaro
No Image
The Gem of the Ocean
Pasha
Sock a Doodle Do Image
Sock a Doodle Do
Kid Banty (voice) (uncredited)
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter Image
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
Self (archive footage)
The Gentleman Misbehaves Image
The Gentleman Misbehaves
Trigger Stazzi