Ed Wynn

Ed Wynn (November 9, 1886 - June 19, 1966) was a popular United States entertainer, born Isaiah Edward Leopold in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was best known as a comedian, billed as The Perfect Fool (and starring in a musical revue of that name on Broadway in 1921). Wynn also wrote, directed, and produced shows.

Related Topics:
November 9 - 1886 - June 19 - 1966 - United States - Entertainer - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Comedian - Revue - Broadway - 1921

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He became a headliner on Vaudeville in the early 1910s, and was a star of the Ziegfeld Follies starting in 1914.

Related Topics:
Vaudeville - 1910s - Ziegfeld Follies - 1914

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He hosted a popular radio show for most of the 1930s, heard in North America on Tuesday nights, sponsored by Texaco gasoline. He was often seen wearing a fireman's helmet, as the "Texaco Fire Chief".

Related Topics:
Radio - 1930s - North America - Tuesday - Texaco - Gasoline

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Wynn founded his own short-lived radio network, the Amalgamated Broadcasting System, which lasted only five weeks in 1933.

Related Topics:
Radio network - Amalgamated Broadcasting System - 1933

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In the late 1940s and early 1950s, he hosted a television show, and won an Emmy Award in 1949.

Related Topics:
1940s - 1950s - Television - Emmy Award - 1949

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After the end of his television show, Wynn worked as a dramatic actor in movies. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank won him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor in 1959. His son, actor Keenan Wynn, had encouraged him to make the career change; the two appeared in the 1957 Playhouse 90 broadcast of Rod Serling's play Requiem for a Heavyweight.

Related Topics:
Movie - The Diary of Anne Frank - Academy Award - 1959 - Keenan Wynn - Playhouse 90 - Rod Serling - Requiem for a Heavyweight

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Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series The Twilight Zone in the episode "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written the episode especially for him.

Related Topics:
The Twilight Zone - One for the Angels

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Wynn also provided the voice of the Mad Hatter in Walt Disney's film, Alice in Wonderland. One of his best-known performances in his later years was as "Uncle Albert" in Mary Poppins.

Related Topics:
Walt Disney - Alice in Wonderland - Mary Poppins

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Ed Wynn died June 19, 1966 in Beverly Hills, California, of throat cancer.

Related Topics:
June 19 - 1966 - Beverly Hills, California

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The distinctive giggly wavering voice which Wynn created for his "Perfect Fool" character remains much imitated, especially by voice actors of animated cartoons.

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