Hugely popular vaudeville and Broadway comedian who, after being boycotted by the Shuberts for organizing an actor's strike, continued his success by writing and producing his own shows. Billed as "The Perfect Fool" after the title of one of his Broadway shows, Wynn was known for his trademark zany hats, misfit clothes, oversized shoes, lisping speech, fluttering hands, squeaky giggling and his exit line, "I'll be back in a flash with more trash." Progenitor of a topsy-turvy career, Wynn conquered radio with his first-time broadcast of a full-length comedy show to a radio audience in 1922 and followed with his own popular radio series as the Texaco "Fire Chief" (1932-35). He pioneered in combining his comedy routines with spoofs of the sponsor's commercial messages. Primarily a visual comic, he reemerged in the following decade as a popular figure in the new medium of television, winning the first Emmy Award as Most Outstanding Live Personality. In the late 50s, after having appeared in only a handful of films, Wynn began a successful career as a character actor, playing his first dramatic role in "The Great Man" (1956) and following with an Oscar-nominated performance as the Dutch dentist in "The Diary of Anne Frank" (1959). He alternated dramatic roles with the comedies "Cinderfella" (1960), "The Absentminded Professor" (1961) and "Mary Poppins" (1964). Father of actor Keenan Wynn (1916-86) who co-starred with him in "The Great Man" and the 1956 Rod Steiger teleplay "Requiem for a Heavyweight".
- Also Credited As:
Isaiah Edwin Leopold
- Born:
November 9, 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Died:
June 19, 1966.
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Job Titles:
Actor, Playwright, Producer, Vaudevillian, Hat salesman, Utility boy
Family
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Father: Joseph Leopold. born near Prague
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Grandson: Ned Wynn. author of autobiographical We Will Always Live in Beverly Hills (1991)
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Grandson: Tracy Keenan Wynn.
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Mother: Minnie Leopold. born of Sephardic Jews in Istanbul, Turkey
Education
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Central High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Milestones
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1903 Began vaudeville career
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1910 Broadway debut in short-lived musical, The Deacon and the Lady
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1914 Made stage debut in Ziegfeld Follies of 1914
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1919 Joined actor s strike, subsequently boycotted by Shuberts
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1920 Wrote and produced own shows beginning with Broadway musical revue, Ed Wynn s Carnival
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1922 Made first broadcast of a full-length comedy show to a radio audience
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1927 Film debut, Rubber Heels
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1930 First sound film, Follow the Leader
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1932 Starred in his first radio series, The Fire Chief
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1940 Returned to Broadway in Boys and Girls Together
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1956 Played dramatic role in Rod Serling s teleplay, Requiem for a Heavyweight on Playhouse 90
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1957 Played first straight dramatic film role in The Great Man (filmed 1956, released 1957)
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1964 Had featured role in the Disney film Mary Poppins
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Became successful solo vaudeville comic before age 18
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Hosted independent variety show on TV, The Ed Wynn Show
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Moved to New York at age 16
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Ran away from home and joined the Thurber-Nasher Repertoire Company, traveling stage company as backstage helper and occasional onstage player at age 15
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Returned home when repertory company went bankrupt; sold hats
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Starred on TV in own situation comedy, The Ed Wynn Show
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Suffered nervous breakdown; retired briefly; had a highly publicized income tax settlement for $510,000 with government during 1930s
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Teamed with Jack Lewis as Win and Lose for two years