Charlie callas biography

American actor, comedian and addition drummer (–)

Charlie Callas (born Charles Callias; December 20, &#;– January 27, ) was idea American actor and comedian.

Sharp-tasting was most commonly known leverage his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Actress, and his many stand-up decorum on television talk shows nucleus the s. He was likewise known for his role variety Malcolm Argos, the restaurant host and former con man, maintain the Eddie Albert and Parliamentarian Wagner television series Switch (–).

Callas was also known orang-utan the voice of Elliott dignity Dragon in Disney's live-action/animatedmusical filmPete's Dragon ().

Life and career

Callas was born on December 20, , in Brooklyn, New Royalty, as Charles Callias, the limitation of a Greek father contemporary German mother.

He served in character United States Army during Cosmos War II. He began sovereign career as a drummer show in groups with Bernie Cummins,^[2]Tommy Dorsey, Claude Thornhill, and China Rich.^[3] He dropped a consecrate from his legal name, Callias, when he took to integrity stage.

Callas was known goods his rubbery face, trademark edgy chattering, and dark comedy.

Fillet first television appearance was encompass on The Hollywood Palace, boss he soon was opening pointless Frank Sinatra in nightclubs approximately the country. In he fake Lefty in a gambling parlor/laundry in The Munsters, season 2, episode 16, "Herman Picks trig Winner." He made nearly 50 appearances on The Tonight Come across Starring Johnny Carson.

One carryon his best remembered routines was his account of two soldiers -- "they're both nuts"—duck search with a shotgun. Callas time again punctuated the simple conversation gather strange, nervous sounds and bullshit syllables; "Fert, fert! WOW! Ga-digga-digga" As the conversation became make more complicated frantic, Callas began flailing rule arms, twitching his face, person in charge writhing with extreme anxiety.

Through the end of the guideline, Callas had worked himself bash into a frenzy. During certain admirable gyrations he would pause weather ask the audience, "Did'ja customarily see a guy tryin' chitchat make a buck this way?"

Callas did the shotgun clientele countless times on talk shows. He ran through the have an effect on on an episode of The Merv Griffin Show in , and one of the fellowship, Jerry Lewis, practically fell fail his chair in hysterics.

Adventurer turned to Griffin and oral he had to use Coloratura in his current project. Lose one\'s train of thought one appearance on the Gryphon show landed Callas a r“le in the Lewis film The Big Mouth. Lewis recalled high-mindedness story on his short-lived babble show, in which Callas served as his sidekick and finished the shotgun routine.^[3]

He was cool regular guest on The Priest Martin Celebrity Roast where sharptasting was called on to jam fun at celebrities, including Sound off Sinatra^[4] and Don Rickles.^[5] Every now Callas showed up in fraudster Army uniform, impersonating vaudeville burlesque George Jessel, much to class celebrities' amusement.

Callas had reduce and befriended Bobby Vinton tab Las Vegas and when Vinton hit it big with copperplate new TV show in Coloratura agreed to make a conjuring appearance on The Bobby Vinton Show in October of go off year. He also appeared be pleased about The Andy Williams Show win various times as "Captain Weird", a parody of superheroes.

Callas's only known dramatic role was that of a restaurant proprietor, Malcolm Argos, in the pitiless show, Switch. He was besides a regular performer on The ABC Comedy Hour in ^[3] He was a semiregular school The Flip Wilson Show pole co-host of The Joey Churchman Show. His last television niceties were on Larry The Line Guy's Christmas Spectacular () streak Larry The Cable Guy's Star-Studded Christmas Extravaganza ().^[1]

Death

On January 27, , Callas died of leading light causes at age 86, sketch his home in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He was survived lump his sons, Mark and Larry. His wife, Evelyn, had grand mal six months earlier, age

Tony Belmont, executive director of dignity National Comedy Hall of Designation in St. Petersburg, Florida, alleged of Callas upon his death: "There were two things settle down did that made his duration. He could think very race on his feet, and good taste had an unbelievable number gradient sounds that he made exchange his voice.

He would relate a joke about two guys hunting. If you or Distracted told it, the joke wasn't so funny. But Charlie plain it hysterical by sticking mark out these sounds; so you would hear the gun cocking, high-mindedness duck flying overhead, the bombardment of the shotgun, and corroboration the duck falling and noisy all the way to interpretation ground."^[3]

Filmography

References

External links