Ed Wynn

Born

November 9, 1886

Died

June 19, 1966 (79 years old)

Known For

Acting

Place of Birth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian noted for his Perfect Fool comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a dramatic actor.

Ed Wynn first appeared on television on July 7, 1936 in a brief, ad-libbed spot with Graham McNamee during an NBC experimental television broadcast. In the 1949–50 season, Ed Wynn hosted one of the first network, comedy-variety television shows, on CBS, and won both a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award in 1949. Buster Keaton, Lucille Ball, and The Three Stooges all made guest appearances with Wynn. This was the first CBS variety television show to originate from Los Angeles, which was seen live on the west coast, but filmed via kinescope for distribution in the Midwest and East, as the national coaxial cable had yet to be completed. Wynn was also a rotating host of NBC's Four Star Revue from 1950 through 1952.

After the end of Wynn's third television series, The Ed Wynn Show (a short-lived situation comedy on NBC's 1958–59 schedule), his son, actor Keenan Wynn, encouraged him to make a career change rather than retire. The comedian reluctantly began a career as a dramatic actor in television and movies. Father and son appeared in three productions, the first of which was the 1956 Playhouse 90 broadcast of Rod Serling's play Requiem for a Heavyweight. Ed was terrified of straight acting and kept goofing his lines in rehearsal. When the producers wanted to fire him, star Jack Palance said he would quit if they fired Ed. (However, unbeknownst to Wynn, supporting player Ned Glass was his secret understudy in case something did happen before air time.) On live broadcast night, Wynn surprised everyone with his pitch-perfect performance, and his quick ad libs to cover his mistakes. A dramatization of what happened during the production was later staged as an April 1960 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode, "The Man in the Funny Suit", starring both senior and junior Wynns, with key figures involved in the original production also portraying themselves. Ed and his son also worked together in the Jose Ferrer film The Great Man, with Ed again proving his unexpected skills in drama.

Requiem established Wynn as a serious dramatic actor who could easily hold his own with the best. His role in The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) won him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Also in 1959, Wynn appeared on Serling's TV series The Twilight Zone in "One for the Angels". Serling, a longtime admirer, had written that episode especially for him, and Wynn later in 1963 starred in the episode "Ninety Years Without Slumbering". For the rest of his life, Wynn skillfully moved between comic and dramatic roles. He appeared in feature films and anthology television, endearing himself to new generations of fans.

Boulevard! A Hollywood Story

Boulevard! A Hollywood Story

Self (archive footage)

5.0

2021

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge

Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge

Self (archive footage)

0.0

2008

That's Entertainment, Part II

That's Entertainment, Part II

(archive footage)

6.9

1976

Hooray for Hollywood

Hooray for Hollywood

Self (archive footage)

0.0

1976

The Gnome-Mobile

The Gnome-Mobile

Rufus

6.2

1967

The Daydreamer

The Daydreamer

The Emperor (voice)

5.0

1966

That Darn Cat!

That Darn Cat!

Mr. Hofstedder

6.6

1965

The Greatest Story Ever Told

The Greatest Story Ever Told

Old Aram

6.4

1965

Dear Brigitte

Dear Brigitte

The Captain

6.4

1965

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

Uncle Albert

7.6

1964

Those Calloways

Those Calloways

Ed Parker

6.2

1964

The Patsy

The Patsy

Ed Wynn

6.2

1964

For the Love of Willadean

For the Love of Willadean

Alfred

6.0

1964

The Sound of Laughter

The Sound of Laughter

College Professor

2.0

1963

Son of Flubber

Son of Flubber

A.J. Allen

5.9

1963

The Golden Horseshoe Revue

The Golden Horseshoe Revue

Self

0.0

1962

The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers

The New March of Dimes Presents: The Scene Stealers

Self

7.0

1962

Backstage Party

Backstage Party

Self

7.0

1961

Babes in Toyland

Babes in Toyland

Toymaker

5.8

1961

The Absent-Minded Professor

The Absent-Minded Professor

Fire Chief

6.5

1961

Cinderfella

Cinderfella

Fairy Godfather

6.1

1960

Miracle On 34th Street

Miracle On 34th Street

Kris Kringle

7.0

1959

Meet Me in St. Louis

Meet Me in St. Louis

Grandpa

5.0

1959

The Diary of Anne Frank

The Diary of Anne Frank

Albert Dussell

7.2

1959

Marjorie Morningstar

Marjorie Morningstar

Uncle Samson

6.2

1958

On Borrowed Time

'Gramps' Northrup

0.0

1957

The Great Man

The Great Man

Paul Beaseley

5.2

1956

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Army

7.0

1956

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Mad Hatter (voice)

7.2

1951

Operation Wonderland

Operation Wonderland

Self

7.3

1951

Stage Door Canteen

Stage Door Canteen

Ed Wynn

5.8

1943

The Three Stooges: Live and Hilarious

The Three Stooges: Live and Hilarious

0.0

1941

The Chief

The Chief

Henry Summers

3.0

1933

Turn Back the Clock

Turn Back the Clock

Cigar Store Customer (uncredited)

5.1

1933

Hollywood on Parade

Hollywood on Parade

Self

3.0

1932

Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader

Cricket

5.3

1930

Rubber Heels

Rubber Heels

Homer Thrush

0.0

1927

Reflections on Alice

Reflections on Alice

Mad Hatter (voice) / Self

0.0

The Hollywood Palace

The Hollywood Palace

Self - Host · (1 episode)

4.5

1964

Burke's Law

Burke's Law

Zachary Belden · (1 episode)

6.0

1963

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

Self · (1 episode)

7.5

1962

Startime

Startime

(1 episode)

6.0

1959

The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

Lou Bookman · (1 episode)

8.4

1959

The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone

Sam Forstmann · (1 episode)

8.4

1959

Bonanza

Bonanza

Professor Phineas T. Klump · (1 episode)

7.5

1959

Rawhide

Rawhide

Bateman · (1 episode)

7.2

1959

77 Sunset Strip

77 Sunset Strip

Feigenstein · (1 episode)

6.7

1958

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

Self · (1 episode)

5.8

1958

The Ed Wynn Show

The Ed Wynn Show

John Beamer · (16 episodes)

0.0

1958

Wagon Train

Wagon Train

Cappy Darrin · (1 episode)

6.3

1957

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

The Dinah Shore Chevy Show

Self · (1 episode)

6.0

1956

Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90

Army · (1 episode)

7.6

1956

The Steve Allen Show

The Steve Allen Show

Self · (2 episodes)

5.6

1956

The 20th Century Fox Hour

The 20th Century Fox Hour

John Hodges · (1 episode)

5.4

1955

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

A.J. Allen (archive footage) · (1 episode)

7.8

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Mad Hatter (voice) (archive footage) · (1 episode)

7.8

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

Self · (2 episodes)

7.8

1954

The Wonderful World of Disney

The Wonderful World of Disney

Alfred · (2 episodes)

7.8

1954

December Bride

December Bride

Self · (1 episode)

5.5

1954

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater

Professor Franz · (1 episode)

6.3

1953

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater

Max Grossblatt · (1 episode)

6.3

1953

This Is Your Life

This Is Your Life

Self · (1 episode)

6.4

1952

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Gramps · (1 episode)

8.6

1951

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show

Self · (1 episode)

7.4

1951

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show

Self / Colonel Jungle-Rot Freeloader · (1 episode)

7.4

1951

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show

Muggsy · (2 episodes)

7.4

1951

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show

Fairy Godfather · (1 episode)

7.4

1951

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show

Guest Host · (1 episode)

7.4

1951

Four Star Revue

Host · (1 episode)

6.7

1950

The Colgate Comedy Hour

The Colgate Comedy Hour

Self · (3 episodes)

6.8

1950

The Bob Hope Show

The Bob Hope Show

Self · (1 episode)

7.0

1950

What's My Line?

What's My Line?

Self - Mystery Guest · (1 episode)

6.9

1950

The Ed Wynn Show

Host · (39 episodes)

7.0

1949

The Emmy Awards

The Emmy Awards

Self · (1 episode)

7.9

1949

The Ed Sullivan Show

The Ed Sullivan Show

Self · (4 episodes)

6.8

1948