Alan King
Alan King was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States on December 26th, 1927 and is the Movie Actor. At the age of 76, Alan King biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, movies, and networth are available.
At 76 years old, Alan King has this physical status:
King began his comedy career with one-liner routines and other material concerning mothers-in-law and Jews. His style of comedy changed when he saw Danny Thomas in the early 1950s. King realized that Thomas was speaking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better response. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational style that used everyday life for humor.
His wife had persuaded the New Yorker to forsake Manhattan for suburban Forest Hills, Queens. In the 1950's he and his family lived in Rockville Centre, New York, and later in Great Neck, Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life. There, he developed comedy revolving around life in suburbia. With many Americans moving to the suburbs, King's humor took hold. Like many other Jewish comics, King worked the Catskill circuit known as the Borscht Belt.
He was soon opening for Judy Garland, Patti Page, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Lena Horne, and Tony Martin. When Martin was cast in the movie Hit the Deck, he got King his first movie role. He played small roles in movies in the 1950s, but disliked stereotypical roles that he described as "always the sergeant from Brooklyn named Kowalski." Typical of this was his role as Sgt Buzzer in the WW2 film On the Fiddle (1961).
His career took off after appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Perry Como Show, and The Garry Moore Show.
He emceed President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.
Living just outside New York City, King was frequently available when Ed Sullivan needed a short-notice fill-in. He became a regular guest host for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
He hosted the Oscars in 1972.
He headlined two unsold television pilots on CBS, both titled The Alan King Show. The first aired on September 8, 1961; the second aired on July 12, 1986.
King eventually expanded his range and made a name for himself in a wide variety of films. He frequently worked for director Sidney Lumet, beginning with Bye Bye Braverman (1968) and The Anderson Tapes (1971). Lumet later cast him in a starring role in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), a provocative comedy about a ruthless business mogul and his TV-producer mistress (Ali MacGraw). He also played in an uncredited cameo in Lumet's Prince of the City (1981).
He often portrayed gangsters, as in I, the Jury (1982) and Cat's Eye (1985). He had another major role in Memories of Me (1988) as the so-called "king of the Hollywood extras," portraying Billy Crystal's terminally ill father. King played the role of corrupt union official Andy Stone in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. Night and the City (1992), also starring Robert De Niro.
King was the long-standing host of the New York Friars Club celebrity roasts and served as the club's historian.
King was the first recipient (1988) of the award for American Jewish humor from the National Foundation for Jewish Culture. The award was ultimately named in his honor. He inspired other comedians including Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, and Bill Cosby.