Ed Grimley

Edward Mayhoff 'Ed' Grimley was a character introduced on the television series SCTV and later used on Saturday Night Live. He was created and played by Martin Short. He is a hyperactive, neurotic nerd with a large frontal cowlick who is obsessed with banal pop culture, especially Wheel of Fortune and its host, Pat Sajak. He also loves to play the triangle, which for him consists of playing a recorded musical piece, striking the triangle once, an... more

Edward Mayhoff 'Ed' Grimley was a character introduced on the television series SCTV and later used on Saturday Night Live. He was created and played by Martin Short. He is a hyperactive, neurotic nerd with a large frontal cowlick who is obsessed with banal pop culture, especially Wheel of Fortune and its host, Pat Sajak. He also loves to play the triangle, which for him consists of playing a recorded musical piece, striking the triangle once, and then wildly dancing to the recording. His catch phrases include "I must say", "totally decent", "makes me completely mental," and "give me a break". One 1985 SNL skit featured Ed's look-alike Uncle Basil, played by TV sportscaster Howard Cosell. The character originated with Short as an unnamed school parent in sketch on The Second City stage. Originally, his hair was simply very greasy and unkempt, but another cast member joked offstage that the height of the hair seemed to increase with each performance. As an inside joke, Short started... less