Shelley Berman

Sheldon Leonard "Shelley" Berman (born February 3, 1926) is an American comedian, writer, teacher, and actor. Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene (née Marks) and Nathan Berman. His early years were filled with dreams of the stage. After numerous failed serious plays, Berman found himself with The Compass Players, an improv comedy troupe, where he found his first success. This troupe would later become The Second City. He left t... more

Sheldon Leonard "Shelley" Berman (born February 3, 1926) is an American comedian, writer, teacher, and actor. Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene (née Marks) and Nathan Berman. His early years were filled with dreams of the stage. After numerous failed serious plays, Berman found himself with The Compass Players, an improv comedy troupe, where he found his first success. This troupe would later become The Second City. He left the group in 1957. His 1959 debut album, Inside Shelley Berman, was the first-ever winner of the spoken word Best Comedy Album at the Grammy Awards of 1960, and the cover of that album cemented his image as a skinny guy sitting on a high chair, cigarette in hand. He was the first standup comedian to appear at Carnegie Hall, and went on to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show (over 20 times), The Jack Paar Show, and numerous other variety and TV specials throughout the 1960s. He also appeared as Roy Chase in the 1963 episode "Whatsoever Things I Hear"... less