Arte Johnson
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Arte Johnson | |
---|---|
Born | Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson January 20, 1929 Benton Harbor, Michigan, U.S. |
Died | July 3, 2019 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 90)
Alma mater | University of Illinois (B.A., 1949) |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1954–2006 |
Spouses |
Gisela Johnson (m. 1968) |
Arthur Stanton Eric Johnson (January 20, 1929 – July 3, 2019) was an American actor and comedian who was best known for his work as a regular on television's Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In.
Biography
Early life
Johnson was born January 20, 1929, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the son of Abraham Lincoln and Edythe Mackenzie (Goldberg/Golden) Johnson. His father was an attorney. Johnson graduated from Austin High School and received a bachelor's degree in radio journalism from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1949, where he worked at the campus radio station and the University of Illinois Theater Guild with his brother Coslough "Cos" Johnson.[1]
Following brief military service in Korea (he was discharged due to a duodenal ulcer he had suffered since childhood),[2] he sought employment in Chicago advertising agencies but was unsuccessful and left for New York City to work for Viking Press. In early 1954, Johnson performed in several New York nightclubs, including Le Ruban Bleu and the Village Vanguard.[3] His first job in show business came when he impulsively stepped into an audition line and was cast in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Johnson appeared in Ben Bagley's The Shoestring Revue, which opened off-Broadway on February 28, 1955, at the President Theater in New York. [1]
Early television and film roles
Johnson appeared three times in the 1955–1956
Before his big breakthrough in Laugh-In, Johnson was cast for a guest role as Corporal Coogan in the anthology series
Johnson appeared in one of the final episodes of ABC's The Donna Reed Show in 1966. He was cast in the satirical James Coburn film The President's Analyst (1967), in which he gave a comically chilling performance as a federal agent with a blindly obedient "orders are orders" mentality. He appeared in the Season 3 episode of Lost in Space titled "Princess of Space" (1968). Johnson also starred in an episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery titled "The Flip-Side of Satan" (1971).
Laugh-In
Johnson is best known for his work on
His other prominent Laugh-In character was "Tyrone F. Horneigh" (pronounced "horn-eye," a "clean" variant of the vulgar term "horny"), the white-haired, trench coat-wearing "dirty old man" who repeatedly sought to seduce "Gladys Ormphby," (Ruth Buzzi's brown-clad "spinster" character) on a park bench. Tyrone would enter the scene, muttering a song (usually "In the Merry, Merry Month of May"), and, spying Gladys on the bench, would sit next to her. He would ask her a question, and regardless of the answer, turn it into a double entendre. She would then start hitting him with her purse and he would fall off the bench, sometimes with a plea for help.
To boost ratings in the third season, Tyrone successfully courted Gladys which led to an on-air wedding on the March 16, 1970, episode during the spring ratings sweep. Tiny Tim played best man, with Carol Channing as the bridesmaid, and Henry Gibson officiating.[citation needed] Alas, both bride-to-be and groom-to-be walk out of the church just before the wedding vows are spoken.
Years after Laugh-In ended, the two characters were the subject of an animated Saturday-morning children's show, Baggy Pants and the Nitwits, with Tyrone as a helpful, muttering "superhero."
Johnson and his brother Coslough earned Emmy Awards while working on Laugh-In.[7][8]
Later work
Johnson guest-starred in two episodes of The Partridge Family ("My Heart Belongs to a Two Car Garage" and "For Whom the Bell Tolls... and Tolls... and Tolls") and the situation comedy A Touch of Grace (1973). He appeared in the first season of the Detroit-produced children's show Hot Fudge (1974) and, for one week, as a celebrity guest panelist on the game show Match Game. From 1976 to 1980, Johnson was a regular celebrity guest judge on The Gong Show.
In 1976, Johnson voiced the animated cartoon character
Johnson performed more than 80 audiobook readings, including Gary Shteyngart's Absurdistan (2006) and Carl Hiaasen's Bad Monkey. He appeared in the Justice League Unlimited episode "The Ties That Bind" (2005) as the voice of Virman Vundabar, which was his final acting role before his retirement in 2006.
Personal life
Johnson lived in Southern California with his wife, Gisela. He was previously married to choreographer
Filmography
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Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | Best Foot Forward |
Chuck | Television film |
1956 | Miracle in the Rain | Monty | |
1959 | The Wild and the Innocent | Barker | Uncredited |
1960 | The Subterraneans | Arial Lavalerra | |
1965 | The Third Day | Lester Aldrich | |
1965 | That Funny Feeling | Paul | |
1967 | The President's Analyst | Sullivan | |
1968 | P.J. | Jackie | |
1971 | Arnold's Closet Revue | Television film | |
1973 | The Bear Who Slept Through Christmas | Professor Werner von Bear | Voice, television film |
1974 | Twice in a Lifetime | Ron Talley | Television film |
1977 | Charge of the Model T's | Doc Bailey | |
1977 | Once Upon a Brothers Grimm | Selfish and Mean | Television film |
1977 | Bunco | Television film | |
1978 | Bud and Lou | Eddie Sherman | Television film |
1979 | Love At First Bite |
Renfield | |
1980 | Condominium | Introduction | Television film |
1980 | The Love Tapes | Harlan Devane | Television film |
1980 | A Snow White Christmas | Brawny | Voice, television film |
1983 | Making of a Male Model | Marty Sampson | |
1984 | Cannonball Run II | Pilot | |
1985 | What Comes Around | Malone | |
1985 | Alice in Wonderland | The Dormouse | |
1985 | Star Fairies | Dragon Head #2 | Voice, television film |
1987 | Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers | Farquard, Skull Ghost | Voice, television film |
1988 | A Night at the Magic Castle | Harry Houdini | |
1989 | Tax Season | Mr. Goldberg | |
1990 | Evil Spirits | Lester Potts | |
1992 | Evil Toons | Mr. Hinchlow | |
1992 | Munchie | Prof. Cruikshank | |
1995 | Captiva Island | Witherspoon, Ernie | |
1998 | The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Grumpy Old Man | Final film role |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1954 | Max Liebman Spectaculars
|
Chuck Green | Episode: "Best Foot Forward" |
1955–1956 | It's Always Jan | Stanley Schreiber | 4 episodes |
1956 | The Danny Thomas Show | Bob Martin | Episode: "Who Can Figure Kids?" |
1958 | Sally | Bascomb Bleacher Jr. | 7 episodes |
1959 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars | Wally | Episode: "Ivy League" |
1960 | The Red Skelton Show | Joe, Census Taker | 2 episodes |
1960–1961 | Hennesey | Seaman Seymour Shatz | 3 episodes |
1961 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Mr. Bates, the Private Investigator | Season 6 Episode 33: "A Secret Life" |
1961 | The Twilight Zone | Irv | Episode: "The Whole Truth" |
1961 | Westinghouse Playhouse | Clerk | Episode: "Nan Suits Dan" |
1961 | Frontier Circus | Charles Gippner | Episode: "Journey from Hannibal" |
1961 | 87th Precinct | Hotel Clerk | Episode: "The Very Hard Sell" |
1962 | The Bob Newhart Show | Himself | 1 episode |
1962 | Dr. Kildare | Bud Fowler | Episode: "The Glory Hunter" |
1962 | The Andy Griffith Show | Hotel Clerk | Episode: "Andy and Barney in the Big City" |
1962 | GE True | Cpl. Coogan | Episode: "The Handmade Private" |
1962–1963 | Don't Call Me Charlie! | Cpl. Lefkowitz | 18 episodes |
1963 | McHale's Navy | Sweeney | Episode: "Camera, Action, Panic" |
1964 | The Greatest Show on Earth | Mario | Episode: "Man in a Hole" |
1964 | Destry | Lester | Episode: "Deputy for a Day" |
1964 | The Jack Benny Program | Charlie | Episode: "The Lucille Ball Show" |
1964 | Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre | Beatnik, Chip Broadwater | 2 episodes |
1964 | Many Happy Returns | Virgil Slamm | Episode: "Krockmeyer on Avon" |
1965 | Broadside | Charlie | Episode: "The Stowawaves" |
1965 | The Cara Williams Show | Fenwick Jr. | Episode: "Fletcher Succeeds in Business Without Really Trying" |
1965 | Bewitched | Cousin Edgar | Episode: "Cousin Edgar" |
1966 | The Dick Van Dyke Show | Bill Schermerhorn | Episode: "I Do Not Choose to Run" |
1966 | The Donna Reed Show | Crandall | Episode: "Is There a Small Hotel?" |
1966 | The Pruitts of Southampton | Ahmed | Episode: "Phyllis Entertains Royalty" |
1966–1967 | The Super 6 | Super Scuba | Voice |
1967–1971 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Himself | 93 episodes |
1968 | The Joey Bishop Show | Himself | 2 episodes |
1968 | Lost in Space | Fedor | Episode: "Princess of Space" |
1968 | The Legend of Robin Hood | Much | 1 episode |
1968–1980 | Hollywood Squares | Himself | 99 episodes |
1969 | I Dream of Jeannie | Himself | Episode: "The Biggest Star in Hollywood" |
1969 | The Pink Panther Show | Misterjaw | Voice |
1969 | Love, American Style | Harvey | Episode: "Love and the Living Doll" |
1969–1970 | The Andy Williams Show | Himself | 4 episodes |
1969–1977 | Storybook Squares | Wolfgang the Nazi, Beethoven | 46 episodes |
1970 | Sesame Street | German Soldier (Wolfgang) | 1 episode |
1970–1972 | The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour | Himself | 4 episodes |
1970–1972 | The David Frost Show | Himself | 5 episodes |
1970–1974 | The Dean Martin Show | Himself | 4 episodes |
1971 | Night Gallery | J.J. Wilson | Episode: "Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay/With Apologies to Mr. Hyde/The Flip-Side of Satan" |
1971–1976 | The Mike Douglas Show | Himself | 11 episodes |
1972 | The Houndcats | Rhubarb | 13 episodes |
1972–1973 | The Partridge Family | Morris Tinkler, Nicholas Minsky Pushkin | 2 episodes |
1972–1975 | Celebrity Bowling | Himself | 4 episodes |
1973 | The Bob Hope Show | Himself | 1 episode |
1973 | A Touch of Grace | Charlie | Episode: "The Lodge" |
1974 | Here's Lucy | Sir Osbird Beechman Place | Episode: "Lucy Is a Bird-Sitter" |
1974 | Salty | Chuck | Episode: "Scape Goat" |
1974–1976 | Dinah! | Himself | 8 episodes |
1974–1978 | Match Game | Himself | 15 episodes |
1975 | Get Christie Love! | Morton Perkins | Episode: "Murder on High C" |
1975 | The Rookies | Justin | Episode: "S.W.A.T." |
1975–1976 | Tattletales | Himself | 10 episodes |
1975–1977 | The Bobby Vinton Show | Himself | 12 episodes |
1975–1979 | The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | Himself | 6 episodes |
1976 | The Merv Griffin Show | Himself | 1 episode |
1976 | Celebrity Sweepstakes | Himself | 4 episodes |
1976 | Jigsaw John | Daltry Thomas | Episode: "Too Much, Too Soon" |
1977 | Baggy Pants and the Nitwits | Tyrone | 13 episodes |
1977–1987 | The Love Boat | Various characters | 8 episodes |
1978 | Kojak | Billy Butler | Episode: "Photo Must Credit Joe Paxton" |
1978–1981 | Fantasy Island | Ned Plummer, Fred Catlett, Professor Dwayne Clebe, Edgar Breen | 4 episodes |
1979 | The Dukes of Hazzard | Irving | Episode: "Double Sting" |
1980–1981 | CBS Library | Various voices | 2 episodes |
1981 | Password Plus | Himself | 5 episodes |
1982 | The Magical World of Disney
|
Theodore Oglivie | Episode: "Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang" |
1983 | Fame | Cliff Armbruster | Episode: "Star Quality" |
1983 | Pac-Man | Additional Voices | Episode: "Here's Super-Pac!/Hey, Hey, Hey... It's P.J." |
1983 | The Dukes | Additional voices | 7 episodes |
1983 | Hotel | Eddie | Episode: "The Offer" |
1983–1988 | The Smurfs | Devil Smurf, Avalon Custodian, additional voices | 13 episodes |
1984 | Trapper John, M.D. | Dr. Augustus Bunche | Episode: "Play Your Hunch" |
1984–1985 | Glitter | Clive Richlin | 14 episodes |
1985 | Airwolf | Larry Mason | Episode: "Severance Pay" |
1985 | The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo | Weerd | Voice, 13 episodes |
1985 | The A-Team | Sydney, Uncle Buckle-Up | Episode: "Uncle Buckle-Up" |
1986 | Foofur | Additional voices | 3 episodes |
1986–1988 | The Flintstone Kids | Additional voices | 34 episodes |
1986 | The New Mike Hammer | Oscar | Episode: "Murder in the Cards" |
1987 | Murder, She Wrote | Phil Rinker | Episode: "No Laughing Murder" |
1987 | DuckTales | Count Ray, Dr. Ludwig von Strangeduck | Voice, 2 episodes |
1987–1988 | Snorks | Additional Voices | 2 episodes |
1988 | The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley | Additional Voices | 13 episodes |
1988–1989 | Fantastic Max | Additional Voices | 3 episodes |
1989 | The Further Adventures of SuperTed | Hummingbird | Episode: "Dot's Entertainment" |
1990 | Night Court | Gregor Korolenko | Episode: "The Glasnost Menagerie" |
1990 | Adam-12 | Preacher | Episode: "Kid Kop" |
1990–1992 | Tom & Jerry Kids | Unknown voices | 2 episodes |
1991 | Pros and Cons | Landers | Episode: "It's the Pictures That Got Small" |
1991 | Yo Yogi! | Lou | Voice, 9 episodes |
1991–1992 | General Hospital | Finian O'Toole | Recurring |
1992 | Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures | Albert Einstein | Episode: "A Stand Up Guy" |
1993 | Droopy, Master Detective | Shadowman | Voice, episode: "Shadowman and the Blue Pigeon" |
1993 | Parker Lewis Can't Lose | Hotel Desk Clerk | Episode: "A Night to Remember" |
1993 | Café Americain | Pascal | Episode: "Every Picture Tells a Story... Don't It?" |
1994 | SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron | Pop Perkins | Voice, episode: "A Bright and Shiny Future" |
1994–1997 | Animaniacs | Newt, Delivery Guy | Voice, 3 episodes[10] |
1996 | Mad About You | Arte Johnson | Episode: "Dream Weaver" |
1997 | Adventures from the Book of Virtues | John's Please | Voice, episode: "Respect"[10] |
1998 | The Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries | Tommy Tettrazinne | Voice, episode: "Casino Evil/Happy Bathday to You"[10] |
2005 | Justice League Unlimited | Virman Vundabar | Voice, episode: "The Ties That Bind"[10] |
References
- ^ a b Slotnik, Daniel E. (July 3, 2019). "Arte Johnson, 'Very Interesting' Comic Actor, Is Dead at 90". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4049-8.
- ^ Weekly Variety, January 20, 1954; April 7, 1954.
- ^ "'Old Faces of 2002': Peter Marshall and Arte Johnson". USA Today. April 5, 2002. Retrieved April 25, 2010.
- ^ Classic Sesame Street - Arte Johnson talks about the letter Q, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZrpfckBVJ0
- ^ Hal Erickson (2012). "Berlin Correspondent (1942)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
- Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ "Coslough Johnson / Television Academy". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
- ^ Barnes, Mike; Byrge, Duane (July 3, 2019). "Arte Johnson, Master of Manic Characters on 'Laugh-In,' Dies at 90". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Arte Johnson (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved December 10, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its opening and/or closing credits and/or other reliable sources of information.
External links
- Arte Johnson at IMDb
- Arte Johnson at the Internet Broadway Database