George Kirby

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see George Kirby (disambiguation).
George Kirby
Las Vegas, Nevada
, U.S.
SpouseRosemary (1960–1995)

George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor.

Career

Born in Chicago,

Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-show format and preferred to hire local singers, dancers, and comedians. His first recording was as a stand-up blues singer, performing "Ice Man Blues" on a Tom Archia session done in 1947 for Aristocrat Records
.

He was one of the first

Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As an impressionist, he mimicked white celebrities such as John Wayne and Walter Brennan, not solely black stars like Bill Cosby and Pearl Bailey, something ostensibly provocative for the 1960s, as Sammy Davis had broken ground doing in the mid 1950s. A bebop piano player, Kirby did song and vocal impressions of jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Joe Williams
. Kirby did a profoundly believable female and child voice, as well as an array of military and airline sound effects.

In 1970, he was allowed to produce

Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour, a sketch comedy and variety show, which lasted for 22 episodes in 1972; it was one of the actor-comedian Steve Martin's first credits in front of the camera. The series was in many ways an uneasy compromise between Kirby's natural gifts and what the public would accept of black actors at the time; a regular feature was a shaggy dog story entitled the "Funky Fable". He was also a regular in the ABC series The Kopykats, with other impressionists such as Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels, and Frank Gorshin
.

Following the demise of his show, Kirby's career declined, especially as audiences began to look for more cutting-edge comedy.

Grossinger's
in the NY Catskills, a club he had played regularly since 1961.

His career never again reached its former heights, but he did register featured guest appearances on

Beirut, Lebanon as part of the multinational peacekeeping force
.

Imprisonment

Arrested in 1977 for selling cocaine and heroin to an undercover officer, Kirby served three and a half years in prison. After his release, he visited schools to tell students to stay off drugs.[2]

Death

Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his later years, Kirby made his last public appearance at an all-star benefit in May 1995 given by his friends for his mounting medical bills.[2]

On September 30, 1995, Kirby died of Parkinson's disease at a nursing home in Las Vegas. He was survived by his wife, Rosemary.[2]

References

  1. ^ "George Kirby: Obituary". Chicago Tribune. October 3, 1995.
  2. ^ a b c "George Kirby, 71, Comedian Who Was 'Copycat' of Yesteryear's Stars". Seattle Times. October 2, 1995.

External links

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