Louis Nye
This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2017) |
Louis Nye | |
---|---|
Born | Louis Neistat May 1, 1913 |
Died | October 9, 2005 Los Angeles, California, US | (aged 92)
Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park, Culver City, California |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 1950–2005 |
Spouse | Anita Leonard |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Casey Neistat (great-nephew), Van Neistat (great-nephew)[1] |
Louis Nye (May 1, 1913 – October 9, 2005) was an American comedic actor.[2] He was an entertainer to the troops during World War II and is best known for his work on countless television, film and radio programs.
Early years
He was born Louis Neistat in Hartford, Connecticut, son of Joseph Neistat and Jennie Sherman. His sister Rose Neistat was born in 1917. Although Nye, who pronounced his given name as Louie, later claimed he was born in 1922, he is listed as age six in the 1920 Hartford County, Connecticut, Federal Census.
Nye's parents were both
Radio and television
Nye decided to go to New York City, where he worked in radio, playing various roles on soap operas. He recalled "I still think of myself as an actor. In the radio days, I was busy playing rotten Nazis, rich uncles and emotional juveniles -- the whole span -- and the only time I tried to be funny was at parties."[citation needed]
Nye served in the United States Army during World War II, and because he earned laughs by mimicking other soldiers, he was assigned to Special Services[citation needed] where he met Carl Reiner. Following his discharge, he returned to New York and began working in live television. He also appeared in several plays on Broadway, and made many appearances on television variety shows such as The Jack Benny Program (including one memorable turn as a crying cab driver), The Jimmy Durante Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and The Victor Borge Show.
He earned his greatest fame as a regular on
Nye was cast as a guest star on many television series, including .
Nye played dentist Delbert Gray on several episodes of
Nye was a member of the cast of Needles and Pins, playing Harry Karp. The sitcom, which starred Norman Fell, ran for 14 episodes in the autumn of 1973.
Nye appeared as a celebrity judge on The Gong Show during the late 1970s. He also recorded a few comedy LPs, doing a variety of characterizations. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to reach his potential in movies. Many of his character roles were little more than cameos. Nevertheless, he performed with Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin, Walter Matthau, Robert Mitchum, Jack Webb and Joanne Woodward, and others. Nye also appeared on the lecture circuit, in concerts and in nightclubs, and did voice work in animation, such as Inspector Gadget with Don Adams.
Last years
Nye never retired. He completed a 24-city tour of the country for Columbia Artists, ending the tour with a two-week stint at the
Nye lived in Pacific Palisades, California with his wife, pianist-songwriter Anita Leonard, who wrote the standard, "
Nye died of lung cancer October 9, 2005 and was cremated. His ashes are interred at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery in Culver City, California.[4]
Selected Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | Sex Kittens Go to College | Dr. Zorch | |
The Facts of Life | Hamilton Busbee | ||
1961 | The Last Time I Saw Archie | Private Sam Beacham | |
1962 | Zotz! | Hugh Fundy | |
Beverly Hillbillies |
Sonny Drysdale | 4 episodes | |
‘’The Munsters’’ | Zombo | ||
1963 | The Stripper | Ronnie | |
The Wheeler Dealers | Stanislaus | ||
Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? | Harry Tobler | ||
1964 | Good Neighbor Sam | Det. Reinhold Shiffner | |
1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Irving | |
1976 | Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood | Radio Announcer | |
1977 | Charge of the Model T's | Friedrich Schmidt | |
1978 | Harper Valley PTA | Kirby Baker | |
1981 | Full Moon High | Minister | |
The Reluctant Dragon | St. George | ||
1984 | Cannonball Run II | Fisherman #3 | |
1987 | O.C. and Stiggs | Garth Sloan | |
The Cosby Show | Norman Kirby |
References
- YouTube
- ^ Barron, James (October 11, 2005). "Louis Nye, 92, Comic Actor and Sidekick to Steve Allen, Dies". The New York Times. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ my brother Van. CaseyNeistat. March 9, 2021. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
External links
- Louis Nye at IMDb
- Louis Nye at the Internet Broadway Database
- Louis Nye at Find a Grave