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Dick Shawn

Dick Shawn

Actor · 1923 – 1987 · Buffalo, New York, USA

Dick Shawn (December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats. During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material. Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not-surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.

Movies24

  • Movie4.4

    Batman & Robin

    1997 · 5.6K votes

  • Movie7.0
  • Movie7.1

    The Producers

    1968 · 935 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Angel

    1984 · 130 votes

  • Movie5.9
  • Movie6.0

    Love at First Bite

    1979 · 117 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Penelope

    1966 · 24 votes

  • Movie6.1

    Water

    1985 · 38 votes

  • Movie7.1
  • Movie7.9

    Captain EO

    1986 · 56 votes

  • Movie5.5

    Maid to Order

    1987 · 63 votes

  • Movie6.3
  • Movie5.8

    A Very Special Favor

    1965 · 11 votes

  • Movie5.4

    The Opposite Sex

    1956 · 21 votes

  • Movie8.0
  • Movie6.1

    The Happy Ending

    1969 · 29 votes

  • Movie7.3
  • Movie7.0

    The Wizard of Baghdad

    1961 · 3 votes

  • Movie3.8

    Rented Lips

    1988 · 9 votes

  • Movie6.3

    Evil Roy Slade

    1972 · 20 votes

  • Movie3.9

    Young Warriors

    1983 · 15 votes

  • Movie4.0
  • Movie6.7

    Wake Me When It's Over

    1960 · 6 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Way... Way Out

    1966 · 19 votes

Series24

  • TV7.5
  • TV5.8

    The Mike Douglas Show

    1961 · 11 votes

  • TV6.3

    The Love Boat

    1977 · 199 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Merv Griffin Show

    1962 · 12 votes

  • TV7.3

    Magnum, P.I.

    1980 · 460 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Dick Cavett Show

    1968 · 22 votes

  • TV5.7

    St. Elsewhere

    1982 · 93 votes

  • TV5.9
  • TV7.2

    Tales from the Darkside

    1984 · 95 votes

  • TV7.7

    The Twilight Zone

    1985 · 264 votes

  • TV7.1

    The Lucy Show

    1962 · 53 votes

  • TV6.8

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    1948 · 23 votes

  • TV6.4

    Medical Center

    1969 · 14 votes

  • TV7.5

    Amazing Stories

    1985 · 237 votes

  • TV6.4
  • TV7.1

    Laverne & Shirley

    1976 · 75 votes

  • TV6.2

    That Girl

    1966 · 35 votes

  • TV8.1

    Faerie Tale Theatre

    1982 · 24 votes

  • TV6.8
  • TV8.2

    The Judy Garland Show

    1963 · 4 votes

  • TV7.9

    Madame's Place

    1982 · 8 votes

  • TV6.8

    ABC Stage 67

    1966 · 6 votes

  • TV7.0

    Hail to the Chief

    1985 · 2 votes

  • TV6.8