Bert Lahr
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Born Name:
Irving Lahrheim
Born Date: August 13, 1895
Born Place: New York City
Died Date: December 4, 1967
Died Place: New York City
Occupations: Actor, comedian, vaudevillian
Brief Biography: Bert Lahr was celebrated for his rubbery facial expressions and physical comedy. He is best remembered for his iconic, heartfelt portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
Vaudeville and Broadway Success:
Lahr dropped out of high school at 15 to join a juvenile vaudeville act. He became the "boy wonder" of burlesque, earning top billing on the Columbia Burlesque Circuit with his signature blend of slapstick humor and a distinctive "gnaang-gnaang" vocal delivery. By 1928, he successfully transitioned to Broadway, starring in musical comedies and revues such as Hold Everything! and The Show Is On, where he famously introduced the routine "Song of the Woodman".
The Wizard of Oz:
In 1939, Lahr reached cinematic immortality as the Cowardly Lion (and his counterpart Kansas farmhand, Zeke) in MGM's The Wizard of Oz. He infused the character with physical bravado and vulnerable, tenderhearted emotion. Though the film caused him to be temporarily typecast, his performance remains one of the most beloved in cinema history.
Dramatic and Shakespearean Roles:
While best known for comedy, Lahr pushed his dramatic range in his later years:He starred in the highly acclaimed 1956 Broadway premiere of Samuel Beckett's absurdist masterpiece Waiting for Godot as the character Estragon.He won the American Shakespeare Festival's Best Shakespearean Actor award in 1960 for his role as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.He was awarded a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1964 for his work in Foxy.
Legacy:
In the 1960s, Lahr became familiar to a new audience as the face of a popular television campaign for Lay's potato chips, popularizing the catchphrase "Betcha can't eat just one".
Born Date: August 13, 1895
Born Place: New York City
Died Date: December 4, 1967
Died Place: New York City
Occupations: Actor, comedian, vaudevillian
Brief Biography: Bert Lahr was celebrated for his rubbery facial expressions and physical comedy. He is best remembered for his iconic, heartfelt portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz.
Vaudeville and Broadway Success:
Lahr dropped out of high school at 15 to join a juvenile vaudeville act. He became the "boy wonder" of burlesque, earning top billing on the Columbia Burlesque Circuit with his signature blend of slapstick humor and a distinctive "gnaang-gnaang" vocal delivery. By 1928, he successfully transitioned to Broadway, starring in musical comedies and revues such as Hold Everything! and The Show Is On, where he famously introduced the routine "Song of the Woodman".
The Wizard of Oz:
In 1939, Lahr reached cinematic immortality as the Cowardly Lion (and his counterpart Kansas farmhand, Zeke) in MGM's The Wizard of Oz. He infused the character with physical bravado and vulnerable, tenderhearted emotion. Though the film caused him to be temporarily typecast, his performance remains one of the most beloved in cinema history.
Dramatic and Shakespearean Roles:
While best known for comedy, Lahr pushed his dramatic range in his later years:He starred in the highly acclaimed 1956 Broadway premiere of Samuel Beckett's absurdist masterpiece Waiting for Godot as the character Estragon.He won the American Shakespeare Festival's Best Shakespearean Actor award in 1960 for his role as Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream.He was awarded a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1964 for his work in Foxy.
Legacy:
In the 1960s, Lahr became familiar to a new audience as the face of a popular television campaign for Lay's potato chips, popularizing the catchphrase "Betcha can't eat just one".