Dick Shawn
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Dec 1, 1923
- Died
- Apr 17, 1987 (aged 63)
- Place of birth
- Buffalo, New York, USA
- Credits
- 63
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.
Known for
Batman & Robin
1997Movie
Snow Miser (archive sound) (uncredited)
The Producers
1968Movie
Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963Movie
Sylvester Marcus
Magnum, P.I.
1980TV
Buzz Benoit
The Twilight Zone
1985TV
(segment "Cold Reading")
Amazing Stories
1985TV
Joe Willoughby
Filmography
Leave 'em Laughing
2020Movie
Self (archive footage)
Mel Brooks: Unwrapped
2018Movie
Self (archive footage)
Batman & Robin
1997Movie
Snow Miser (archive sound) (uncredited)
Something a Little Less Serious: A Tribute to 'It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World'
1991Movie
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Rented Lips
1988Movie
Charlie Slater
Maid to Order
1987Movie
Stan Starkey
Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues
1987Movie
Self
Playboy Video Magazine, Volume 12
1987Movie
Self
The Making of Captain EO
1986Movie
Self
Captain EO
1986Movie
Commander Bog
The Perils of P.K
1986Movie
The Psychiatrist
The Check is in the Mail...
1986Movie
Donald
The Tommy Chong Roast
1986Movie
The Emperor's New Clothes
1985Movie
Emperor
Amazing Stories
1985TV
Joe Willoughby
The Twilight Zone
1985TV
(segment "Cold Reading")
Hail to the Chief
1985TV
Ivan Zolotov
Water
1985Movie
Deke Halliday
Tales from the Darkside
1984TV
Bo Gumbs
The Secret Diary of Sigmund Freud
1984Movie
The Ultimate Patient
Angel
1984Movie
Mae
Best Chest in the West
1984Movie
Self - Host
Young Warriors
1983Movie
Professor Hoover
St. Elsewhere
1982TV
Edgar Eisenberg
Madame's Place
1982TV
Self
Good-bye Cruel World
1982Movie
Rodney Pointsetter / Ainsley Pointsetter
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982TV
Guest Interviewee, Emperor
Magnum, P.I.
1980TV
Buzz Benoit
Playboy's 25th Anniversary Celebration
1979Movie
Self
Love at First Bite
1979Movie
Lieutenant Ferguson NYPD
Fast Friends
1979Movie
Deke Edwards
The Love Boat
1977TV
David Jackson, Harvey Blanchard
Looking Up
1977Movie
Manny Lander
Laverne & Shirley
1976TV
The Year Without a Santa Claus
1974Movie
Snow Miser (voice)
Evil Roy Slade
1972Movie
Marshal Bing Bell
Dames at Sea
1971Movie
Lucky
Annie: The Women in the Life of a Man
1970Movie
Himself
The Happy Ending
1969Movie
Harry Bricker
Medical Center
1969TV
The Dick Cavett Show
1968TV
Self - Guest
The Producers
1968Movie
Lorenzo St. DuBois (L.S.D.)
Penelope
1966Movie
Dr. Gregory Mannix
Way... Way Out
1966Movie
Igor Valkleinokov
ABC Stage 67
1966TV
Paul Benderhof
That Girl
1966TV
What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?
1966Movie
Captain Lionel Cash
A Very Special Favor
1965Movie
Arnold Plum
The Judy Garland Show
1963TV
Self
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
1963Movie
Sylvester Marcus
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963TV
The Lucy Show
1962TV
Ace Winthrop
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962TV
Self
The Merv Griffin Show
1962TV
Self
The Mike Douglas Show
1961TV
Self - Co-Host, Self
The Wizard of Baghdad
1961Movie
Genii-Ali Mahmud
Wake Me When It's Over
1960Movie
Gus Brubaker
The DuPont Show with June Allyson
1959TV
Charlie Wilson
The All-Star Christmas Show
1958Movie
Self
The Opposite Sex
1956Movie
Singer
The Dinah Shore Chevy Show
1956TV
Self
General Electric Theater
1953TV
Felix Franklin
The Ed Sullivan Show
1948TV
Self