Sheldon Leonard
Acting
Born: February 22, 1907 · Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Died: January 10, 1997 (aged 89)
Highest Rated
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and writer. Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle class Jewish parents Anna Levit and Frank Bershad. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1929. As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick), To Have and Have Not (1944), Guys and Dolls (1955), and Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent, usually delivered from the side of his mouth. In Decoy (1946), Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled police detective Joe Portugal. On radio from 1945 to 1955, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program and later in the TV series of the same name. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey Bud. C'mere a minute."), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant racing logic. As "The Tout," he never gave out information on horse racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was, "Who knows about horses?" Leonard was part of the cast of voice actors on the Damon Runyon Theatre radio show (1948-1949). He was part of the ensemble cast of the Martin and Lewis radio show. He also appeared frequently on The Adventures of the Saint, often playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles. Leonard was also a regular on the radio comedy series The Adventures of Maisie in the 1940s. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy fat cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons directed by Robert McKimson. In the adventure movie The Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives. Later in the 1950s and 1960s, he established a reputation as a producer of successful television series, including The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room For Daddy) (1953–64), The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68), Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (1964–69), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66), and I Spy (1965–68). He also directed several TV series episodes, including four of the first eight episodes of the TV series Lassie (Season 1, 1954). Leonard also provided the voice of Linus the Lionhearted in a series of Post Crispy Critters cereal TV commercials in 1963-64, which led to a Linus cartoon series that aired on Saturday (and later, Sunday) mornings on CBS (1964–66) and ABC (1967–69). He also was briefly the star of his own television show Big Eddie (1975), where he played the owner of a large sports arena. The show lasted for only ten episodes.
Known for
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
Cheers
1982
To Have and Have Not
1945
The Cosby Show
1984
Murder, She Wrote
1984
Guys and Dolls
1955
I Love Lucy
1951
Pocketful of Miracles
1961
The Andy Griffith Show
1960
Another Thin Man
1939
Matlock
1986
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951
Photos (1)
Movies (73)
It's a Wonderful Life
Nick
Guys and Dolls
Harry the Horse
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
Boots Morgan
To Have and Have Not
Lt. Coyo
The Brink's Job
J. Edgar Hoover
My Dream Is Yours
Grimes
Pocketful of Miracles
Steve Darcey
Somewhere in the Night
Sam
Sinbad the Sailor
Auctioneer
Young Man with Ideas
Rodwell 'Brick' Davis
If You Knew Susie
Steve Garland
Captain Kidd
Cyprian Boyle
Come Fill the Cup
Lennie Garr
Money from Home
Jumbo Schneider
Hit the Ice
Harry 'Silky' Fellowsby
Another Thin Man
Phil Church
Decoy
Sergeant Joe Portugal
Frontier Gal
'Blackie' Shoulders
Take One False Step
Detective Pacciano
The Falcon in Hollywood
Louie Buchanan
Madonna of the Desert
Nick Julian
Stop, You're Killing Me
Lefty
The Last Crooked Mile
Ed 'Wires' MacGuire
Her Kind of Man
Felix Bender
The Gangster
Cornell
Uncertain Glory
Henri Duval
Buy Me That Town
Chink Moran
Why Girls Leave Home
Chris Williams
Week-End in Havana
Boris
Here Come the Nelsons
Duke
Pierre of the Plains
Clairou
Lucky Jordan
Slip Moran
Daughter of the Jungle
Dalton Kraik
Crime, Inc.
Capt. Ferrone
Tortilla Flat
Tito Ralph
Behave Yourself!
Shortwave Bert
Tall, Dark and Handsome
Pretty Willie Williams
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
Hermon
A Peck o' Trouble
Dodsworth (voice)
Radio Stars on Parade
Lucky Maddox
Passport to Suez
Johnny Booth
Harvest Melody
Chuck
Born to Sing
Pete Detroit
The Diamond Queen
Mogul
Sock a Doodle Do
Kid Banty (voice) (uncredited)
The Iroquois Trail
Chief Ogane
Rise and Shine
Menace
My Mummy's Arms
Abdullah
The Islander
Paul Lazaro
Zombies on Broadway
Ace Miller
Klondike Kate
'Sometime' Smith
Shep Comes Home
'Swifty' Lewis
Street of Chance
Joe Marruci
Alias a Gentleman
Harry Bealer
City Without Men
Monk LaRue
Open Secret
Detective Sgt. Mike Frontelli
Jinx Money
Lippy Harris
Taxi, Mister
Gangster Louis Glorio / The Frisco Ghost
Breakdown
Nick Sampson
Married Bachelor
Johnny Brannigan
Violence
Fred Stalk
Kiddin' the Kitten
Dodsworth (voice) (uncredited)
Gambler's Choice
Chappie Wilson
The Gentleman Misbehaves
Trigger Stazzi
The Fabulous Joe
Louie
Rainbow Over Texas
Kirby Haynes
Top Secret
Carl Vitale
Bowery Bombshell
Ace Deuce Baker
Trocadero
Mickey Jones
Private Nurse
John Winton
River Gang
Peg Leg
Timber Queen
Smacksie Golden
Ouanga
LeStrange, the Overseer
TV Shows (28)
Cheers
Sid Nelson · 1 eps
Murder, She Wrote
Sgt. Bulldog Kowalski · 1 eps
The Cosby Show
Dr. Wexler · 1 eps
Matlock
Casino Tipster · 1 eps
The Facts of Life
1 eps
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Big Max Calvada · 1 eps
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Floyd B. Bariscale (voice) (uncredited) · 1 eps
I Love Lucy
Harry Martin (uncredited) · 1 eps
The Lucy Show
Sheldon Leonard · 1 eps
Burke's Law
Ronald 'Touchy' Touchstone · 1 eps
Burke's Law
'Chicasaw Pete' Wickowski · 1 eps
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Norman Miles · 1 eps
The Jack Benny Program
Elevator Tout · 1 eps
The Jack Benny Program
Racetrack Tout · 2 eps
The Jack Benny Program
Tombstone Harry · 1 eps
The Jack Benny Program
Bobby Darin's Agent (uncredited) · 1 eps
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Johnny Velvet · 2 eps
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
Silky Thompson · 2 eps
I Spy
Disc Jockey
Sanford and Son
3 eps
Dream On
Don Monteleoni · 1 eps
The Danny Thomas Show
Gus · 1 eps
The Danny Thomas Show
Phil Brokaw · 2 eps
Screen Director's Playhouse
George · 1 eps
My World and Welcome to It
2 eps
General Electric Theater
2 eps
Your Jeweler's Showcase
Hardwick Harris · 1 eps
Linus the Lionhearted
Linus (voice) · 3 eps
Self / Appearances (17)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
Self · 3 eps
The Mike Douglas Show
Self · 4 eps
The Merv Griffin Show
Self · 2 eps
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
Self · 1 eps
Dinah!
Self · 1 eps
The Bob Hope Show
Self · 1 eps
American Masters
Self - Interviewee (archive footage) · 1 eps
The Colgate Comedy Hour
Self · 3 eps
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self (uncredited) · 4 eps
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Self · 1 eps
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
Self · 1 eps
The David Susskind Show
Self · 1 eps
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
Self
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
Self (archive footage)
Color Adjustment
Self
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
Self
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
Self (archive footage)
Directing (14)
The Andy Griffith Show
Director
Lassie
Director
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Director
The Real McCoys
Director
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Director
I Spy
Director
The Danny Thomas Show
Director
My Favorite Martian
Director
The Danny Thomas Hour
Director
The Bill Dana Show
Director
My World and Welcome to It
Director
Accidental Family
Director
General Electric Theater
Director
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Director
Writing (3)
Producing (11)
The Andy Griffith Show
Executive Producer
The Dick Van Dyke Show
Producer
I Spy
Producer
Good Morning World
Producer
Good Morning World
Executive Producer
The Bill Dana Show
Producer
My World and Welcome to It
Executive Producer
Accidental Family
Producer
Shirley's World
Executive Producer
From a Bird's Eye View
Producer
Top Secret
Executive Producer