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Sheldon Leonard‌

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1907-02-22

Popularity

star3.6

Sheldon Leonard

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Sheldon Leonard

Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Gender

Male

Birthday

calendar1907-02-22

Popularity

star3.6

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.

Movie Credits

Pocketful of Miracles

Pocketful of Miracles‌
star7.3
calendar 1961

It's a Wonderful Life

It's a Wonderful Life‌
star8.3
calendar 1946

Decoy

Decoy‌
star5.9
calendar 1946

Guys and Dolls

Guys and Dolls‌
star6.6
calendar 1955

Zombies on Broadway

Zombies on Broadway‌
star5.1
calendar 1945

Take One False Step

Take One False Step‌
star5.4
calendar 1949

My Dream Is Yours

My Dream Is Yours‌
star6.5
calendar 1949

To Have and Have Not

To Have and Have Not‌
star7.5
calendar 1945

The Brink's Job

The Brink's Job‌
star6.0
calendar 1978

The Gangster

The Gangster‌
star4.7
calendar 1947

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man‌
star6.4
calendar 1951

Hit the Ice

Hit the Ice‌
star5.9
calendar 1943

Crime, Inc.

Crime, Inc.‌
star4.2
calendar 1945

Another Thin Man

Another Thin Man‌
star7.1
calendar 1939

Street of Chance

Street of Chance‌
star5.3
calendar 1942

Violence

Violence‌
star5.2
calendar 1947

Sinbad the Sailor

Sinbad the Sailor‌
star5.9
calendar 1947

The Falcon in Hollywood

The Falcon in Hollywood‌
star6.0
calendar 1944

Week-End in Havana

Week-End in Havana‌
star6.6
calendar 1941

Her Kind of Man

Her Kind of Man‌
star5.8
calendar 1946

Rise and Shine

Rise and Shine‌
star6.0
calendar 1941

Open Secret

Open Secret‌
star6.5
calendar 1948

The Last Crooked Mile

The Last Crooked Mile‌
star4.7
calendar 1946

Jinx Money

Jinx Money‌
star4.7
calendar 1948

Tall, Dark and Handsome

Tall, Dark and Handsome‌
star5.4
calendar 1941

Stop, You're Killing Me

Stop, You're Killing Me‌
star5.0
calendar 1952

Tortilla Flat

Tortilla Flat‌
star5.4
calendar 1942

Born to Sing

Born to Sing‌
star5.0
calendar 1942

Bowery Bombshell

Bowery Bombshell‌
star6.0
calendar 1946

Sock a Doodle Do

Sock a Doodle Do‌
star6.3
calendar 1952

Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life

Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life‌
star10.0
calendar 2011

The Gem of the Ocean

The Gem of the Ocean‌
star0.0
calendar 1934

Passport to Suez

Passport to Suez‌
star5.7
calendar 1943

Rainbow Over Texas

Rainbow Over Texas‌
star4.0
calendar 1946

Young Man with Ideas

Young Man with Ideas‌
star4.7
calendar 1952

Kiddin' the Kitten

Kiddin' the Kitten‌
star6.1
calendar 1952

Breakdown

Breakdown‌
star6.0
calendar 1952

Lucky Jordan

Lucky Jordan‌
star6.0
calendar 1942

Frontier Gal

Frontier Gal‌
star4.4
calendar 1945

A Peck o' Trouble

A Peck o' Trouble‌
star5.4
calendar 1953

Taxi, Mister

Taxi, Mister‌
star3.0
calendar 1943

The Diamond Queen

The Diamond Queen‌
star0.0
calendar 1953

Behave Yourself!

Behave Yourself!‌
star6.0
calendar 1951

Why Girls Leave Home

Why Girls Leave Home‌
star5.0
calendar 1945

Here Come the Nelsons

Here Come the Nelsons‌
star6.0
calendar 1952

Somewhere in the Night

Somewhere in the Night‌
star6.8
calendar 1946

Trocadero

Trocadero‌
star5.4
calendar 1944

Married Bachelor

Married Bachelor‌
star5.8
calendar 1941

Top Secret

Top Secret‌
star0.0
calendar 1978

Gambler's Choice

Gambler's Choice‌
star6.0
calendar 1944

Radio Stars on Parade

Radio Stars on Parade‌
star0.0
calendar 1945

If You Knew Susie

If You Knew Susie‌
star7.5
calendar 1948

My Mummy's Arms

My Mummy's Arms‌
star0.0
calendar 1934

Timber Queen

Timber Queen‌
star5.7
calendar 1944

Daughter of the Jungle

Daughter of the Jungle‌
star4.3
calendar 1949

Alias a Gentleman

Alias a Gentleman‌
star6.5
calendar 1948

Money from Home

Money from Home‌
star5.8
calendar 1953

The Islander

The Islander‌
star0.0
calendar 1978

Private Nurse

Private Nurse‌
star0.0
calendar 1941

City Without Men

City Without Men‌
star5.0
calendar 1943

The Iroquois Trail

The Iroquois Trail‌
star5.8
calendar 1950

Ouanga

Ouanga‌
star5.0
calendar 1935

Uncertain Glory

Uncertain Glory‌
star6.6
calendar 1944

Madonna of the Desert

Madonna of the Desert‌
star6.0
calendar 1948

Klondike Kate

Klondike Kate‌
star5.7
calendar 1943

Pierre of the Plains

Pierre of the Plains‌
star4.2
calendar 1942

Buy Me That Town

Buy Me That Town‌
star6.0
calendar 1941

It's Always Sunday

It's Always Sunday‌
star0.0
calendar

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter

The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter‌
star0.0
calendar 2020

Come Fill the Cup

Come Fill the Cup‌
star7.0
calendar 1951

Harvest Melody

Harvest Melody‌
star4.0
calendar 1943

Captain Kidd

Captain Kidd‌
star6.0
calendar 1945

Color Adjustment

Color Adjustment‌
star6.9
calendar 1992

River Gang

River Gang‌
star0.0
calendar 1945

Joe Palooka in Winner Take All

Joe Palooka in Winner Take All‌
star6.0
calendar 1948

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life‌
star6.0
calendar 1988

The Gentleman Misbehaves

The Gentleman Misbehaves‌
star0.0
calendar 1946

The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'

The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'‌
star6.0
calendar 1990

The Fabulous Joe

The Fabulous Joe‌
star5.8
calendar 1947

Shep Comes Home

Shep Comes Home‌
star6.0
calendar 1948

Tv Credits

Murder, She Wrote

Murder, She Wrote‌
star7.6
calendar 1984

Cheers

Cheers‌
star7.6
calendar 1982

Burke's Law

Burke's Law‌
star6.0
calendar 1963

My World and Welcome to It

My World and Welcome to It‌
star5.5
calendar 1969

The Colgate Comedy Hour

The Colgate Comedy Hour‌
star7.0
calendar 1950

The Facts of Life

The Facts of Life‌
star7.0
calendar 1979

The Cosby Show

The Cosby Show‌
star7.0
calendar 1984

The Dick Van Dyke Show

The Dick Van Dyke Show‌
star7.4
calendar 1961

The Lucy Show

The Lucy Show‌
star7.1
calendar 1962

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.‌
star7.1
calendar 1964

I Love Lucy

I Love Lucy‌
star8.0
calendar 1951

The Merv Griffin Show

The Merv Griffin Show‌
star5.3
calendar 1962

Sanford and Son

Sanford and Son‌
star7.5
calendar 1972

The David Susskind Show

The David Susskind Show‌
star5.0
calendar 1959

Linus the Lionhearted

Linus the Lionhearted‌
star6.0
calendar 1964

General Electric Theater

General Electric Theater‌
star5.5
calendar 1953

I Spy

I Spy‌
star6.5
calendar 1965

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In‌
star6.4
calendar 1967

Tonight Starring Jack Paar

Tonight Starring Jack Paar‌
star5.7
calendar 1957

Big Eddie

Big Eddie‌
star0.0
calendar 1975

Screen Director's Playhouse

Screen Director's Playhouse‌
star6.5
calendar 1955

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts‌
star5.3
calendar 1973

The Duke

The Duke‌
star0.0
calendar 1954

The Bob Hope Show

The Bob Hope Show‌
star7.0
calendar 1950

The Jack Benny Program

The Jack Benny Program‌
star7.6
calendar 1950

Burke's Law

Burke's Law‌
star6.0
calendar 1963

Matlock

Matlock‌
star7.2
calendar 1986

The Danny Thomas Show

The Danny Thomas Show‌
star6.2
calendar 1953

The Jack Benny Program

The Jack Benny Program‌
star7.6
calendar 1950

The Mike Douglas Show

The Mike Douglas Show‌
star4.8
calendar 1961

Dream On

Dream On‌
star6.9
calendar 1990

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson‌
star7.4
calendar 1962

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show‌
star6.7
calendar 1950