Jackie Gleason
| Jackie Gleason | |
|---|---|
As Minnesota Fats in The Hustler (1961)
|
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| Born |
John Herbert Gleason February 26, 1916 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 24, 1987 (aged 71) Lauderhill, Florida, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Colorectal cancer |
| Occupation |
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| Years active | 1941–86 |
| Spouse(s) |
Genevieve Halford (m. 1936; div. 1970) Beverly McKittrick (m. 1970; div. 1975) Marilyn Taylor (m. 1975; his death 1987) |
| Children | 2, including Linda Halford |
| Relatives | Jason Patric (grandson) |
John Herbert "Jackie" Gleason (February 26, 1916 – June 24, 1987) was an American comedian, actor, and musician who developed a style and characters in his career from growing up in Brooklyn, New York. He was known for his brash visual and verbal comedy style, exemplified by his character Ralph Kramden in the television series The Honeymooners. By filming the episodes with Electronicams, Gleason later could release the series in syndication, building its popularity over the years with new audiences. He also developed The Jackie Gleason Show, which maintained high ratings from the mid-1950s until its cancellation in 1970. After having originated in Hollywood, filming of the show moved to Miami, Florida, in 1964 after Gleason himself took up permanent residence there.
Among his notable film roles were Minnesota Fats in the 1961 drama The Hustler (co-starring with Paul Newman), and Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit series from 1977 into the early 1980s, in which he co-starred with Burt Reynolds.
John Herbert Gleason was born in 1916 at 364 Chauncey Street in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn. He grew up at 328 Chauncey (an address he later used for Ralph and Alice Kramden on The Honeymooners). Named Herbert Walton Gleason, Jr., at birth, he was baptized John Herbert Gleason. His parents were Herbert Walton "Herb" Gleason, an Irish-American insurance auditor, and Mae "Maisie" (née Kelly), from Farranree, Cork, Ireland. Gleason was one of two children; his brother, Clement J., died of meningitis at age 14.
Gleason remembered his father as having "beautiful handwriting" and used to watch him work at the family's kitchen table, writing insurance policies in the evenings. On the night of December 14, 1925, Gleason's father disposed of any family photos in which he appeared; just after noon on December 15, he collected his hat, coat, and paycheck and left his family and job at the insurance company permanently. Once it became evident he was not coming back, Mae went to work as a subway attendant for the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT).
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