Shelley Berman
| Shelley Berman | |
|---|---|
Berman in the 1960s
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| Born |
Sheldon Berman February 3, 1925 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Residence | Bell Canyon, California |
| Alma mater | Goodman Theatre, Chicago |
| Occupation | Comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, poet |
| Years active | 1954–present |
| Home town | Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouse(s) | Sarah Herman (1947–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium | Stand-Up, Film, Television |
| Genres | Observational comedy |
| Website | http://www.shelleyberman.com/ |
Sheldon "Shelley" Berman (born February 3, 1925) is an American comedian, actor, writer, teacher, lecturer, and poet.
Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Irene (née Marks) and Nathan Berman. He is Jewish.
His acting career began with an acting company in . Leaving Woodstock in 1949, Shelley and his wife Sarah made their way to New York City. Acting jobs, however, were scarce. To make ends meet, Shelley found employment as a social director, cab driver, speech teacher, assistant manager of a drug store, and a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studios. Eventually, Berman found work as a sketch writer for The Steve Allen Plymouth Show.
Berman started as a straight actor, receiving his training at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, honing his acting skills in stock companies in and around Chicago and New York City. In the mid-1950s, he became a member of Chicago's Compass Players, which later evolved into The Second City. While performing improvised sketches with Compass, Berman began developing solo pieces, often employing an imaginary telephone to take the place of an onstage partner.
In 1957, Berman landed his first job as a comedian at Mister Kelly's in Chicago, which led to other nightclub bookings, and a recording contract with Verve Records. His comedy albums earned him three gold records and he won the first Grammy Award for a non-musical recording. He was the first standup comedian to perform at Carnegie Hall. Berman would go on to appear on numerous TV specials and all of the major variety shows of the day.
He starred on Broadway in A Family Affair and continued with stage work in The Odd Couple, Damn Yankees, Where's Charley?, Fiddler on the Roof, Two by Two, I'm Not Rappaport, La Cage aux Folles, Prisoner of Second Avenue and Guys & Dolls.
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