The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
2020 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Sheldon Leonard
1907-02-22
•
Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Writers: Your Jeweler's Showcase
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.
Filmography
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
2011 · Movie
as Self
Color Adjustment
1992 · Movie
as Self
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
1990 · Movie
as Self
Dream On
1990 · TV Show
as Don Monteleoni
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987 · Movie
as Self (archive footage)
Matlock
1986 · TV Show
as Casino Tipster
American Masters
1986 · TV Show
as Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
Murder, She Wrote
1984 · TV Show
as Sgt. Bulldog Kowalski
The Cosby Show
1984 · TV Show
as Dr. Wexler
Cheers
1982 · TV Show
as Sid Nelson
The Facts of Life
1979 · TV Show
The Brink's Job
1978 · Movie
as J. Edgar Hoover
Top Secret
1978 · Movie
as Carl Vitale
The Islander
1978 · Movie
as Paul Lazaro
No image
Big Eddie
1975 · TV Show
Dinah!
1974 · TV Show
as Self
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1973 · TV Show
as Self
Sanford and Son
1972 · TV Show
My World and Welcome to It
1969 · TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968 · TV Show
as Self (uncredited), Self
I Spy
1965 · TV Show
as Disc Jockey
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964 · TV Show
as Norman Miles
Linus the Lionhearted
1964 · TV Show
as Linus (voice)
Burke's Law
1963 · TV Show
as Ronald 'Touchy' Touchstone, 'Chicasaw Pete' Wickowski
The Lucy Show
1962 · TV Show
as Sheldon Leonard
The Merv Griffin Show
1962 · TV Show
as Self
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962 · TV Show
as Self
Pocketful of Miracles
1961 · Movie
as Steve Darcey
The Dick Van Dyke Show
1961 · TV Show
as Big Max Calvada, Floyd B. Bariscale (voice) (uncredited)
The Mike Douglas Show
1961 · TV Show
as Self
The David Susskind Show
1959 · TV Show
as Self
No image
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957 · TV Show
as Self
Guys and Dolls
1955 · Movie
as Harry the Horse
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955 · TV Show
as George
No image
The Duke
1954 · TV Show
as Sam Marco
A Peck o' Trouble
1953 · Movie
as Dodsworth (voice)
The Diamond Queen
1953 · Movie
as Mogul
Money from Home
1953 · Movie
as Jumbo Schneider
General Electric Theater
1953 · TV Show
The Danny Thomas Show
1953 · TV Show
as Gus, Phil Brokaw
Stop, You're Killing Me
1952 · Movie
as Lefty
Sock a Doodle Do
1952 · Movie
as Kid Banty (voice) (uncredited)
Young Man with Ideas
1952 · Movie
as Rodwell 'Brick' Davis
Kiddin' the Kitten
1952 · Movie
as Dodsworth (voice) (uncredited)
Breakdown
1952 · Movie
as Nick Sampson
Here Come the Nelsons
1952 · Movie
as Duke
Your Jeweler's Showcase
1952 · TV Show
as Hardwick Harris
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951 · Movie
as Boots Morgan
Behave Yourself!
1951 · Movie
as Shortwave Bert
Come Fill the Cup
1951 · Movie
as Lennie Garr
I Love Lucy
1951 · TV Show
as Harry Martin (uncredited)
The Iroquois Trail
1950 · Movie
as Chief Ogane
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950 · TV Show
as Self
The Bob Hope Show
1950 · TV Show
as Self
The Jack Benny Program
1950 · TV Show
as Elevator Tout, Racetrack Tout, Tombstone Harry, Bobby Darin's Agent (uncredited)
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
1950 · TV Show
as Johnny Velvet, Silky Thompson
Take One False Step
1949 · Movie
as Detective Pacciano
My Dream Is Yours
1949 · Movie
as Grimes
Daughter of the Jungle
1949 · Movie
as Dalton Kraik
Open Secret
1948 · Movie
as Detective Sgt. Mike Frontelli
Jinx Money
1948 · Movie
as Lippy Harris
If You Knew Susie
1948 · Movie
as Steve Garland
Alias a Gentleman
1948 · Movie
as Harry Bealer
Madonna of the Desert
1948 · Movie
as Nick Julian
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
1948 · Movie
as Hermon
Shep Comes Home
1948 · Movie
as 'Swifty' Lewis
The Gangster
1947 · Movie
as Cornell
Violence
1947 · Movie
as Fred Stalk
Sinbad the Sailor
1947 · Movie
as Auctioneer
The Fabulous Joe
1947 · Movie
as Louie
It's a Wonderful Life
1946 · Movie
as Nick
Decoy
1946 · Movie
as Sergeant Joe Portugal
Her Kind of Man
1946 · Movie
as Felix Bender
The Last Crooked Mile
1946 · Movie
as Ed 'Wires' MacGuire
Bowery Bombshell
1946 · Movie
as Ace Deuce Baker
Rainbow Over Texas
1946 · Movie
as Kirby Haynes
Somewhere in the Night
1946 · Movie
as Sam
The Gentleman Misbehaves
1946 · Movie
as Trigger Stazzi
Zombies on Broadway
1945 · Movie
as Ace Miller
To Have and Have Not
1945 · Movie
as Lt. Coyo
Crime, Inc.
1945 · Movie
as Capt. Ferrone
Frontier Gal
1945 · Movie
as 'Blackie' Shoulders
Why Girls Leave Home
1945 · Movie
as Chris Williams
Radio Stars on Parade
1945 · Movie
as Lucky Maddox
Captain Kidd
1945 · Movie
as Cyprian Boyle
River Gang
1945 · Movie
as Peg Leg
The Falcon in Hollywood
1944 · Movie
as Louie Buchanan
Trocadero
1944 · Movie
as Mickey Jones
Gambler's Choice
1944 · Movie
as Chappie Wilson
Timber Queen
1944 · Movie
as Smacksie Golden
Uncertain Glory
1944 · Movie
as Henri Duval
Hit the Ice
1943 · Movie
as Harry 'Silky' Fellowsby
Passport to Suez
1943 · Movie
as Johnny Booth
Taxi, Mister
1943 · Movie
as Gangster Louis Glorio / The Frisco Ghost
City Without Men
1943 · Movie
as Monk LaRue
Klondike Kate
1943 · Movie
as 'Sometime' Smith
Harvest Melody
1943 · Movie
as Chuck
Street of Chance
1942 · Movie
as Joe Marruci
Tortilla Flat
1942 · Movie
as Tito Ralph
Born to Sing
1942 · Movie
as Pete Detroit
Lucky Jordan
1942 · Movie
as Slip Moran
Pierre of the Plains
1942 · Movie
as Clairou
Week-End in Havana
1941 · Movie
as Boris
Rise and Shine
1941 · Movie
as Menace
Tall, Dark and Handsome
1941 · Movie
as Pretty Willie Williams
Married Bachelor
1941 · Movie
as Johnny Brannigan
Private Nurse
1941 · Movie
as John Winton
Buy Me That Town
1941 · Movie
as Chink Moran
Another Thin Man
1939 · Movie
as Phil Church
Ouanga
1935 · Movie
as LeStrange, the Overseer
No image
The Gem of the Ocean
1934 · Movie
as Pasha
My Mummy's Arms
1934 · Movie
as Abdullah
Crew Credits
Top Secret
1978 · Movie
Executive Producer
No image
The Don Rickles Show
1972 · TV Show
Producer
Shirley's World
1972 · TV Show
Executive Producer
From a Bird's Eye View
1970 · TV Show
Producer, Creator
No image
Make Room for Granddaddy
1970 · TV Show
Director
My World and Welcome to It
1969 · TV Show
Executive Producer, Director
No image
My Friend Tony
1969 · TV Show
Producer
Good Morning World
1967 · TV Show
Producer, Executive Producer
Accidental Family
1967 · TV Show
Producer, Director
The Danny Thomas Hour
1967 · TV Show
Director
I Spy
1965 · TV Show
Producer, Director
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964 · TV Show
Director
My Favorite Martian
1963 · TV Show
Director
The Bill Dana Show
1963 · TV Show
Producer, Director
The Dick Van Dyke Show
1961 · TV Show
Producer, Director
The Andy Griffith Show
1960 · TV Show
Director, Executive Producer, Creator
The Real McCoys
1957 · TV Show
Director
Lassie
1954 · TV Show
Director
General Electric Theater
1953 · TV Show
Director, Teleplay
The Danny Thomas Show
1953 · TV Show
Director
Your Jeweler's Showcase
1952 · TV Show
Writer, Teleplay
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
1951 · TV Show
Director
No image
Shadow Of Terror
1945 · Movie
Story
