George Kirby

George Kirby

George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor from Chicago, Illinois. Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-show format and preferred to hire local singers, dancers, and comedians. His first recording was as a stand-up blues singer, performing "Ice Man Blues" on a Tom Archia session done in 1947 for Aristocrat Records. He was one of the first African-American comedians to begin to appeal to white as well as black audiences during the height of the Civil Rights era, appearing between 1966 and 1972 on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He was an excellent impressionist — targeting, somewhat scandalously for the time, many white actors such as John Wayne and Walter Brennan rather than solely black stars such as Bill Cosby and Pearl Bailey — and, for a man of his ample girth, an unexpectedly agile dancer. He also did vocal impressions of such singers as Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. In 1970, he was allowed to produce a television special, The George Kirby Show, to gauge whether he could attract an audience for a weekly series. This led to his hosting a sketch comedy and variety show, Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour, which lasted for 22 episodes in 1972; it was also one of the actor-comedian Steve Martin's first credits in front of the camera. The series was in many ways an uneasy compromise between Kirby's natural gifts and what the public would accept of black actors at the time; a regular feature was a shaggy dog story segment entitled the "Funky Fable". He was also a regular in the British-produced ABC Comedy Hour series The Kopycats, alongside such other impressionists as Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels, and Frank Gorshin. Following the demise of his show, Kirby's career declined, especially as audiences began to look for more cutting-edge comedy. He had been an occasional drug addict; now, to make up for lost income, he took to selling drugs. In 1977 he sold heroin to an undercover cop; he plea bargained to a ten year prison term and was released after 42 months. His career never again reached its former heights, but he did register featured guest appearances on Gimme a Break with Nell Carter, Crazy Like a Fox, and 227. He then took ill with what was later diagnosed as Parkinson's Disease. He was well-loved enough within the comedy community that friends and admirers formed the "Friends of George Kirby", which performed an all-star tribute to him in 1995 to help pay his mounting medical bills, only a few months before he died. Description above from the Wikipedia article George Kirby, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

  • Popularitet : 2.015
  • Kendt for : Acting
  • Fødselsdag : 1923-06-08
  • Fødselssted : Chicago, Illinois, USA
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George Kirby Film

  • 1985
    imgFilm

    Trouble in Mind

    Trouble in Mind

    5.7 1985 HD

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  • 1987
    imgFilm

    Cameo by Night

    Cameo by Night

    1 1987 HD

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  • 1989
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    Beverly Hills Brats

    Beverly Hills Brats

    5.5 1989 HD

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  • 1987
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    Leonard Part 6

    Leonard Part 6

    2.8 1987 HD

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  • 1983
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    Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy

    Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy

    6 1983 HD

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  • 1972
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    The Special London Bridge Special

    The Special London Bridge Special

    1 1972 HD

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  • 1976
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    Joys

    Joys

    4 1976 HD

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  • 1969
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    The Temptations Show

    The Temptations Show

    1 1969 HD

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  • 1985
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    Puss in Boots

    Puss in Boots

    5 1985 HD

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  • 1983
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    Sunset Limousine

    Sunset Limousine

    4 1983 HD

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  • 1967
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    Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad

    Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad

    4.7 1967 HD

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  • 1973
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    Saga of Sonora

    Saga of Sonora

    1 1973 HD

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  • 1966
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    A Man Called Adam

    A Man Called Adam

    6.3 1966 HD

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  • 1978
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    On Location with George Kirby

    On Location with George Kirby

    1 1978 HD

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  • 1969
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    Dionne Warwick: Souled Out

    Dionne Warwick: Souled Out

    1 1969 HD

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  • 1982
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    Fame

    Fame

    6.7 1982 HD

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  • 1985
    imgS5 E24

    227

    227

    6.8 1985 HD

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  • 1948
    imgS24 E26

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.5 1948 HD

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  • 1981
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    Gimme a Break!

    Gimme a Break!

    6.7 1981 HD

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  • 1984
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    Crazy like a Fox

    Crazy like a Fox

    7.1 1984 HD

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  • 1991
    imgS2 E23

    Baby Talk

    Baby Talk

    6.8 1991 HD

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  • 1967
    imgS6 E24

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

    Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

    6.4 1967 HD

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  • 1966
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    ABC Stage 67

    ABC Stage 67

    5.667 1966 HD

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  • 1972
    imgS1 E13

    The ABC Comedy Hour

    The ABC Comedy Hour

    5 1972 HD

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  • 1957
    imgS5 E237

    Tonight Starring Jack Paar

    Tonight Starring Jack Paar

    5.7 1957 HD

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  • 1961
    imgS22 E21

    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    4.8 1961 HD

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  • 1948
    imgS24 E26

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.5 1948 HD

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  • 1971
    imgS1 E15

    The Pearl Bailey Show

    The Pearl Bailey Show

    1 1971 HD

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  • 1948
    imgS24 E26

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    The Ed Sullivan Show

    6.5 1948 HD

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  • 1982
    imgS6 E3

    Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

    8.421 1982 HD

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  • 1969
    imgS5 E62

    Love, American Style

    Love, American Style

    5.8 1969 HD

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  • 1962
    imgS31 E74

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

    7.4 1962 HD

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  • 1961
    imgS22 E21

    The Mike Douglas Show

    The Mike Douglas Show

    4.8 1961 HD

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  • 1984
    imgS12 E24

    Hun så et mord

    Hun så et mord

    7.6 1984 HD

    Den tidligere engelsklærer på gymnasiet og den berømte mysterieforfatter Jessica Fletcher har en gave til at løse...

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  • 1958
    imgS13 E37

    Kraft Music Hall

    Kraft Music Hall

    4 1958 HD

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