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Jack Benny
Sign in to saveAmerican comedic entertainer (1894–1974)
OverviewAI-generated
Jack Benny, born Benjamin Kubelsky in Chicago, was an American radio personality, television actor, and violinist. He began his work period in 1911 and served as a military officer in the United States Navy during World War I. His professional roles included being a bandleader, clarinetist, and composer within the big band and classical genres. He was also recognized for his work in standup comedy.
Benny received several awards, including Peabody Awards, Golden Globes, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. He holds a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was married to Mary Livingstone and had one child. He resided in Waukegan and was buried at Hillside Memorial Park. Benny died of natural causes due to pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles on December 26, 1974.
Synthesized by Vinony from 35 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, MusicBrainz, Last.fm, TMDb, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Film & TV
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Jack Benny (February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film. Widely recognized as one of the leading American entertainers of the 20th century, Benny played the role of the comic penny-pinching miser, insisting on remaining 39 years old on stage despite his actual age, and often playing the violin badly. Benny was known for…
Known for
- The Automat — Self (archive footage)2021
- Mike Wallace Is Here — (archive footage)2019
- Studio 54 — Self (archive footage)2018
- The Last Laugh — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2016
- Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration — Self / Shower of Stars (archive footage)2015
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2015
- Beatles Stories — Self2011
- The Best of Johnny Carson — Self (archive footage)2010
- Pioneers of Primetime2005
- Smothered: The Censorship Struggles of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour — Self (archive footage)2002
via TMDB
Music · MusicBrainz
- Type
- Person
- Gender
- Male
- Origin
- United States
- Active from
- 1894
- Active to
- 1974
Discography
via MusicBrainz · CC0
Listeners · Last.fm
- Listeners
- 2,481
- Total plays
- 20,115
Tags
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky February 14, 1894 - December 26, 1974) was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film. Widely recognized as one of the leading American entertainers of the 20th Century, Benny was known for his comic timing and his ability to get laughs with either a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated "Well!" His radio and television programs, tremendously popular in the 1940s and '50s, were a foundational
Key facts
- Born
- Benjamin Kubelsky , ( 1894-02-14 ) February 14, 1894, Chicago , Illinois , U.S.
- Died
- December 26, 1974 (1974-12-26) (aged 80), Los Angeles , California , U.S.
- Resting place
- Hillside Memorial Park
- Occupations
- Actor comedian vaudevillian violinist
- Years active
- 1911–1974
- Known for
- The Jack Benny Program
- Spouse
- Mary Livingstone ( married</span>"}]]}'>m. 1927 )
- Relatives
- Robert F. Blumofe , (son-in-law), Robert Blumofe (grandson)
- Awards
- Golden Globe for Best TV Show (1958) Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1957, 1959) more
- Allegiance
- United States
- Branch
- United States Navy
- Service years
- 1918-1921
- Rank
- Seaman First Class
- Conflicts
- World War I
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Given name
- Jack
- Gender
- male
- Citizenship
- United States
- Place of birth
- Chicago
- Place of death
- Los Angeles
- Spouse
- Mary Livingstone
- Occupation
- military personnel
- Genre
- comedy
- Instrument
- violin
- Conflict
- World War I
- Military branch
- United States Navy
- Official website
- www.jackbenny.org
- Image
- JackBenny1958Cropped.jpg
- Number of children
- 1
- Residence
- Waukegan
Show 10 more facts
- Commons category
- Jack Benny
- cause of death
- pancreatic cancer
- date of birth
- 1894-02-14
- date of death
- 1974-12-26
- place of burial
- Hillside Memorial Park
- manner of death
- natural causes
- Commons gallery
- Jack Benny
- name in native language
- Jack Benny
- birth name
- Benjamin Kubelsky
- start of work period
- 1911-00-00
Sources (9)
via Wikidata · CC0
~28 min read
Encyclopedic overview
Jack Benny (born Benjamin Kubelsky; February 14, 1894 – December 26, 1974) was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with a highly popular comedic career in radio, television, and film.
His radio and television programs, popular from 1932 until his death in 1974, were a major influence on the sitcom genre. Benny, with self-deprecating humor, portrayed himself as a miser who obliviously played his violin badly and perpetually claimed to be 39 years of age. He was known for his comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a long pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated summation "Well! "
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Jack Benny” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.