Del Close

Del Close was an American actor, writer, and teacher. Born in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1934, he died in 1999. He influenced modern improvisational theater. He studied at Kansas State University and did summer stock before joining the Compass Players in St. Louis. After moving to New York, he performed stand-up, appeared in the Broadway revue The Nervous Set, and made the satire album How to Speak Hip with John Brent. In 1960 he settled in Chicago and worked at Second City, then spent the late 1960s in San Francisco as house director for the improv group The Committee, where he shaped the long-form structure called Harold. Back in Chicago from 1972, he directed and acted with Second City, taught improvisation with Charna Halpern at ImprovOlympic, and coached numerous comedians. His screen credits included Beware! The Blob (1972), Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), and The Untouchables (1987). He co-wrote the 1994 manual Truth in Comedy and stories for Grimjack and Wasteland.