Shecky Greene
Biography
Shecky Greene was an American comedian and actor who became a Las Vegas headliner in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in Chicago, he performed stand-up in nightclubs there and around the upper Midwest before he moved to New Orleans, where he worked six years at the Prevue Lounge. Showrooms in Miami, Chicago, and Reno and Lake Tahoe led to Las Vegas, where he opened for Dorothy Shay at the Last Frontier in 1954 and stayed over for 18 weeks. From 1957 he headlined the Tropicana Hotel for five years, known for a loose, free-form style. He played Carnegie Hall and the Ed Sullivan Show, spent a year as Private Braddock on Combat!, and guest-starred on The Love Boat and The Fall Guy. His films included Tony Rome (1967), History of the World: Part I (1981), and Splash (1984). He won the Las Vegas Entertainment Award for Best Lounge Entertainer and the Jimmy Durante Award for Best Comedian.
97years old at death
- Born Chicago
- Died Las Vegas
- Star sign: AriesThe sign runs March 21 to April 19
- Also credited as Fred Sheldon Greenfield
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 17 years1967 to 1984
Every film, newest first
- 1984SplashIMDb rating 6.3
- 1981History of the World: Part IIMDb rating 6.8
- 1976Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved HollywoodIMDb rating 4.8
- 1967Tony RomeIMDb rating 6.5
Genres
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A first
An agent convinced Greene to move to Las Vegas, where in 1954 he opened for Dorothy Shay at the Last Frontier. His act stayed over for 18 weeks, something that venue had never seen before.
A first
Greene appeared on The Tonight Show 40 times, and during that run he was also a guest host on the program.
A first
Greene noted that he was the one who gave both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Luciano Pavarotti their first exposure on national television.
Beyond film
Greene performed at Carnegie Hall and was a guest on the TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. He disliked that show, saying they would rush you on and off.
A change of course
Over the years, Greene owned several nightclubs, and these clubs were located in different cities, one of which was New Orleans.
Shecky Greene movies on Netflix
Worked with
Shecky Greene shares two films with Madeline Kahn, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Madeline Kahn's page
Bruce Dern's page
Tom Hanks's page
Cloris Leachman's page
Orson Welles's page
Daryl Hannah's page
All films by Ron Howard
All films by Mel Brooks
All films by Gordon Douglas
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.