Sid Caesar

Biography

Sid Caesar was an American comic actor and comedian who became one of television's first comedy stars. Born in Yonkers, New York, he took up the saxophone as a boy and played in Catskill Mountains bands before comedy work in military revues led him to Broadway and then television. His live 1950s series Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, built on sketch satire, pantomime and his double-talk routines, influenced a generation of comedians and writers, among them Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Carl Reiner. He won two Emmy Awards among 11 nominations. On screen he played Coach Calhoun in Grease (1978) and Grease 2 (1982) and appeared in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), Silent Movie (1976), History of the World: Part I (1981) and Vegas Vacation (1997).

91years old at death

Born September 8, 1922Yonkers
Died February 12, 2014Beverly Hills
Star sign: VirgoThe sign runs August 23 to September 22
Isaac Sidney Caesar (birth name)Also credited as Sid Caesar, Isaac Sidney Caesar

Movie Career

Films: 16
Career span: 60 years1963 to 2023

Genres

Comedy69%, 11 films
Action19%, 3 films
Drama19%, 3 films
Musical19%, 3 films
Crime13%, 2 films

First and latest

Photos

Did you know?!

A role that slipped away
Sid Caesar rejected the lead in The Jolson Story, since he did not want to become known for impersonations, and he also said no to several offers of sidekick parts.
A first
Caesar's first television series, Admiral Broadway Revue, was canceled after 26 weeks because its sponsor, Admiral, could not keep up with demand for its new television sets, a cancellation caused by the show's runaway success.
Languages
Caesar could speak only English and Yiddish, yet his double-talk routines convinced Carl Reiner that he could imitate every language known to man, and he once imitated four different languages with almost no real words.
Behind the camera
Caesar's recurring sketch 'The Professor' inspired Mel Brooks' 'The Two Thousand Year Old Man,' and his sketch 'Sneaking through the Sound Barrier' later ran continuously at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.

Sid Caesar movies on Netflix

Remembering Gene Wilder2023IMDb rating 7.8as Himself
TINSEL: The Lost Movie About Hollywood2021IMDb rating 7.0as Himself
Vegas Vacation1997IMDb rating 6.0as Mr. Ellis
Wall of Tyranny1988IMDb rating 6.5as Max
Happy 100th Birthday, Hollywood1987IMDb rating 6.7as Himself
The Emperor's New Clothes1987IMDb rating 4.7as The Emperor
Cannonball Run II1984IMDb rating 5.1as Fisherman #2
Grease 21982IMDb rating 4.6as Coach Calhoun
History of the World: Part I1981IMDb rating 6.8as Chief Caveman
Grease1978IMDb rating 7.2as Coach Calhoun
The Cheap Detective1978IMDb rating 6.4as Ezra Dezire
Silent Movie1976IMDb rating 6.7as Studio Chief
Airport 19751974IMDb rating 5.8as Barney
The Busy Body1967IMDb rating 5.5as George Norton
The Spirit Is Willing1967IMDb rating 5.6as Ben Powell
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963IMDb rating 7.4as Melville Crump

Best known for

The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.

Top

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963 Action, Adventure, Comedyas Melville Crump
IMDb rating 7.452K votes
Silent Movie1976 Comedyas Studio Chief
IMDb rating 6.720K votes
History of the World: Part I1981as Chief Caveman
IMDb rating 6.860K votes
Grease1978as Coach Calhoun
IMDb rating 7.2330K votes
The Cheap Detective1978as Ezra Dezire
IMDb rating 6.46.5K votes
Vegas Vacation1997as Mr. Ellis
IMDb rating 6.057K votes
Grease 21982as Coach Calhoun
IMDb rating 4.642K votes
Airport 19751974as Barney
IMDb rating 5.814K votes

Most often with

Mel Brooks directed two of these films, William Castle two. Dom DeLuise appears in five of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.

Top

Dom DeLuise

Mel Brooks

Richard Pryor

Stockard Channing

Eve Arden

Madeline Kahn

Mel BrooksDirector, 2 films

William CastleDirector, 2 films

Films together

Dom DeLuise5 films together, 1967 to 1984
Dom DeLuise's page
- Cannonball Run II1984IMDb rating 5.1Caesar as Fisherman #2DeLuise as Victor Prinzim / Captain Chaos / Don Canneloni
- History of the World: Part I1981IMDb rating 6.8Caesar as Chief CavemanDeLuise as Emperor Nero
- The Cheap Detective1978IMDb rating 6.4Caesar as Ezra DezireDeLuise as Pepe Damascus
- Silent Movie1976IMDb rating 6.7Caesar as Studio ChiefDeLuise as Dom Bell
- The Busy Body1967IMDb rating 5.5Caesar as George NortonDeLuise as Kurt Brock
Mel Brooks3 films together, 1976 to 2023
Mel Brooks's page
- Remembering Gene Wilder2023IMDb rating 7.8Caesar as HimselfBrooks as Himself
- History of the World: Part I1981IMDb rating 6.8Caesar as Chief CavemanBrooks as Moses / Comicus / Torquemada / Jacques / King Louis XVI
- Silent Movie1976IMDb rating 6.7Caesar as Studio ChiefBrooks as Mel Funn
Richard Pryor2 films together, 1967 to 2023
Richard Pryor's page
- Remembering Gene Wilder2023IMDb rating 7.8Caesar as HimselfPryor as Himself
- The Busy Body1967IMDb rating 5.5Caesar as George NortonPryor as Whittaker
Stockard Channing2 films together, 1978
Stockard Channing's page
- Grease1978IMDb rating 7.2Caesar as Coach CalhounChanning as Rizzo
- The Cheap Detective1978IMDb rating 6.4Caesar as Ezra DezireChanning as Bess
Eve Arden2 films together, 1978 to 1982
Eve Arden's page
- Grease 21982IMDb rating 4.6Caesar as Coach CalhounArden as Principal McGee
- Grease1978IMDb rating 7.2Caesar as Coach CalhounArden as Principal McGee
Madeline Kahn2 films together, 1978 to 1981
Madeline Kahn's page
- History of the World: Part I1981IMDb rating 6.8Caesar as Chief CavemanKahn as Empress Nympho
- The Cheap Detective1978IMDb rating 6.4Caesar as Ezra DezireKahn as Mrs. Montenegro
Mel BrooksDirector, 2 films, 1976 to 1981
All films by Mel Brooks
- History of the World: Part I1981IMDb rating 6.8Caesar as Chief Caveman
- Silent Movie1976IMDb rating 6.7Caesar as Studio Chief
William CastleDirector, 2 films, 1967
All films by William Castle
- The Busy Body1967IMDb rating 5.5Caesar as George Norton
- The Spirit Is Willing1967IMDb rating 5.6Caesar as Ben Powell
Also two films together6 more actors
- Phil SilversThe Cheap Detective (1978) and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
- Tony DanzaWall of Tyranny (1988) and Cannonball Run II (1984)
- Dody GoodmanGrease 2 (1982) and Grease (1978)
- Ron CareyHistory of the World: Part I (1981) and Silent Movie (1976)
- Ben BlueThe Busy Body (1967) and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
- Didi ConnGrease 2 (1982) and Grease (1978)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.

Box office

What Sid Caesar's films earned in cinemas worldwide.

Top

Combined worldwide box office

$735 million

9 of the 16 films have a worldwide figure.

9Worldwide figure
2Never in cinemas
5Figure not found

Top grosser

Grease1978Coach Calhoun$396 million

Highest grossing

The eight biggest films earned 100% of the total. The bars are drawn to scale.

1
Grease1978as Coach Calhoun
$396M53.9% of the total
2
Airport 19751974as Barney
$103M14.0% of the total
3
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World1963as Melville Crump
$60M8.2% of the total
4
Cannonball Run II1984as Fisherman #2
$56M7.7% of the total
5
Vegas Vacation1997as Mr. Ellis
$36M5.0% of the total
6
Silent Movie1976as Studio Chief
$36M4.9% of the total
7
History of the World: Part I1981as Chief Caveman
$32M4.3% of the total
8
Grease 21982as Coach Calhoun
$15M2.1% of the total