Alan
King (born Irwin
Alan Kniberg; December 26, 1927 – May 9, 2004) was an American actor
and comedian known for his biting wit and often angry
humorous rants. King became well known as a Jewish comedian
and satirist. He was also a serious actor who appeared in a number of films and
television shows. King wrote several books, produced films, and appeared in
plays. In later years he helped many philanthropic causes. King was born in New
York City, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants Minnie (née Solomon) and
Bernard Kniberg, a handbag cutter. He had one sister, Anita Kniberg. He spent his
first years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Later, King's family moved to Brooklyn. King used humor to survive the tough neighborhoods.
King performed impersonations on street corners for pennies. When he was
fourteen, King performed "Brother, Can You Spare a
Dime?" on the radio program Major Bowes Amateur Hour.
He lost first prize but was invited to join a nationwide tour. At fifteen, King
dropped out of high school to perform comedy at the Hotel Gradus[3] in the Catskill Mountains. After
one joke that made fun of the hotel's owner, he was fired; however, he spent
the remainder of that summer and the one that followed as emcee at Forman's New
Prospect Hotel in Mountaindale, New York. He
later worked in Canada in a burlesque house while
also fighting as a professional boxer: he won twenty straight bouts. Nursing a broken nose,
King decided to quit boxing and focus on comedy. He worked as a doorman at the
popular nightclub Leon and Eddie's while performing comedy under
the last name of the boxer who beat him, King. King began his comedy career
with one-liner routines and other material concerning mothers-in-law and Jews.
His style of comedy changed when he saw Danny Thomas in the early 1950s. King realized that
Thomas was speaking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better
response. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational
style that used everyday life for humor. He inspired other comedians
including Joan Rivers, Jerry Seinfeld, Larry David, Billy Crystal, Robert Klein, and Bill Cosby. King married Jeanette Sprung in 1947. They had
three children: Andrew, Robert, and Elainie Ray. His wife persuaded him to move
to Forest Hills, Queens for
their children, and later to Great Neck, Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life. There, he developed comedy revolving around
life in suburbia. With many Americans moving to the suburbs, King's
humor took hold. He was soon opening for Judy Garland, Patti Page, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Lena Horne, and Tony Martin. When Martin
was cast in the movie Hit the Deck, he got
King his first movie role. He played small roles in movies in the 1950s, but
disliked stereotypical roles that he described as "always the sergeant
from Brooklyn named Kowalski." Typical of this was his role as Sgt
Buzzer in the WW2 film On the Fiddle (1961). King eventually expanded his range
and made a name for himself in a wide variety of films. He often portrayed
gangsters, as in Casino (1995)
and Night and the City (1992),
both starring Robert De Niro, as well
as I, the Jury (1982)
and Cat's Eye (1985).
He frequently worked for director Sidney Lumet, beginning with Bye Bye Braverman (1968) and The Anderson Tapes (1971).
Lumet later cast him in a starring role in Just Tell Me What You Want (1980),
a provocative comedy about a ruthless business mogul and his TV-producer
mistress (Ali MacGraw). He also
played himself in an uncredited cameo in Lumet's Prince of the City (1981).
He had another major role in Memories of Me (1988) as the so-called "king of
the Hollywood extras," portraying Billy Crystal's terminally ill father. King played the role of
corrupt union official Andy Stone in Martin Scorsese's 1995 film Casino. Like many
other Jewish comics, King worked the Catskill circuit
known as the Borscht Belt. His career
took off after appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Perry Como Show, and The Garry Moore Show.
Living just outside New York City, King was frequently available when Ed Sullivan needed a short-notice fill-in. He became a
regular guest host for The Tonight
Show Starring Johnny Carson and he hosted the Oscars in
1972, He was also the emcee for President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961. King was the
long-standing host of the New York Friar's Club celebrity
roasts and served as the club's historian. He headlined two unsold television
pilots on CBS, both titled The Alan King Show. The first aired on
September 8, 1961; the second aired on July 12, 1986. King was
the first recipient (1988) of the award for American Jewish humor from
the National
Foundation for Jewish Culture. The award was ultimately named in his
honor.