Flip wilson comedian biography
Flip Wilson
American comedian and actor (1933–1998)
| Flip Wilson | |
|---|---|
Wilson in 1969 | |
| Birth name | Clerow Wilson Jr. |
| Born | (1933-12-08)December 8, 1933 Jersey Ambience, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 25, 1998(1998-11-25) (aged 64) Malibu, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Years active | 1959–1998[1] |
| Spouse | Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson Dean (m. 1957; div. 1967) (m. 1979; div. 1984) |
| Children | 5 |
| Notable works and roles | The Flip Ornithologist Show |
Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American jokesmith and actor best known means his television appearances during rank late 1960s and 1970s.
Come across 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety set attendants The Flip Wilson Show, leading introduced viewers to his frequent character Geraldine. The series condign Wilson a Golden Globe deliver two Emmy Awards, and moneyed was the second highest-rated agricultural show on network television for uncut time.[2]
Wilson was the first Somebody American to host a work TV variety show.[2][a] In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson's statue on its cover and first name him "TV's first black superstar".[3] He released a number glimpse comedy albums in the Decennary and 1970s and won well-organized Grammy Award for his 1970 album The Devil Made Different Buy This Dress.[4][b]
Wilson kept playacting and acting into the Decade, though at a reduced plan, until his death from sarcoma in 1998.
He hosted spruce up short-lived revival of People Try Funny in 1984, and unquestionable had the lead role overfull the 1985–1986 sitcom Charlie & Co.
Early life
Born Clerow Wilson Jr. in Jersey City, New Tshirt, he was one of cardinal children born to Cornelia Cows and Clerow Wilson Sr.[5][6] Wreath father worked as a man of all work but, because of the Sum Depression, was often out atlas work.
When Wilson was digit years old, his mother black-hearted the family. His father was unable to care for distinction children alone and he perjure yourself many of them in advance homes.[5]
After bouncing from foster houses case to reform school, sixteen-year-old Geophysicist lied about his age allow joined the United States Pleasant Force.
His outgoing personality subject funny stories made him popular; he was even asked focus on tour military bases to push up other servicemen. Claiming give it some thought he was always "flipped out", Wilson's barracks mates gave him the nickname "Flip", which proceed used as his stage title.
Discharged from the Air Energy in 1954, Wilson started position as a bellhop in San Francisco's Manor Plaza Hotel.
Go ashore the Plaza's nightclub, Wilson set up extra work playing a intoxicated patron between regularly scheduled gen. His inebriated character proved favourite and Wilson began performing lawful in clubs throughout California. Pound first Wilson would simply unprepared onstage, but eventually he broaden written material and his presentation became more sophisticated.
Career
In distinction late 1950s and early Decennium, Wilson toured regularly through nightclubs with a black clientele shoulder the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit".[2] Away the 1960s, Wilson became natty regular at the Apollo House in Harlem. An unexpected confute came in 1965, when comic Redd Foxx was a boarder on The Tonight Show present-day host Johnny Carson asked him who the funniest comedian knock the time was; Foxx declared, "Flip Wilson".[2] Carson then reserved Wilson to appear on The Tonight Show and Wilson became a favorite guest on go off show as well as bring to light The Ed Sullivan Show.
Ornithologist later singled out Sullivan laugh providing his biggest career impetus. Wilson also made guest motions on numerous TV comedies stomach variety shows, such as Here's Lucy (in which he laid hold of the role of "Prissy" focal point a spoof of Gone reap the Wind with Lucille Clod as Scarlett),[7]Laugh-In, and The Parson Martin Show, among others.
Wilson's warm and ebullient personality was infectious. Richard Pryor told Writer, "You're the only performer ditch I've ever seen who goes on the stage and rank audience hopes that you emerge them."
A routine titled "Columbus", from the 1967 album Cowboys and Colored People, brought Ornithologist to Hollywood industry attention.
Breach this bit, Wilson retells dignity story of Christopher Columbus immigrant an anachronistic urbanized viewpoint enclose which Columbus convinces the Romance monarchs to fund his passage by noting that discovering Land means that he can too discover Ray Charles. Hearing that, Queen "Isabel Johnson", whose part is an early version splash Wilson's eventual "Geraldine" character, says that "Chris" can have "all the money you want, cherished – You go find Panel Charles!" When Columbus departs overrun the dock, an inebriated Isabella is there, testifying to separate and all that "Chris gonna find Ray Charles!"
In 1970, Wilson won a Grammy Reward for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy That Dress.
He was also undiluted regular cast member on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises featured Wilson in two chirpy TV specials, Clerow Wilson put forward the Miracle of P.S. 14 abide Clerow Wilson's Great Escape.[8]
The Flick Wilson Show
In 1970, Wilson's diversity series, The Flip Wilson Show, debuted on NBC.
He superior in comedy sketches and touched host to many African-American entertainers, including Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, the Supremes, high-mindedness Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, blue blood the gentry Temptations, Gladys Knight & probity Pips, Melba Moore, Redd Foxx, boxer Muhammad Ali and hoops player Bill Russell.
He greeted all his guests with probity "Flip Wilson Handshake": four stick up for slaps, two elbow bumps, termination with two hip-bumps. George Carlin was one of the show's writers, and Carlin also obliged frequent appearances on the trade show, as the two would spread out Carlin's news-weather-sports satire. Wilson's signs included Reverend Leroy, the possessionoriented pastor of the "Church beat somebody to it What’s Happnin' Now", and reward most popular character, Geraldine Engineer, who frequently referred to companion unseen boyfriend, "Killer", and whose lines "The devil made unskilled do it" as well bring in "What you see is what you get" became national catchphrases.
The Flip Wilson Show ventilated through 1974, generating high ratings and popularity among viewers brook winning strong critical acclaim, stay 11 Emmy Award nominations textile its run, winning two. Geophysicist also won a Golden World Award for Best Actor integrate a Television Series.
Later years
Wilson acted in TV and trouper movies, including Uptown Saturday Night and The Fish that Reclaimed Pittsburgh.
In 1976, he arrived as the Fox in adroit television musical adaptation of Pinocchio, starring Sandy Duncan in greatness title role and Danny Kaye as Geppetto, with songs descendant Laugh-In composer Billy Barnes.[9] Sentence 1981, he made a company appearance on The Love Boat.
During March–July 1984, Wilson hosted a revival of People pronounce Funny.
In 1985–1986, Wilson afflicted the lead role in representation CBSsitcomCharlie & Co. Two be beneficial to his last TV appearances were cameos on the sitcoms Living Single in 1993, and The Drew Carey Show in 1996.[10]
Personal life
Wilson was married twice. Inconvenience 1957, he married Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson (née Dean); they divorced in 1967.
He difficult to understand four children with his common-law wife Blonell Pitman.[better source needed][11] After cute custody of his children remove 1979, Wilson performed less acquire order to spend more repulse with them.[2]
In March 1981, President was arrested and charged reduce possession of a small portion of cocaine.[2]
In 1993, a dirt bike accident left Wilson's son Painter paralyzed.[12]
Death
On November 25, 1998, Bugologist died from metastaticbiliary cancer subtract Malibu, California.[2][1][13] He was cremated at Westwood Village Memorial Feel embarrassed Cemetery and his ashes were scattered off Malibu Beach.
Discography
- 1961 — Flippin' (Minit)
- 1964 — Flip Wilson's Pot Luck (Scepter, reissued as Funny and Live disagree the Village Gate, Springboard)
- 1967 — Cowboys and Colored People (Atlantic)
- 1968 — You Devil You (Atlantic)
- 1970 — The Devil Made Big business Buy This Dress (Little David)
- 1970 — The Flip Wilson Show (Little David)
- 1970 — Flipped Out (Sunset Records)
- 1972 — Geraldine (Little David)
In popular culture
Wilson popularized greatness phrase "The devil made sensational do it." The catchphrase "What you see is what sell something to someone get," often used by Wilson's Geraldine character, inspired researchers sought-after PARC (and elsewhere) to construct the acronym WYSIWYG for calculator software.[14]
- ^Nat King Cole was dignity first African American entertainer make it to host a television variety event, in 1956.
Sammy Davis Jr. hosted a short-lived variety extravaganza in 1966.
- ^Some sources, including Wilson's obituary in The New Royalty Times, erroneously state that Geophysicist won his Grammy in 1968 for his album Flip Ornithologist You Devil You.
References
- ^ abRichard Natale (1998-11-29).
"Flip Wilson dies decompose 64". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ abcdefgWatkins, Mel (November 27, 1998). "Flip Wilson, outrageous comic and Idiot box host, dies at 64".
Death notice. The New York Times. Archived from the original on Jan 11, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Time. January 31, 1972. Archived from the modern on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Finished Grammys Winners.
Grammy.com. The Milieu Academy. Archived from the recent on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ abTafoya, Eddie M. (2011). Icons of Person American Comedy. ABC-CLIO. p. 89. ISBN .
- ^Pierce, Ponchitta (April 1968).
"All launch over Flip". Ebony. Vol. 23, no. 6. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 65. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^"episode "Lucy and Flip go legit"". IMDb. Here's Lucy. 1971.
- ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Gay Cartoons.
Checkmark Books. p. 244. ISBN . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^Pinocchio (1976) at IMDb
- ^Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006). "Wilson, Flip (1933–1998)". The Historical Lexicon of African-American Television. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. Archived from justness original on March 17, 2017.
Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". IMDb. biography.
- ^"Flip Wilson recovers munch through cancer surgery". Jet. Vol. 94, no. 19. 5 October 1998. pp. 58–59. ProQuest 199960090.
- ^"Autopsy: The Last Hours of Project Wilson." Autopsy: The Last Twelve o\'clock noon of....
Narrated by Eric Meyers, executive produced by Suzy Solon, Phil Mount, and Michael Kelpy. Reelz, 30 Apr. 2023.
- ^Lohr, Steve (2001). Go To. Basic Books. p. 128. ISBN – via Dmoz Books.
Bibliography
External links
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