Frank Gorshin
Encyclopedia
Frank John Gorshin, Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American
actor
and comedian
. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist
, with many guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
and The Tonight Show
(with host Steve Allen
). His most famous acting role was as The Riddler
in the Batman
live-action television series.
Gorshin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, the son of Roman Catholic parents Frances, a seamstress, and Frank Gorshin, Sr., a railroad worker. At the age of 15, he took a part-time job as a cinema usher at the Sheridan Square Theatre. He memorized the mannerisms of the screen stars he saw and created an impressionist act. He was still in high school when he obtained his first paid employment, which he secured as the prize in a Pittsburgh talent contest in 1951: a one-week engagement at Jackie Heller's New York
nightclub, Carousel. His parents had insisted that he take the engagement, even though his 15-year-old brother had been hit by a car and killed just two nights before.
After graduation from Peabody High School
, Gorshin attended the Carnegie Tech School of Drama
(now known as Carnegie Mellon University
) in Pittsburgh. When not studying, he worked in local plays and nightclubs.
In 1953, Gorshin was drafted into the United States Army
and was posted in Germany
. He served for a year and a half as an entertainer attached to Special Services
. While in the Army, Gorshin met Maurice Bergman, who later introduced him to Hollywood agent Paul Kohner
. Frank Gorshin's entire Army service record
was later destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire.
(his first being the same night The Beatles
and Davy Jones
debuted, early in 1964). He was a popular act at nightclubs, notably those of Las Vegas
, where he was the first impressionist to headline the main showrooms. He was also the first impressionist headliner at the Empire Room of New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
. Gorshin's slender athletic build, wide mouth, and pale eyes under strong brows were ideal characteristics for screen henchmen. In 1957, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car after driving from Pittsburgh for 39 hours without sleep. He was on his way to a Hollywood screen test for the part of Officer Ruby in Run Silent, Run Deep
. He sustained a fractured skull and spent four days in a coma; a Los Angeles
newspaper incorrectly reported that he had been killed. The role went to Don Rickles
During this period Gorshin had roles in B-movies such as Hot Rod Girl
(1956), Dragstrip Girl (1957) and Invasion of the Saucer Men
(1957). Gorshin's first film role was Between Heaven and Hell
. In 1960 he was featured in Bells are Ringing
, playing the Method Actor while doing a Marlon Brando
impression, and as a hipster jazz musician in Where The Boys Are
.
On April 8, 1957, Gorshin married Christina Randazzo. They had one son, Mitchell, and later separated but remained married until his death.
He was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy) for his best remembered role as The Riddler
in the Batman
live action television series. The character was costumed in a light green body suit decorated with question marks, lavender cloth eye-mask, and lavender gloves and belt, or sometimes a bright green dress suit decorated with question marks, with a black shirt, green tie, and black bowler hat, also decorated with a question mark. Gorshin's portrayal of the character included a high deranged cackle, inspired by that of Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark
) in Kiss of Death
(1947). He reprised this role in the 1978 TV movie "Legends of the Super-Heroes". He also had a memorable role in the 1969 Star Trek
episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" as the half-whiteface, half-blackface alien Bele, for which he was again Emmy-nominated. Prior to that, he was a dramatic actor, often playing "tough guys" like those played by one of his favorite targets of impressions, James Cagney
, whom he was said to resemble. He did take a comic turn, though, as the bassist Basil (paired with singer Connie Francis
) in Where The Boys Are
(1960), and played a boss-behind-bars for laughs in Otto Preminger
's comedy Skidoo
(1968).
Gorshin played a villain in the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
. In the feature-length episode "Plot to Kill a City", he played interplanetary assassin Seton Kellogg, a master of planning who leads his gang, the Legion of Death, to force a worker to sabotage an antimatter
reactor near New Chicago in order to obliterate the entire area. Kellogg is aided by an alien bodyguard, Varek (played by Anthony James), who is capable of altering his molecular structure to pass through walls, a result of radiation absorbed when "his homeworld thought they'd won a nuclear war."
He appeared on Broadway, in Jimmy (1970) and Guys and Dolls (1971). In 2002, he portrayed comedian George Burns
on Broadway in the one-man show Say Goodnight, Gracie
.
Gorshin's varied career included appearing as the villainous Mr. Wesker in the miniseries Goliath Awaits
(1981) and as the cantankerous King Gama in the opera
Princess Ida
in 1982 as part of the PBS series The Compleat Gilbert and Sullivan
. He costarred in Terry Gilliam
's 12 Monkeys as the gruff superior to Madeleine Stowe
's psychiatrist, and appeared as a mobster kingpin in The Meteor Man
.
Gorshin played the strict legendary Harvard Law School Professor, John H. Keynes, in the 2004 Korean drama Love Story in Harvard
.
Gorshin played the role of Smiley Wilson on the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night
in 1983. The show used his talents to mimic other performers in the plot.
On the Nickelodeon
anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark?
, he played the evil sorcerer Brother Septimus in The Tale of the Carved Stone, which aired in 1993.
In 1995, Gorshin played the voice of Reverend Jack Cheese in an episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show
.
Gorshin died on day of the DVD release of the TV movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
. Gorshin appeared as himself (reprising his role as the Riddler) in this 2003 special that reunited some of the actors from the Batman series. Gorshin voiced villain Hugo Strange
in an episode of The Batman
animated series, which aired in the series' second season on the WB. Gorshin died a few days before the newest incarnation of The Riddler first appeared in The Batman. After Gorshin's death, Strange was voiced by Richard Green
. Gorshin also voiced the characters Marius and Lysander in the computer role playing game Diablo II
.
", an episode of the CBS-TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
which aired two days after his death; the episode, which was directed by Quentin Tarantino
, was dedicated to his memory. While he was known for his impressions, his role on CSI was as himself.
Gorshin's final performance was in Memphis, Tennessee
doing the Tony-nominated play Say Goodnight, Gracie
. He finished his performance and boarded a plane for Los Angeles. After experiencing severe breathing difficulty during the flight, the attendants gave him an emergency oxygen mask. Upon landing, Gorshin was met by an ambulance which took him to the hospital, where he later died on May 17, 2005, at the age of 72 from lung cancer
, emphysema
and pneumonia. Gorshin had been a heavy smoker for most of his adult life, consuming up to five packs of cigarettes a day. Adam West claimed that "Frank could reduce a cigarette to ash with one draw." When he did nightclub performances or live shows, audiences were warned not to attend if they disliked smoking.
He is interred at the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery
in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist
Impressionist (entertainment)
An impressionist or a mimic is a performer whose act consists of imitating the voice and mannerisms of others. The word usually refers to a professional comedian/entertainer who specializes in such performances and has developed a wide repertoire of impressions, including adding to them, often to...
, with many guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
and The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
(with host Steve Allen
Steve Allen (comedian)
Stephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent...
). His most famous acting role was as The Riddler
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
in the Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
live-action television series.
Early life
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the son of Roman Catholic parents Frances, a seamstress, and Frank Gorshin, Sr., a railroad worker. At the age of 15, he took a part-time job as a cinema usher at the Sheridan Square Theatre. He memorized the mannerisms of the screen stars he saw and created an impressionist act. He was still in high school when he obtained his first paid employment, which he secured as the prize in a Pittsburgh talent contest in 1951: a one-week engagement at Jackie Heller's New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
nightclub, Carousel. His parents had insisted that he take the engagement, even though his 15-year-old brother had been hit by a car and killed just two nights before.
After graduation from Peabody High School
Peabody High School
Peabody High School is a public school in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, in the neighborhood of East Liberty, The school opened in 1911 after the renovations of a former elementary school and was rededicated after Highland Park doctor Benjamin Peabody. After 100 years in operation the school...
, Gorshin attended the Carnegie Tech School of Drama
Carnegie Institute of Technology
The Carnegie Institute of Technology , is the name for Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering. It was first called the Carnegie Technical Schools, or Carnegie Tech, when it was founded in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie who intended to build a “first class technical school” in Pittsburgh,...
(now known as Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
) in Pittsburgh. When not studying, he worked in local plays and nightclubs.
In 1953, Gorshin was drafted into the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
and was posted in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He served for a year and a half as an entertainer attached to Special Services
Special Services (entertainment)
Special Services are the entertainment branch of the American military. The unit was created on 22 July 1940 by the War Department as part of the Army Service Forces. Special Services would not only use their own specially trained and talented troops but would often engage local performers.Special...
. While in the Army, Gorshin met Maurice Bergman, who later introduced him to Hollywood agent Paul Kohner
Paul Kohner
Paul Kohner . The native of Bohemia in Austria-Hungary came to Hollywood in 1920 after having been a news reporter in Prague...
. Frank Gorshin's entire Army service record
Service record
A service record is a collection of either electronic or printed material which provides a documentary history of a person's activities and accomplishments while serving as a member of a given organization...
was later destroyed in the National Personnel Records Center fire.
Career
When Gorshin left the Army, he returned to public performance, and in 1956, he became a prolific film actor. He also appeared as an actor and a guest on television shows, including twelve guest spots on The Ed Sullivan ShowThe Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
(his first being the same night The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and Davy Jones
Davy Jones (actor)
David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
debuted, early in 1964). He was a popular act at nightclubs, notably those of Las Vegas
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
, where he was the first impressionist to headline the main showrooms. He was also the first impressionist headliner at the Empire Room of New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
. Gorshin's slender athletic build, wide mouth, and pale eyes under strong brows were ideal characteristics for screen henchmen. In 1957, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car after driving from Pittsburgh for 39 hours without sleep. He was on his way to a Hollywood screen test for the part of Officer Ruby in Run Silent, Run Deep
Run Silent, Run Deep
Run Silent, Run Deep is a novel published first in 1955 by then-Commander Edward L. Beach, Jr.. The name refers to "silent running", a submarine stealth tactic. It is also the name of a 1958 movie based on the same novel...
. He sustained a fractured skull and spent four days in a coma; a Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
newspaper incorrectly reported that he had been killed. The role went to Don Rickles
Don Rickles
Donald Jay "Don" Rickles is an American stand-up comedian and actor. A frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, Rickles has acted in comedic and dramatic roles, but is best known as an insult comic....
During this period Gorshin had roles in B-movies such as Hot Rod Girl
Hot Rod Girl
Hot Rod Girl is a 1956 action film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and released by American International Pictures. It stars Lori Nelson and Chuck Connors.-Cast:*Lori Nelson as Lisa Vernon*Chuck Connors as Det. Ben Merrill*John Smith as Jeff Northrup...
(1956), Dragstrip Girl (1957) and Invasion of the Saucer Men
Invasion of the Saucer Men
Invasion of the Saucer Men is a 1957 sci-fi comedy film starring Steven Terrell and Gloria Castillo and personally produced by James H. Nicholson for his American International Pictures...
(1957). Gorshin's first film role was Between Heaven and Hell
Between Heaven and Hell (film)
Between Heaven and Hell is a 1956 20th Century Fox Cinemascope colour war film based on the novel The Day the Century Ended by Francis Gwaltney that the film follows closely...
. In 1960 he was featured in Bells are Ringing
Bells Are Ringing (film)
Bells Are Ringing is a 1960 romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli. It stars Judy Holliday and Dean Martin.-Synopsis:Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne, the film focuses on Ella Peterson, who works in...
, playing the Method Actor while doing a Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
impression, and as a hipster jazz musician in Where The Boys Are
Where the Boys Are
The kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil...
.
On April 8, 1957, Gorshin married Christina Randazzo. They had one son, Mitchell, and later separated but remained married until his death.
Riddler
The Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
in the Batman
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
live action television series. The character was costumed in a light green body suit decorated with question marks, lavender cloth eye-mask, and lavender gloves and belt, or sometimes a bright green dress suit decorated with question marks, with a black shirt, green tie, and black bowler hat, also decorated with a question mark. Gorshin's portrayal of the character included a high deranged cackle, inspired by that of Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark
Richard Widmark
Richard Weedt Widmark was an American film, stage and television actor.He was nominated for an Academy Award for his role as the villainous Tommy Udo in his debut film, Kiss of Death...
) in Kiss of Death
Kiss of Death (1947 film)
Kiss of Death is a 1947 film noir movie directed by Henry Hathaway and written by Ben Hecht and Charles Lederer from a story by Eleazar Lipsky. The story revolves around the film's protagonist, a former robber, and the antagonist, the ruthless, violent Tommy Udo...
(1947). He reprised this role in the 1978 TV movie "Legends of the Super-Heroes". He also had a memorable role in the 1969 Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" as the half-whiteface, half-blackface alien Bele, for which he was again Emmy-nominated. Prior to that, he was a dramatic actor, often playing "tough guys" like those played by one of his favorite targets of impressions, James Cagney
James Cagney
James Francis Cagney, Jr. was an American actor, first on stage, then in film, where he had his greatest impact. Although he won acclaim and major awards for a wide variety of performances, he is best remembered for playing "tough guys." In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked him eighth...
, whom he was said to resemble. He did take a comic turn, though, as the bassist Basil (paired with singer Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
) in Where The Boys Are
Where the Boys Are
The kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil...
(1960), and played a boss-behind-bars for laughs in Otto Preminger
Otto Preminger
Otto Ludwig Preminger was an Austro–Hungarian-American theatre and film director.After moving from the theatre to Hollywood, he directed over 35 feature films in a five-decade career. He rose to prominence for stylish film noir mysteries such as Laura and Fallen Angel...
's comedy Skidoo
Skidoo (film)
Skidoo is an American comedy film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing, written by Doran William Cannon and released by Paramount Pictures on December 19, 1968...
(1968).
Gorshin played a villain in the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
. In the feature-length episode "Plot to Kill a City", he played interplanetary assassin Seton Kellogg, a master of planning who leads his gang, the Legion of Death, to force a worker to sabotage an antimatter
Antimatter
In particle physics, antimatter is the extension of the concept of the antiparticle to matter, where antimatter is composed of antiparticles in the same way that normal matter is composed of particles...
reactor near New Chicago in order to obliterate the entire area. Kellogg is aided by an alien bodyguard, Varek (played by Anthony James), who is capable of altering his molecular structure to pass through walls, a result of radiation absorbed when "his homeworld thought they'd won a nuclear war."
He appeared on Broadway, in Jimmy (1970) and Guys and Dolls (1971). In 2002, he portrayed comedian George Burns
George Burns
George Burns , born Nathan Birnbaum, was an American comedian, actor, and writer.He was one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, film, radio, television and movies, with and without his wife, Gracie Allen. His arched eyebrow and cigar smoke punctuation became...
on Broadway in the one-man show Say Goodnight, Gracie
Say Goodnight, Gracie
Say Goodnight Gracie is a one-man play by Rupert Holmes.Adapted from the reminiscences of George Burns, the multimedia presentation traces the comedian-raconteur's life from his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to his early career in vaudeville to his momentous meeting and subsequent...
.
Gorshin's varied career included appearing as the villainous Mr. Wesker in the miniseries Goliath Awaits
Goliath Awaits
Goliath Awaits is a 1981 American television movie originally broadcast in two parts in November 1981 on various stations as a part of Operation Prime Time's syndicated programming...
(1981) and as the cantankerous King Gama in the opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
Princess Ida
Princess Ida
Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
in 1982 as part of the PBS series The Compleat Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
. He costarred in Terry Gilliam
Terry Gilliam
Terrence Vance "Terry" Gilliam is an American-born British screenwriter, film director, animator, actor and member of the Monty Python comedy troupe. Gilliam is also known for directing several films, including Brazil , The Adventures of Baron Munchausen , The Fisher King , and 12 Monkeys...
's 12 Monkeys as the gruff superior to Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Stowe
Madeleine Mora Stowe is an American actress. She rose to prominence appearing in films such as Stakeout, Revenge, Unlawful Entry, The Last of the Mohicans, Blink, China Moon, 12 Monkeys, and We Were Soldiers...
's psychiatrist, and appeared as a mobster kingpin in The Meteor Man
The Meteor Man (film)
The Meteor Man is a 1993 superhero film written, directed, and starring Robert Townsend, and featuring an ensemble cast. Townsend stars as a mild-mannered schoolteacher, who becomes a superhero after his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. is terrorized by street gangs.Although the film is set in...
.
Gorshin played the strict legendary Harvard Law School Professor, John H. Keynes, in the 2004 Korean drama Love Story in Harvard
Love Story in Harvard
Love Story in Harvard is a 16-episode romantic Korean television drama broadcast in 2004, set in the United States and South Korea...
.
Gorshin played the role of Smiley Wilson on the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
in 1983. The show used his talents to mimic other performers in the plot.
On the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
anthology series Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? may refer to:* Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a 1992 television series* Are You Afraid of the Dark? , a 2004 novel by Sidney Sheldon...
, he played the evil sorcerer Brother Septimus in The Tale of the Carved Stone, which aired in 1993.
In 1995, Gorshin played the voice of Reverend Jack Cheese in an episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show
The Ren and Stimpy Show
The Ren & Stimpy Show, often simply referred to as Ren & Stimpy, is an American animated television series, created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on the titular characters: Ren Höek, a psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpson J. Cat, a good-natured, dimwitted cat...
.
Gorshin died on day of the DVD release of the TV movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt
Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt is a 2003 television movie reuniting the cast of the 1960s Batman TV show. It stars the original stars of the series Adam West and Burt Ward as themselves, with Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden portraying the young West/Batman and Ward/Robin...
. Gorshin appeared as himself (reprising his role as the Riddler) in this 2003 special that reunited some of the actors from the Batman series. Gorshin voiced villain Hugo Strange
Hugo Strange
Professor Hugo Strange is a fictional comic book supervillain appearing in books published by DC Comics, as an adversary of Batman. He first appeared in Detective Comics #36 , and is one of Batman's first recurring villains, preceding the Joker and Catwoman by several months...
in an episode of The Batman
The Batman (TV series)
The Batman is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation based on the DC Comics superhero Batman. It ran from 2004 to 2008, on the Saturday morning television block Kids' WB...
animated series, which aired in the series' second season on the WB. Gorshin died a few days before the newest incarnation of The Riddler first appeared in The Batman. After Gorshin's death, Strange was voiced by Richard Green
Richard Green (actor)
Richard Green is an American actor/director/musician with an international career in voice over and film. He had a prominent role as the Magician, in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive and produced I Don't Know Jack, about the life and mysterious death of Eraserhead star Jack Nance...
. Gorshin also voiced the characters Marius and Lysander in the computer role playing game Diablo II
Diablo II
Diablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
.
Final performances and death
Gorshin's last television appearance was in "Grave DangerGrave Danger
"Grave Danger" is the name of the fifth season finale of the American crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which is set in Las Vegas, Nevada...
", an episode of the CBS-TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
which aired two days after his death; the episode, which was directed by Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
, was dedicated to his memory. While he was known for his impressions, his role on CSI was as himself.
Gorshin's final performance was in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
doing the Tony-nominated play Say Goodnight, Gracie
Say Goodnight, Gracie
Say Goodnight Gracie is a one-man play by Rupert Holmes.Adapted from the reminiscences of George Burns, the multimedia presentation traces the comedian-raconteur's life from his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to his early career in vaudeville to his momentous meeting and subsequent...
. He finished his performance and boarded a plane for Los Angeles. After experiencing severe breathing difficulty during the flight, the attendants gave him an emergency oxygen mask. Upon landing, Gorshin was met by an ambulance which took him to the hospital, where he later died on May 17, 2005, at the age of 72 from lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
, emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and pneumonia. Gorshin had been a heavy smoker for most of his adult life, consuming up to five packs of cigarettes a day. Adam West claimed that "Frank could reduce a cigarette to ash with one draw." When he did nightclub performances or live shows, audiences were warned not to attend if they disliked smoking.
He is interred at the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery
Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Calvary Catholic Cemetery is located at 718 Hazelwood Avenue in the Greenfield and Hazelwood neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.It was founded in 1886 with the purchase of a 200-acre tract. The first official interment occurred in 1888, though there are graves with earlier dates. As of...
in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh.
Filmography
- The Proud and ProfaneThe Proud and ProfaneThe Proud and Profane is a 1956 dramatic war romance made by William Perlberg-George Seaton Productions for Paramount Pictures. It was directed by George Seaton and produced by William Perlberg, from a screenplay by George Seaton, based on the novel The Magnificent Bastards by Lucy Herndon...
(1956) - Hot Rod GirlHot Rod GirlHot Rod Girl is a 1956 action film directed by Leslie H. Martinson and released by American International Pictures. It stars Lori Nelson and Chuck Connors.-Cast:*Lori Nelson as Lisa Vernon*Chuck Connors as Det. Ben Merrill*John Smith as Jeff Northrup...
(1956) - Between Heaven and HellBetween Heaven and Hell (film)Between Heaven and Hell is a 1956 20th Century Fox Cinemascope colour war film based on the novel The Day the Century Ended by Francis Gwaltney that the film follows closely...
(1956) - Runaway Daughters (1956)
- The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
- Dragstrip Girl (1957)
- The Delicate DelinquentThe Delicate DelinquentThe Delicate Delinquent is a 1957 American black-and-white film starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in 1956 and released on June 6, 1957 by Paramount Pictures and is notable as the first film that Lewis made without his longtime partner Dean Martin....
(1957) - Invasion of the Saucer MenInvasion of the Saucer MenInvasion of the Saucer Men is a 1957 sci-fi comedy film starring Steven Terrell and Gloria Castillo and personally produced by James H. Nicholson for his American International Pictures...
(1957) - Portland Expose (1957)
- Tank BattalionTank Battalion (film)Tank Battalion is a 1958 War film directed by Sherman A. Rose, starring Don Kelly, Leslie Parrish and Edward G. Robinson Jr. Four men in their tank, during the Korean War in 1951, find themselves behind enemy lines.-Cast:* Don Kelly as Sgt. Brad Dunne...
(1958) - Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
- WarlockWarlock (1959 film)Warlock is a 1959 film, released by Twentieth Century Fox and shot in DeLuxe Color and CinemaScope. It is a Western adapted from the novel by Oakley Hall...
(1959) - Bells are RingingBells Are Ringing (film)Bells Are Ringing is a 1960 romantic comedy-musical film directed by Vincente Minnelli. It stars Judy Holliday and Dean Martin.-Synopsis:Based on the successful 1956 Broadway production of the same name by Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Jule Styne, the film focuses on Ella Peterson, who works in...
(1960) - Studs LoniganStuds LoniganStuds Lonigan is the title of a novel trilogy by American author James T. Farrell: Young Lonigan, The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, and Judgment Day. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked the Studs Lonigan trilogy at 29th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.The...
(1960) - Where the Boys AreWhere the Boys AreThe kind of cool modern jazz popularized by such acts as Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan, and Chico Hamilton, then in the vanguard of the college music market, features in a number of scenes with Basil...
(1960) - The Great Imposter (1961)
- Ring of Fire (1961)
- The George Raft StoryThe George Raft Story (film)The George Raft Story is a fictionalized 1961 movie biography of former top Hollywood film star George Raft. Ray Danton portrays Raft and the film was directed by Joseph M. Newman...
(1961) - Sail a Crooked Ship (1961)
- That Darn Cat! (1965)
- Ride Beyond VengeanceRide Beyond VengeanceRide Beyond Vengeance is a 1966 western film. It stars Chuck Connors, Michael Rennie, Kathryn Hays and Bill Bixby.The film was directed by Bernard McEveety and produced by Andrew J. Fenady from the story "The Night of the Tiger" by Al Dewlen. Glenn Yarbrough sang the title song vocals. It was...
(1966) - The MunstersThe MunstersThe Munsters is a 1960s American family television sitcom depicting the home life of a family of monsters. It starred Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster and Yvonne De Carlo as his wife, Lily Munster. The series was a satire of both traditional monster movies and popular family entertainment of the era,...
(1966) - BatmanBatman (1966 film)Batman, often promoted as Batman: The Movie, is a 1966 film based on the Batman television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comics character of the same name. Released by 20th Century Fox, the film starred Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin. The film was...
(1966)
- SkidooSkidoo (film)Skidoo is an American comedy film directed by Otto Preminger, starring Jackie Gleason and Carol Channing, written by Doran William Cannon and released by Paramount Pictures on December 19, 1968...
(1968) - Star TrekStar Trek: The Original SeriesStar Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
(1969) - Record City (1977)
- Rudolph's Shiny New YearRudolph's Shiny New YearRudolph's Shiny New Year is the 1976 stop-motion animated sequel to the 1964 television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, produced by Rankin/Bass.-Plot:...
(1976) - Legends of the Super-Heroes (1978)
- Goliath AwaitsGoliath AwaitsGoliath Awaits is a 1981 American television movie originally broadcast in two parts in November 1981 on various stations as a part of Operation Prime Time's syndicated programming...
(1981) - Underground AcesUnderground AcesUnderground Aces is a 1981 film directed by Robert Butler. It stars Dirk Benedict and Melanie Griffith.-Cast:*Dirk Benedict as Pete Huffman*Melanie Griffith as Lucy*Rick Podell as Joe*Randy Brooks as Ollie*T. K. Carter as Dee Jay...
(1981) - The Uppercrust (1981)
- Princess IdaPrincess IdaPrincess Ida; or, Castle Adamant is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. Princess Ida opened at the Savoy Theatre on January 5, 1884, for a run of 246 performances...
(1982) [as King Gama] recorded at Pinewood studios - Hot Resort (1985)
- Uphill All the WayUphill All the WayUphill All The Way is a 1986 motion picture starring Roy Clark, Mel Tillis, Glen Campbell, Burl Ives and Trish Van Devere....
(1986) - Hollywood Vice SquadHollywood Vice Squad-Plot:Pauline Stanton, a mother, travels to Hollywood to find her teenage runaway daughter Lori. Once there, Pauline discovers that Lori has become involved in the pornography industry and teams with the police to find her and get her back.-Cast:...
(1986) - The Gnomes' Great Adventure (1987) (voice)
- Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989)
- Midnight (1989)
- Sweet JusticeSweet JusticeSweet Justice is an American legal drama television series starring Cicely Tyson and Melissa Gilbert. The hour-long series ran from September 15, 1994 to April 22, 1995 on NBC.-Premise:...
(1992) - The Hollywood Beach Murders (1992)
- Body Trouble (1992)
- Amore!Amore!Amore! was a comedy film made in 1993.The central character Saul Schwartz is a bored New York businessman who decides to change his life become a Hollywood movie star but finds it harder than he expected.-External links:...
(1993) - The Meteor ManThe Meteor Man (film)The Meteor Man is a 1993 superhero film written, directed, and starring Robert Townsend, and featuring an ensemble cast. Townsend stars as a mild-mannered schoolteacher, who becomes a superhero after his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. is terrorized by street gangs.Although the film is set in...
(1993) - Hail CaesarHail Caesar (1994 film)Hail Caesar is a 1994 American heavy metal comedy film directed by Anthony Michael Hall and starring Hall, Robert Downey, Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, Judd Nelson, and Bobbie Phillips.-Plot:...
(1994) - The Big StoryThe Big StoryThe Big Story, which debuted in 2000, was an American news/talk television program on the Fox News Channel, hosted by John Gibson and Heather Nauert weekdays. It was taken off in March 2008, replaced with America's Election Headquarters, an hour of news related to the 2008 United States...
(1994) (short subject) (voice) - Mr. Payback: An Interactive MovieMr. Payback: An Interactive MovieMr. Payback: An Interactive Movie is a 1995 American comedic short film written by Bob Gale and directed by both Bob Gale and Charles Croughwell...
(1995) (Cameo) - 12 Monkeys (1995)
- From Hare to EternityFrom Hare To EternityFrom Hare to Eternity is a 1996 Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam cartoon in the Looney Tunes series, directed by Chuck Jones. Since this cartoon was produced after the death of legendary Looney Tunes voice actor Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs is supplied by Greg Burson and the voice of Yosemite Sam is...
(1996) (short subject) (voice) - Superior DuckSuperior DuckSuperior Duck was a 1996 cartoon directed by Chuck Jones. A Looney Tunes theatrical short, it featured Daffy Duck as a caped crusader with super powers and featured cameos by Foghorn Leghorn, Tweety Pie, Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote, Marvin the Martian, Porky Pig, The Tasmanian Devil and...
(1996) (short subject) (voice) - Threshold (1997)
- Bloodmoon (1997)
- Better Than Ever (1997)
- After the GameAfter the GameAfter the Game is a 1997 film noir drama/mystery film starring Frank Gorshin, Stanley DeSantis, Sam Anderson, Mike Genovese, Susan Traylor, and Robert Dubac....
(1997) - Pullet Surprise (1997) (short subject) (voice)
- Twilight of the Ice NymphsTwilight of the Ice NymphsTwilight of the Ice Nymphs is a 1997 Canadian fantasy film directed by Guy Maddin. It was filmed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada....
(1997) - Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997) (documentary)
- The Rules (For Men) (1999)
- The Art of Murder (1999)
- All Shook UpAll Shook Up"All Shook Up" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and composed by Otis Blackwell. Elvis Presley's single topped the U.S. Pop chart on April 13, 1957, staying there for eight weeks. It also topped the R&B chart for four weeks, becoming Presley's second single to...
(1999) - Man of the CenturyMan of the CenturyMan of the Century is a 1999 comedy film directed by Adam Abraham and written by Abraham and Gibson Frazier. The film stars Frazier, Cara Buono, Susan Egan, Dwight Ewell and Anthony Rapp. It is a farce about the attitudes, values, and slang displayed in the popular culture of the 1920s . Man of...
(1999) - Final Rinse (1999)
- Game Day (1999)
- CastlerockCastlerockCastlerock is a seaside village in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It is situated between Coleraine and Derry and is very popular with summer tourists, having numerous apartment blocks and three caravan sites. Castlerock Golf Club has both 9 and 18-hole links courses bounded by the beach, the...
(2000) - Luck of the Draw (2000)
- The Curio Trunk (2000) (short subject)
- High Times' PotluckHigh Times' PotluckHigh Times' Potluck is a 2002 comedy film by High Times that revolves around a mobster in Manhattan who discovers the magic of marijuana.This aptly named comedy follows a suitcase of high-grade marijuana from the farm where it was grown, to its eventual distribution in New York...
(2002) - Manna from HeavenManna from Heaven (film)Manna from Heaven is a 2002 film written by Gabrielle B. Burton and co-directed by her daughter Gabrielle and her sister Maria. The film won awards at four film festivals. It was actor Jerry Orbach's final film.-Principal cast:-Critical reception:...
(2002) - Mail Order Bride (2003)
- Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and BurtReturn to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and BurtReturn to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt is a 2003 television movie reuniting the cast of the 1960s Batman TV show. It stars the original stars of the series Adam West and Burt Ward as themselves, with Jack Brewer and Jason Marsden portraying the young West/Batman and Ward/Robin...
(2003) - The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer ParkThe Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer ParkThe Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park, originally titled Bloodhead, is a 2004 comedic horror film directed by Christopher Coppola, about two very different men, Donnie, played by Andre Ware, and Doug, played by Steve Hedden who must join forces to battle a gory killer in a small, desert town...
(2004) - Love Story in HarvardLove Story in HarvardLove Story in Harvard is a 16-episode romantic Korean television drama broadcast in 2004, set in the United States and South Korea...
(2004) - Angels with Angles (2005)
- Firedog (2005) (voice)
- Buckaro (2005) (judge)
Stage appearances
- What Makes Sammy Run?What Makes Sammy Run?What Makes Sammy Run? is a novel by Budd Schulberg. It is a rags to riches story chronicling the rise and fall of Sammy Glick, a Jewish boy born in New York's Lower East Side who very early in his life makes up his mind to escape the ghetto and climb the ladder of success...
playing Sammy Glick at Valley Music Theatre (Los Angeles) (1966) - Jimmy playing James J. Walker at Winter Garden TheatreWinter Garden TheatreThe Winter Garden Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1634 Broadway in midtown Manhattan.-History:The structure was built by William Kissam Vanderbilt in 1896 to be the American Horse Exchange....
(Broadway) (1969) - The Prisoner of Second AvenueThe Prisoner of Second AvenueThe Prisoner of Second Avenue is an American black comedy play by Neil Simon, later made into a film released in 1975.The play ran on Broadway from November 1971 until September 1973, with Peter Falk and Lee Grant starring as Mel and Edna Edison, and Vincent Gardenia as Mel's brother Harry. The...
playing Mel Edison at Parker PlayhouseParker PlayhouseThe Parker Playhouse is a 1,191-seat theatre in southern Florida.The Playhouse was established by Dr. Louis Parker. The curtain rose for the first time on February 6, 1967 as E.G. Marshall and Dennis O'Keefe starred in Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple...
(Florida) (1973) - WhodunnitWhodunnit (play)Whodunnit? is the title of a play written by Anthony Shaffer in 1977, originally called The Case Of The Oily Levantine.-Plot summary:Whodunnit? is a comedy / mystery play...
standing in as Andreas Capodistriou at Biltmore TheatreBiltmore TheatreThe Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 261 West 47th Street in midtown-Manhattan.-History:...
(Broadway) (1982) - On the Twentieth CenturyOn the Twentieth CenturyOn the Twentieth Century is a musical with book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green and music by Cy Coleman. Part operetta, part farce, part screwball comedy, the story involves the behind-the-scenes relationship of a temperamental actress and a director.-Background:Comden and Green based...
playing Oscar Jaffe on a tour of the United States (1986) - Ah, Wilderness!Ah, Wilderness!Ah, Wilderness! is a comedy by American playwright Eugene O'Neill that premiered on Broadway at the Guild Theatre on 2 October 1933.-Plot summary:...
playing Nat Miller at American Heartland Theatre (Kansas City, Mo.) (1987) - Guys and Dolls as a performer in Las Vegas (1995)
- The Sunshine BoysThe Sunshine BoysThe Sunshine Boys is a play by Neil Simon that was produced on Broadway in 1972 and later adapted for film and television.-Plot:The play focuses on aging Al Lewis and Willy Clark, a one-time vaudevillian team known as "Lewis and Clark" who, over the course of forty-odd years, not only grew to hate...
as Willie Clark on a tour of the United States (2001) - Say Goodnight, GracieSay Goodnight, GracieSay Goodnight Gracie is a one-man play by Rupert Holmes.Adapted from the reminiscences of George Burns, the multimedia presentation traces the comedian-raconteur's life from his childhood on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to his early career in vaudeville to his momentous meeting and subsequent...
as George Burns at Helen Hayes TheatreHelen Hayes TheatreHelen Hayes Theatre with 597 seats is the smallest Broadway theatre and is located at 240 West 44th Street in midtown-Manhattan....
(Broadway) (2002)
Quotes
- "I don't think of myself as being funny. But life takes strange turns." [People Magazine, January 1996]
- "What does it all mean?" [His gravestone, 2005]
External links
- yahoo group
- The Riddler # 1 - Frank Gorshin
- MTV: Influential 'Batman' Riddler Frank Gorshin Dies At 72