Dick Martin (comedian)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about a person who has recently died. Some information, such as that pertaining to the circumstances of the person's death and surrounding events, may change rapidly as more facts become known. In the event that this article is disruptively edited following the death of the subject, please request administrator intervention on this page.

This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Dick Martin
Dick Martin on Match Game '78
Born	January 30, 1922 (1922-01-30) Battle Creek, Michigan
Died	May 24, 2008 (aged 86) Santa Monica, California
Years active	1951 - 2002
Spouse	Peggy Connelly (m.1957) Dolly Read (1971-1975) Dolly Read (1978-2008)
Emmy Awards
Outstanding Variety or Musical Series 1969 Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

Thomas Richard Martin (January 30, 1922 – May 24, 2008) was an American comedian and director, best known for his role as the cohost of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.

Early in his career, Martin was a staff writer for Duffy's Tavern, a radio situation comedy. In 1952, Martin and Dan Rowan formed the comedy team Rowan and Martin, and played in nightclubs across the United States and overseas. They were a quick and easy match; their first comedy routine, in which Martin played a drunk heckling a Shakespearean performer, was a mainstay of their live act for years. The duo could frequently be seen as host-performers on NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour, alternating with Martin and Lewis and other more established names. In 1958 they starred in a feature film, Hal Kanter's comedy western Once Upon a Horse, which failed to catch on with moviegoers. In 1960, their contract with NBC was cancelled four years early by mutual consent.

1962 found Martin working solo, playing next-door neighbor to Lucille Ball in her comeback sitcom The Lucy Show, a role he played intermittently until 1964. The duo returned to the nightclub circuit until 1966, when they were tapped to host the summer-replacement series for The Dean Martin Show.

[edit] Laugh-In

The exposure led to an opportunity for Rowan and Martin to team up with producers Ed Friendly and George Schlatter and create Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1968–1973) on NBC. The comedy show was an immediate hit, becoming the #1 American television program within two months of its debut. It was the top-rated show in each of its first two seasons. Laugh-In had a kaleidoscopic format, with what was then a uniquely fast-paced stream-of-consciousness style of blackout gags, double entendre, topical satire, and catch phrases, much of it delivered by a cast of then-unknowns such as Goldie Hawn, Lily Tomlin and Arte Johnson. At the center of the maelstrom stood the veterans Rowan and Martin, who bemusedly made no effort to slow down the program. "We designed it so that we are two relatively normal guys wandering through a sea of madness," Martin later said. He described his comic persona as "a kind of inept lech," who could be laughed at as well as laughed with. In real life, Martin spent the 1960s enjoying his high-flying sybaritic lifestyle of women and parties. His partner Rowan was a quiet family man.

After Rowan retired from show business, Dick Martin was a frequent panelist on game shows such as Match Game and Password Plus. He was also the host of two short-lived game shows: a ridiculous parody game show called The Cheap Show in 1978, and Mindreaders in 1979.

[edit] TV director

Dan Rowan and Dick Martin as caricatured for NBC by Sam Berman

Martin also established himself as an efficient comedy director. Starting on The Bob Newhart Show, he directed for over a dozen series. Martin later became the chief director of the 1980s sitcom Newhart.

He married Playboy playmate Dolly Read on August 22, 1971. They divorced in 1975, but remarried in 1978 and remained married until his death. Martin was formerly married to Peggy Connelly. He has two sons, Richard Martin and Cary Martin.

[edit] Death

Martin died on May 24, 2008 of breathing complications in Santa Monica, California at the age of 86. He lost the use of a lung as a teenager and suffered respiratory problems late in life. He often acknowledged his lung issue by poking fun at it. Arriving for a party celebrating his 80th birthday in 2002, he passed out. After being revived by doctors and paramedics, Martin quipped, "Boy, did I make an entrance!"^[1]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dick Martin at the Internet Movie Database