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Biography

One-of-a-kind nightclub comedian/singer Dick Shawn (ne Richard Schulefand) was as off-the-wall as they came and, as such, proved to be rather an acquired taste. Way ahead of his time most say, it was extremely difficult indeed to know how to properly tap into this man's eclectic talents. Shawn began inching toward the forefront during the be-bop 50s and early 60s with his odd penchant for playing cool cats.During his mild bid for film stardom, he was top-billed as a hip, laid back genie in the thoroughly dismal satire The Wizard of Baghdad (1960), but seemed to have better luck when taken in smaller doses. He fared quite well opposite another "way-out-there" comedian, Ernie Kovacs, in Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as a hustling soldier out to make a buck in the Far East. Also on the plus side, he replaced Zero Mostel in the bawdy musical "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" on Broadway and stole a small scene in the all-star epic comedy It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963). By far, the one role that completely overshadows all of his other hard work is his mock portrayal of a singing Adolf Hitler in the show-within-a-movie The Producers (1968). In the film, which starred Mostel and Gene Wilder as two con artists deliberately producing a stage "bomb" called "Springtime for Hitler," Shawn sang the hammy, absurdly narcissistic song "Love Power." The movie finally captured Shawn in his element, but this stroke of genius of matching actor to role would never happen again for him. For the most part his roles came off slick and smarmy, and were stuck in mediocre material.Shawn won a huge fan base, however, touring in one-man stage shows which contained a weird mix of songs, sketches, satire, philosophy and even pantomime. A bright, innovative wit, one of his best touring shows was called "The Second Greatest Entertainer in the World." During the show's intermission, Shawn would lie visibly on the stage floor absolutely still during the entire time. By freakish coincidence, Shawn was performing at the University of California at San Diego in 1987 when he suddenly fell forward on the stage during one of his spiels about the Holocaust. The audience, of course, laughed, thinking it was just a part of his odd shtick. In actuality, the 63-year-old married actor with four children had suffered a fatal heart attack. A not surprising end for this thoroughly offbeat and intriguing personality.

Batman & Robin ( 1997) | IMDb: 3.8

Action , Adventure , Science fiction

Batman and Robin deal with relationship issues while preventing Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy from attacking Gotham City.

Starring:

George Clooney , Chris O'Donnell , Arnold Schwarzenegger , Uma Thurman , Alicia Silverstone , Michael Gough

Directed by:

Peter MacDonald , William M. Elvin , Andrew Bernstein

Produced by:

Michael Uslan , Kimberly Jase , Peter Macgregor-Scott

Angel ( 1984) | IMDb: 5.8

Action , Crime , Thriller

Molly Stewart, a teen at the top of her class who survives by working nights as a prostitute on Hollywood Blvd, finds her world beginning to fall apart when a depraved, necrophiliac serial killer begins targeting LA’s streetwalkers.

Starring:

Cliff Gorman , Susan Tyrrell , Dick Shawn , Rory Calhoun , Donna Wilkes , John Diehl

Directed by:

Sharron Reynolds-Enriquez , Betsy Pollock , Robert Vincent O'Neil

Produced by:

Donald P. Borchers , Jeff Greenberg , Bob Manning

Penelope ( 1966) | IMDb: 6.2

Comedy , Crime

When Penelope gets married to banker James Elcott, she finds him too preoccupied with work to pay much attention to her, so she robs his bank in disguise. After she confesses to her psychiatrist, Greg Mannix, he offers to return the money for her, as he is secretly in love with her. However, he abandons the money when the police approach. Penelope becomes determined to admit to the crime, but neither James nor the police believe her story.

Starring:

Natalie Wood , Ian Bannen , Dick Shawn , Peter Falk , Jonathan Winters , Lila Kedrova

Directed by:

Terence Nelson , Arthur Hiller

Produced by:

Arthur M. Loew Jr. , Joe Pasternak

It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ( 1963) | IMDb: 7.5

Action , Adventure , Comedy , Crime

A group of strangers come across a man dying after a car crash who proceeds to tell them about the $350,000 he buried in California. What follows is the madcap adventures of those strangers as each attempts to claim the prize for himself.

Starring:

Spencer Tracy , Milton Berle , Sid Caesar , Buddy Hackett , Ethel Merman , Mickey Rooney

Directed by:

Marshall Schlom , George R. Batcheller Jr. , Ivan Volkman

Produced by:

Clem Beauchamp , Anne P. Kramer , Stanley Kramer

Dick Shawn Movies: Top 4 Performances by a Successful Actor

Biography