Guy Marks was an exceptional entertainer who dabbled in acting, but his true talent lay in his stand-up comedy and world-class impressionist skills. As a top-notch performer, he brought quality to his work, not quantity, which earned him a place among the great character actors.
Born Mario Scarpa in Philadelphia in 1923, he was the youngest of 11 children to a concert clarinetist father and his wife. Growing up on the city's South Side, he frequently ran away from home, working odd jobs before finding his niche in comedy. He became a master impressionist, able to mimic animals, birds, inanimate objects, and even the actions, walks, and faces of the people and things he impersonated.
Marks toured the nightclub circuit, opening for big stars like Eddie Fisher and Sammy Davis Jr. He frequently performed in Las Vegas and made numerous guest appearances on TV variety shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, The Hollywood Palace, The Milton Berle Show, and The Dean Martin Show. This led to a role on the comedy series Rango, where he played the sarcastic Indian sidekick Pink Cloud, which remains his greatest success.
In addition to his television work, Marks appeared in two films: Peeper, where he played an uncredited role as a man in an alley doing a Humphrey Bogart imitation, and Train Ride to Hollywood, where he portrayed Bogie, a Humphrey Bogart look-alike, doing his impeccable Bogart voice impression.
Marks was a regular on several TV shows, including The Joey Bishop Show, The John Forsythe Show, and You Again?. He also composed and performed a popular novelty song called "Loving You Has Made Me Bananas" in the 1970s. At the time of his death, he had completed a TV series pilot with Sid Caesar, which was unfortunately never picked up. His talents can still be seen in the current video release of the "Dean Martin Roasts".
Marks was married and divorced several times and was survived by two brothers and five sisters. He passed away on November 28, 1987, at the age of 64 in Brigantine, New Jersey.
