Phil Silvers, a comedic actor of Russian-Jewish descent, was affectionately known as "The King of Chutzpah." He is most notable for his starring role as United States Army Master Sergeant Ernest "Ernie" Bilko in the extremely popular sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959).
Silvers' career in entertainment began at the age of 11 in 1922, when he started performing as a singer at New York City's movie theaters. He would entertain the audience while the film projector was being repaired, and as a reward, he would get to attend the movie theater for free.
By 1924, Silvers was performing as a professional singer in the Gus Edwards Revue. He later worked in vaudeville and as a burlesque comic. In the 1930s, Silvers started appearing in Vitaphone short films and made his Broadway debut in "Yokel Boy" in 1939. He made his feature film debut in "Hit Parade of 1941" and went on to work primarily as a character actor in films produced by 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Silvers had a hit as a songwriter when he composed the lyrics to "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" for singer Frank Sinatra in 1942. The song was named after Sinatra's young daughter Nancy Sinatra.
Silvers did not become a household name until his starring role in the sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959). The show was a military comedy, starring Ernest "Ernie" Bilko as a United States Army Master Sergeant who was a con-artist and inveterate gambler. The show lasted for four seasons and 144 episodes and was very successful in syndication.
Silvers returned to television stardom with "The New Phil Silvers Show" (1963-1964),where he played factory foreman Harry Grafton, a con-artist who owned his own company and ran various schemes on the side. The show lasted for a single season and 30 episodes.
Silvers enjoyed film stardom in the 1960s, mostly playing supporting roles. He appeared in American productions and guest-starred in the British comedy film "On Follow That Came" (1967),which was the 14th film in the popular "Carry On" film series. He earned a salary of 30,000 pounds, making him the highest-paid actor of the "Carry On" film series up to that point.
Silvers appeared frequently as a guest-star in popular sitcoms, such as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Gilligan's Island." In 1972, Silvers survived a stroke, which left him with permanently slurred speech, effectively ending his theatrical career. However, he continued to appear in film and television roles.
Silvers made his last television appearance in an 1983 episode of the crime drama "CHiPs" and then went into retirement. He died in his sleep in 1985, while in Century City, California, and was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Silvers is still well-remembered as a great comic actor and was ranked number 31 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list in 1996. The Hanna-Barbera characters Hokey Wolf and Top Cat were loosely based on his screen persona.
