Person Biography:
Sandy Baron, born Sanford Beresofsky on May 5, 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, was a talented comedian and actor. Growing up in Brooklyn's Brownsville neighborhood, he attended public schools and participated in accelerated classes, eventually graduating from Brooklyn College.
Baron's early career involved working summers in the Catskill Mountain resorts, a breeding ground for many Jewish comedians. He made his Broadway debut in "Tchin-Tchin" on October 25, 1962, and went on to appear in several other plays, including "Arturo Ui" and "Generation".
In 1964, Baron released a comedy album, "The Race! Race!", which established him as a national figure. He then starred in the TV series "Hey, Landlord" and made regular appearances on "The Mike Douglas Show" and "The Merv Griffin Show".
In the 1970s, Baron played Lenny Bruce in the show "Lenny" and replaced Cliff Gorman in New York. He continued to work in film and television, appearing in "Broadway Danny Rose" and "Seinfeld". He also replaced Al Lewis as Grandpa Munster in the TV movie "The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas".
Baron's final movie appearance was in "The Hi-Lo Country" in 1998. He died of emphysema on January 21, 2001, in a nursing home in Van Nuys, California. A memorial celebration was held on July 22, 2001, at Hollywood's Ivar Theater.
