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Arnold StangAmerican comic actor
Date of Birth: 28.09.1918
Country:  USA |
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American Comedy Actor Arnold Stang
Arnold Stang was an American comedic actor who created the iconic character of a little bold nerd who befriends the strongest guy in town. He described himself as looking like a scared chipmunk who had been out in the rain for too long. As for his distinctive Brooklyn accent, the actor considered it his trademark. If you think we are talking about Woody Allen, you are mistaken - Arnold Stang created this character first.
Early Life
Arnold Stang was born on September 28, 1918, in New York, although the small town of Chelsea, Massachusetts, is often mistakenly mentioned as his birthplace. There is also confusion regarding his birth year - Stang was actually born seven years earlier than 1925. Arnold and his wife, writer and screenwriter Joanne Taggart, lived in New Rochelle, New York, and spent their later years in Greenwich, Connecticut, before moving to Needham, Massachusetts. They had two children - David and Deborah. The beloved comedian of America passed away from pneumonia on December 20, 2009, at the age of 91 in Newton, Massachusetts.
Radio and Theater Career
Stang once claimed that he broke into radio by sending a postcard to a New York radio station requesting an audition. The audition was scheduled, and he bought a ticket to New York with money he had saved to buy his mother a birthday gift. Whether this story is true or not, Stang did work on New York radio, voicing roles for children's programs. By 1940, he left behind teenage roles and got a job in the comedy radio series "The Goldbergs". Initially hired for voice-over commercials, the director, upon hearing Stang's nasal voice, decided that such a voice would only hinder the success of the commercials and ordered the writers to create a character for Arnold. He then appeared several times in radio soap operas, giving his characters a bright comedic touch.
His next step towards success was participating in Broadway productions, and in the early 1940s, Arnold was offered the opportunity to try his hand at cinema. He appeared in several films, including "My Sister Eileen" (1942), the musical comedy "Seven Days' Leave" (1942), and "They Got Me Covered" (1943).
Television and Film Career
Arnold Stang made his television debut during the rise of the medium. He had a supporting role in the TV show "School" in 1949, and then played one of the lead roles in the sitcom "Doctor Corkle" in 1952. The following year, as a guest star, he appeared on "The Texaco Star Theatre with Milton Berle" and was so well-liked by the audience that he soon became a regular cast member. In the big screen of that time, he played Sparrow, the friend of the main character in the film "The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955) starring Frank Sinatra and Kim Novak. In the film "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), Stang portrayed Ray, the owner of a gas station destroyed by Jonathan Winters.
One of the strangest and most unusual partnerships in cinema was the collaboration between two Arnolds - Arnold Stang and then-unknown actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the comedy film "Hercules in New York," released in 1970. Due to the film's creators finding Schwarzenegger's surname too difficult for American viewers, he is credited as Arnold Strong in the credits. In the film, Stang played Pretzie - a short, weak guy who meets Hercules, who has been thrown out of Olympus by his irritated father, Zeus. Pretzie becomes Hercules' guide and friend, and Hercules finds true love in New York while becoming a successful bodybuilder.
Stang often provided voices for cartoons. He voiced characters such as Shorty in "Popeye the Sailor Man" and Hermie the Mouse in various other animated films. Arnold Stang's filmography includes over a hundred entries in film, animation, and TV.
