Jackie Mason American film actor and stand-up comedian Date of Birth: 09.06.1931 Country: USA

1. Biography of Jackie Mason
2. Comedy Career
3. Stand-Up Success
4. Accolades
5. Personal Life
6. Controversy with Ed Sullivan

Biography of Jackie Mason

Jackie Mason, born Yakov Moshe Maza, was born on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He grew up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from the City College of New York.

Comedy Career

At the age of 25, Mason decided to pursue a career in comedy and started performing comedic acts at the Fieldston Hotel in New York in 1955. He made several appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in the 1960s, although he later became persona non grata on the show. Mason claimed to have been present during the American television debut of "The Beatles" but there is no evidence to support this claim. He also made controversial statements during his appearance on the BBC radio show "Desert Island Discs," where he joked about the Beatles' long hair.

Stand-Up Success

Throughout the years, Mason gained recognition for his one-man comedy shows. His Broadway show, "The World According to Me," received critical acclaim. He later presented his program, "Politically Incorrect," at the John Golden Theatre, which faced legal issues with Bill Maher's TV show of the same name. However, Mason's lawsuit against Maher was dismissed.

Accolades

In 1992, Mason became the first guest star of "The Simpsons" to win an Emmy Award for his voiceover role as Rabbi Hyman Krustofski in the episode "Like Father, Like Clown." He was also listed as one of the "50 Best Stand-Up Performances" voted by "Comedian's Comedian" in 2005 and ranked 63rd on Comedy Central's list of the "100 Greatest Stand-Up Comedians of All Time."

Personal Life

On August 14, 1991, Mason married Jill Rosenfeld. They have a daughter, Sheba Mason, who also pursued a career in comedy.

Controversy with Ed Sullivan

On October 18, 1964, Mason appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and became involved in a controversy. It was claimed that Mason showed Sullivan his middle finger live on air. However, the official explanation stated that Sullivan was showing Mason two fingers to indicate that he had two minutes left before President Lyndon B. Johnson's performance interrupted the show. Regardless, Mason played with his fingers on camera, giving special attention to his middle finger, and mocked Sullivan. The host was outraged, and Mason was subsequently banned from the show. Mason sued Sullivan for defamation and won the case. Two years later, Mason returned to "The Ed Sullivan Show," and Sullivan publicly apologized. However, Mason never made another appearance on the show after that incident.