Joey Bishop American entertainer and actor Date of Birth: 03.02.1918 Country: USA

1. Biography of Joey Bishop
2. Early Life and Career
3. The Joey Bishop Show
4. The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series)
5. Acting Career
6. Later Years and Death

Biography of Joey Bishop

Joey Bishop, born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on February 3, 1918, in the Bronx, New York, was an American entertainer and actor. He gained the most fame as a member of the Rat Pack, a group of actors that included Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin.

Early Life and Career

Joey Bishop was the youngest of five children born to Jewish immigrants Anna Ziegel and Jacob Gottlieb. He grew up in South Philadelphia and married Sylvia Ruzga in 1941, who passed away from lung cancer in 1999. The couple had a son, Larry Bishop, who became a director and actor.

Joey began his career in improvisational comedy alongside his older brother, Mori. He became a frequent guest host on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson," appearing more often than anyone else. He also made regular appearances on shows hosted by Steve Allen and Jack Paar, the previous hosts of "The Tonight Show."

The Joey Bishop Show

In 1967, Joey Bishop started hosting his own 90-minute talk show, "The Joey Bishop Show," which aired five times a week on ABC. It ran until 1969, competing with the popular "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson." Regis Philbin became Bishop's sidekick on the show.

The Joey Bishop Show (TV Series)

"The Joey Bishop Show," a sitcom starring Joey Bishop, premiered on September 20, 1961, first on NBC and later on CBS, and lasted for four seasons. Bishop played a talk show host named Joey Barnes, with Abby Dalton joining the cast in 1962.

Acting Career

Joey Bishop achieved some success in his acting career, starring alongside the Rat Pack in Lewis Milestone's crime comedy, "Ocean's 11" in 1960. The film featured the former brave soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division who united to rob several casinos in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve. While filming the movie, the entire Rat Pack performed on the Vegas stage, where Joey not only sang and danced but also told jokes and became the author of some stand-up comedy routines.

He later appeared with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. in John Sturges' military adventure film, "Sergeants 3," a loose remake of the 1939 action film, "Gunga Din." He also co-starred with Martin in Michael Gordon's comedy western, "Texas Across the River," in 1966, playing the role of an Indian named Kronk.

On television, Joey Bishop appeared in various TV shows, including "Make Room for Daddy," "The Dick Powell Show," "The Lucy Show," "Chico and the Man," "Hunter," and "Murder, She Wrote." He was the only member of the Rat Pack who worked with the younger group of actors known as "The Brat Pack," playing Eddie's father in Alan Alda's dramedy, "Betsy's Wedding," alongside Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy.

Later Years and Death

Joey Bishop's final acting project was the crime comedy film, "Mad Dog Time," in 1996, directed and written by his son, Larry Bishop. In the movie, Joey portrayed Mr. Gottlieb, a character with his real last name. He also portrayed Bobby Slayton in Rob Cohen's television drama, "Rat Pack" in 1998.

Joey Bishop passed away on October 17, 2007, at his home in Newport Beach, California. He was the last surviving male member of the Rat Pack.