Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion.

Bert Lahr, born Irving Lahrheim, (August 13, 1895 – December 4, 1967) was a Jewish-American comic actor. Fittingly born a "Leo" in New York City, he is best remembered today for his role as the Cowardly Lion (and the farmworker "Zeke") in the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz, but known during his life for a career in burlesque, vaudeville and Broadway. Image File history File links Cowardly_Lion. ... Image File history File links Cowardly_Lion. ... Cover of The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1929) by Ruth Plumly Thompson. ... August 13 is the 225th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (226th in leap years), with 140 days remaining. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... December 4 is the 338th day (339th on leap years) of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... A Jewish American (also commonly American Jew) is an American (a citizen of the United States) of Jewish descent or religion who maintains a connection to the Jewish community, either through actively practicing Judaism or through cultural and historical affiliation. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Leo (Latin for lion, symbol , Unicode ♌) is a constellation of the zodiac. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The Big Apple, The Capital of the World[1], Gotham Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area    - City 1,214. ... Cover of The Cowardly Lion of Oz (1929) by Ruth Plumly Thompson. ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Photo of the Burlesque Troupe, Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang Burlesque was originally a form of art that mocked by imitation, referring to everything from comic sketches to dance routines and usually lampooning the social attitudes of the upper classes. ... Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ...

Dropping out of school at the age of fifteen to join a juvenile vaudeville act, Lahr worked his way up to top billing on the Columbia Burlesque Circuit. In 1927 he moved to Broadway plays as a comic actor, performing classic routines such as The Song of the Woodman (which he later reprised in the film "Merry-Go-Round of 1938"). Among Lahr's theatrical hits in the 1930s included co-starring with Ethel Merman in "DuBarry Was a Lady". See comedian Stand up comedian List of Comedians List of British comedians comics comic book comic strip underground comics alternative comics web comic sprite comics manga graphic novel List of comic characters This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was a star of stage and film musicals, well known for her powerful voice and vocal range. ... DuBarry Was a Lady was a 1939 musical with songs by Cole Porter. ...

Aside from The Wizard of Oz, his movie career never caught on, possibly because his gestures and reactions were too broad for that intimate medium. His later life was troubled, although he made the transition to straight theatre, particularly in a much-praised version of Waiting for Godot, in which he played Estragon to Tom Ewell's Vladimir. Lahr thought of himself as the "top banana" in the production, telling Ewell "not to crowd him" (when he learned of this, Beckett complained that the play was being taken away from his "major character", Vladimir). It has been suggested that Drama (art form) be merged into this article or section. ... Waiting for Godot (sometimes subtitled: tragicomedy in 2 acts) is an absurdist play by Samuel Beckett, written in the late 1940s and first published in 1952. ... Estragon (affectionately Gogo; he tells Pozzo his name is Adam) is one of the two main characters from Samuel Becketts Waiting for Godot. ... Tom Ewell ( April 29, 1909 – September 12, 1994) was an American actor. ... Vladimir (affectionately known as Didi; a small boy calls him Mr. ...

He also performed in television commercials, including a memorable series for Lay's potato chips during its long-running "Betcha can't eat just one" campaign. Among other Broadway roles, Lahr played Queen Victoria in a sketch from the musical "Two on the Aisle." He also performed as Moonface Martin in a television version of "Anything Goes" with Ethel Merman reprising her role as Reno Sweeney and Frank Sinatra as Billy Crocker. In the 1950s, Lahr supplied the voice of an animated bloodhound in "Old Whiff", a short cartoon produced by Mike Todd which featured the olfactory Smell-O-Vision process developed for Todd's feature film "Scent of Mystery". External links Frito-Lay Frito-Lay Canada Frito-Lay company history Frito-Lay company timeline Categories: Food and drink stubs | PepsiCo subsidiaries | Food companies of the United States | Snack companies of the United States ... Saratoga chips Potato chips (British English or Hiberno-English: crisps) are slim slices of potatoes deep fried or baked until crisp. ... For the song by Guns N Roses, see Anything Goes (song) Anything Goes is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. ... Ethel Merman (January 16, 1908 – February 15, 1984) was a star of stage and film musicals, well known for her powerful voice and vocal range. ... Francis Albert Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer who is one of the most highly acclaimed male popular song vocalists of all time. ... Michael Todd (real name Avrom Hirsch Goldbogen) (June 22, 1907 or 19091 - March 22, 1958) was an American film producer who is best known for his production of Around the World in Eighty Days 1956, which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. ...

The more soft-spoken aspect of Lahr's broad-ranging vocal characterization of the Cowardly Lion was a strong influence on the voice used for the Hanna-Barbera cartoon character Snagglepuss. Cartoon Network Studios, formerly known as Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ... Snagglepuss is a Hanna-Barbera cartoon character created in 1959; a pink anthropomorphic lion voiced by Daws Butler. ...

Lahr died in 1967 in the middle of filming The Night They Raided Minksy's, forcing producers to use a double in several scenes. Fittingly, this last role was as a burlesque comic. A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ...

His son, New Yorker theater critic John Lahr, wrote a biography of his father's life titled Notes on a Cowardly Lion. The New Yorkers first cover, which is reprinted most years on the magazines anniversary. ... John Lahr is an American theater critic and the son of actor Bert Lahr. ... Sir Thomas Malory wrote the most famous fictional biography of the Middle Ages with Le Morte dArthur about the life of King Arthur. ...