Barry Gordon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1948-12-21)December 21, 1948 (age 76) Brookline, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1951–present |
| Spouse(s) | Sally Julian (divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
| President of theScreen Actors Guild | |
| In office April 13, 1988 – July 11, 1995 | |
| Preceded by | Patty Duke |
| Succeeded by | Richard Masur |
Barry Gordon (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and politicaltalk show host.[1] He was the longest-serving president of theScreen Actors Guild, having served from 1988 to 1995. He is perhaps best known as the original voice ofDonatello andBebop in theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
Gordon was born inBrookline, Massachusetts, United States.[1] Gordon is Jewish.[2] His stepfather,Bob Manning, was acrooner of popular love songs in the 1940s and 1950s, most known for his rendition ofHoagy Carmichael's "The Nearness of You".[3]
 | This section of abiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Barry Gordon" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Gordon began performing at age three; in his television debut, he won second place onTed Mack'sAmateur Hour singingJohnnie Ray's "Cry". At six, Gordon recorded "Nuttin' for Christmas".[1] He was the youngest performer to hit a pre-Hot 100Billboard chart when that song hit No. 6 in 1955.[4] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc.[5] The next year, he charted his second and final single "Rock Around Mother Goose". In circa 1956,Bill Haley recorded a private demo recording "Six Year Olds Can Rock and Roll". He begins the recording (released in 1990) by dedicating it to Barry Gordon.[6]
As a child actor, Gordon also appeared onThe Jackie Gleason Show,[1]The Jack Benny Program,Richard Diamond, Private Detective,The Danny Thomas Show,Alfred Hitchcock Presents andStar Time withBenny Goodman. Gordon was cast as Humberto in an episode of the sitcomSally, starringJoan Caulfield, and as Chopper inLeave It to Beaver (episode 119: "Beaver's House Guest"). Gordon guest starred on the sitcomsThe Ann Sothern Show andDennis the Menace.
In 1962, he played the part of the childhood version of "Patient" inPressure Point. At 13, Gordon began a career on Broadway as Nick in Herb Gardner'sA Thousand Clowns, a role for which he earned aTony Award nomination. He later reprised that role in the film version oppositeJason Robards andMartin Balsam in 1965. The film gave him "introducing" billing, but he had actually been in several films already, most notably his actual film debut in 1956'sThe Girl Can't Help It as a newspaper boy in which, after seeingJayne Mansfield, he uttered the line: "If that's a girl, I don't know what my sister is."
As a teen, Gordon starred alongsideSid Caesar andVera Miles in the 1967 comedy-horror filmThe Spirit Is Willing. In the 1970s, Gordon appeared in theBarney Miller spin-offFish, starringAbe Vigoda, and from 1973 to 1974 was a regular onThe New Dick Van Dyke Show. He also played a waiter in "Horror in the Heights", a 1974 episode ofKolchak: The Night Stalker. In 1976, he appeared in an episode ofThe Practice.[citation needed]
Primarily as a character actor, Gordon became a familiar face in numerous feature films and television series. In the last two seasons of the sitcomArchie Bunker's Place, Gordon had the recurring role of Gary Rabinowitz, Archie's Jewish attorney and love interest of Barbara Lee "Billie" Bunker (played byDenise Miller, who had also co-starred with Gordon inFish). Gordon also had notable guest-starring roles onBarney Miller as an embezzler, onFish as a social worker, onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine as aFerengi businessman, and onStar Trek: Voyager as Ardon Broht, an alien publisher. More recently, he appeared as the Rabbi inLarry David'sCurb Your Enthusiasm.
Gordon worked extensively as a voice actor. His most notable voice roles wereDonatello andBebop inTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and as Jake "Razor" Clawson inSWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron (1993). Gordon's voice was also featured in otheranimated series, mostlyHanna-Barbera shows such asJabberjaw (as Clamhead),Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle,The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! (asCaptain Marvel Jr.),Meatballs & Spaghetti (as bassist Clyde),Pac-Man (as Inky),Mighty Orbots (as Robert Simmons),Pole Position,The Jetsons,The Smurfs,The Adventures of the American Rabbit (as the titular character),Superman,Snorks (as Junior Wetworth),Gravedale High (as Reggie Moonshroud),Space Cats,A Pup Named Scooby-Doo (as Englebert Newton),Darkwing Duck (as Dr. Fossil),Tom & Jerry Kids and its spin-offDroopy, Master Detective,Batman: The Animated Series (asthe Penguin's henchman Sheldrake),Aaahh!!! Real Monsters,Timon & Pumbaa,Fantastic Max, andThe Pirates of Dark Water. Gordon also provided the voice of "Quicky" theNesquik Bunny intelevision commercials forNestlé.
In May 2009, Gordon played the Cocker Spaniel in theWebkinz Pet of the Month Music Video for May 2009. He reprised the roles as the original Donatello and Bebop in three seasons of Nickelodeon'sTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
On April 20, 2022, it was revealed that Gordon would reprise his role as Donatello for the video game,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge. This marks the first time that he would play Donatello for a video game and his first video game role in general.
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Barry Gordon" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In his mid-30s, Gordon returned to school; he graduated summa cum laude as a political science major fromCalifornia State University, Los Angeles and went on toLoyola Law School, receiving his J.D. in 1991.
Gordon became the longest-serving president of theScreen Actors Guild, holding the office for seven years.
In 1998, Gordon was theDemocratic Party nominee for theUnited States Congress from thePasadena, California area. He was defeated byRepublican Party incumbentJames Rogan.[7]
In 2004, when the localAir America Radio affiliate in Los Angeles went off the air, for a then-unspecified period of time, Gordon started a live, call-inprogressive political talk show on Pasadena'spublic-access television cable TV channel 56. It continues to be cablecast and webcast live
In 2005, Gordon hosted a weekly radio talk show heard onKRLA in Los Angeles, California.
In 2006 and early 2007, Gordon hostedBarry Gordon from Left Field, a weekly talk show broadcast throughout the 25th largest U.S. radio market—the San Bernardino/Riverside region of Southern California—onKCAA Radio in Loma Linda, California. With live streams and podcast archives, the show was notable for featuring nationally known guests, including senators, congressmen, bestselling authors, and entertainment figures.
Since 2007, Gordon has taught courses in politics and the media at the California State University, Los Angeles.
In 2008, Gordon debuted his daily Internet talk showLeft Talk onBlogTalkRadio.
Gordon's first marriage to Sally Julian, a television host, ended in divorce.[8] He married Gail Schaper, a business psychologist, in 1993; they have two children.[8][9]
{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
