Dick Shawn
Shawn in 1964
Born	Richard Schulefand (1923-12-01)December 1, 1923 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Died	April 17, 1987(1987-04-17) (aged 63) San Diego,California, U.S.
Resting place	Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Other names	Richy Shawn
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1956–1987
Spouse	Rita Bachner ​ (m. 1946)​
Children	4
Relatives	Joey Travolta (son-in-law)

Dick Shawn (bornRichard Schulefand, December 1, 1923 – April 17, 1987) was an American actor. He played a wide variety ofsupporting roles and was a prolificcharacter actor. During the 1960s, he played small roles in madcap comedies, usually portraying caricatures ofcounterculture personalities, such as the hedonistic but mother-obsessed Sylvester Marcus inIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and thehippie actor Lorenzo Saint DuBois ("L.S.D.") inThe Producers (1967). Beyond his film work, he appeared in numerous television shows from the 1960s through the 1980s.

This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Dick Shawn" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Born inBuffalo, New York to a Jewish family, and raised in nearbyLackawanna,^[1] Shawn performed his stand-up comedy act for over 35 years in nightclubs around the world.^[2] His award-winning one-man stage show,The Second Greatest Entertainer in the Whole Wide World, was sometimes performed with a unique opening. When the audience entered the theater, they saw a bare stage with a pile of bricks in stage center. When the play began, Shawn emerged from the pile of bricks. The startling effect of this required complete concentration and breath control because the slightest movement of the bricks could ruin the surprise appearance.

In addition to roles in more than 30 movies and seven Broadway productions, Shawn made television appearances, toured often, and periodically performed a one-man show that mixed songs, sketches, and pantomime. He was a speaker at the Friars Club Roasts inLos Angeles andNew York. At one of the X-rated roasts (a 1986Playboy roast ofTommy Chong) that had overdosed on tasteless routines by previous speakers, Shawn walked up to the microphone, took a long pause, and "vomited" pea soup onto himself and other speakers at the dais.

In theMel Brooks 1967 movieThe Producers, Shawn won accolades^[3][4][5][6] for his portrayal of Lorenzo St. DuBois, whose "friends call" himLSD, an actorauditioning for and winning the part ofHitler in a theatrical production that was intentionally meant to fail.

Shawn's television appearances includedThe Ed Sullivan Show, TV movies, sitcoms (includingThree's Company on which he playedJack Tripper's father), dramas includingThe Fall Guy andMagnum, P.I., and a music video for"Dance" by the hair metal bandRatt (1986). In the UK he appeared inSunday Night at the London Palladium in 1958.

Amongst his roles in anthology TV series, he starred in anAmazing Stories episode "Miss Stardust", directed byTobe Hooper, about a bizarre intergalacticbeauty pageant, and played the Emperor inThe Emperor's New Clothes forShelley Duvall'sFaerie Tale Theatre. He filled in for vacationingJohnny Carson as guest host onThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on January 1, 1971, which saw the airing of the last cigarette commercial on American television (forVirginia Slims), one minute before the cigarette ads were banned.

Shawn married Rita Bachner in 1946, and they had four children: Amy, Wendy, Adam, and Jennifer. His only grandchild, Rachel Travolta, is the daughter of Wendy and her husband,Joey Travolta. He was a longtime resident ofEnglewood, New Jersey.^[7]

On April 17, 1987, during a performance atUniversity of California, San Diego's Mandeville Hall, Shawn suffered aheart attack and collapsed face-down on the stage. The audience initially assumed that it was part of his act. After he had remained motionless for several minutes, a stage hand examined him and asked if a physician was present.^[8]

AfterCPR had been initiated, the audience was asked to leave the auditorium. Most in attendance remained, assuming that it was part of Shawn's act, and only began leaving after paramedics arrived.^[8] A notice in the following day'sSan Diego Union newspaper announced that Shawn had died during the performance at the age of 63.^[9] Shawn was interred atHillside Memorial Park, aJewish cemetery inCulver City, California.^[10]

Jim Knipfel claims thatAndy Kaufman was inspired by Shawn.^[11][12][13]

ActorMatthew Glave portrayed Shawn inLeave 'Em Laughing, a short film surrounding his final moments.^[14]

The Official Dick Shawn websiteDick Shawn Website

Wikimedia Commons has media related toDick Shawn.

• Dick Shawn at theInternet Broadway Database
• Dick Shawn at theInternet Off-Broadway Database (archived)
• Dick Shawn atIMDb
• Dick Shawn discography atDiscogs
• Dick Shawn atFind a Grave
• "Love Power" song clip by Dick Shawn as Lorenzo St. DuBois (LSD) in "The Producers" (1968) onYouTube

• Jewish American male actors
• Jewish American comedians
• American male comedians
• Male actors from Englewood, New Jersey
• Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
• Deaths onstage
• 1923 births
• 1987 deaths
• Jewish male comedians
• 20th-century American male actors
• Male actors from Buffalo, New York
• People from Lackawanna, New York
• Comedians from New York (state)
• 20th-century American comedians
• 20th-century American Jews
• Comedians from Bergen County, New Jersey
• Pseudonymous actors
• Pseudonymous comedians

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from October 2024
• Articles with hCards
• Articles needing additional references from August 2022
• All articles needing additional references
• Commons category link from Wikidata
• Internet Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata
• Internet Off-Broadway Database person ID same as Wikidata