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Sheldon Leonard
Leonard in the trailer forAnother Thin Man (1939)
Born	Sheldon Leonard Bershad (1907-02-22)February 22, 1907 New York City, U.S.
Died	January 11, 1997(1997-01-11) (aged 89) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Education	Syracuse University
Occupations	Actor producer director writer
Years active	1934–1994
Spouse	Frances Bober ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	2

Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and screenwriter.

Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born inManhattan, New York City, the son of middle-class Jewish parents Frank Bershad and Anna Levit.^[1] He graduated fromSyracuse University in 1929.

As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies". His trademark was his especially thickNew York accent, usually delivered from the side of his mouth. His breakthrough role was inAnother Thin Man (1939), in which he played a soft-spoken but dangerous murder suspect. From then on he was typecast as smooth gangsters or streetwise guys in such movies asIt's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick),To Have and Have Not (1944),Guys and Dolls (1955), andOpen Secret (1948). He was a favorite of directorFrank Capra, who asked him to play an executive mobster in his 1961 moviePocketful of Miracles. Leonard became so associated with tough-guy parts that he was occasionally cast against type, as a law-enforcement officer, in movies likeStreet of Chance (1942) andDecoy (1946). He even played a pirate inCaptain Kidd (1945).

On radio from 1945 to 1955, Leonard played an eccentric racetracktout onThe Jack Benny Program and later in the TV series of the same name. His role was to hail Benny in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey, Bud. C'mere a minute."), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant racing logic. As "The Tout", he never gave out information on horse racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was, "Who knows about horses?"

Leonard also appeared regularly onThe Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show, as 'Grogan,' a criminal thug, who sometimes takes it upon himself to "help"Phil Harris.

Leonard was part of the cast of voice actors on theDamon Runyon Theatre radio show (1948–1949). He was part of the ensemble cast of theMartin and Lewis radio show.^[2] He also appeared frequently onDragnet andThe Adventures of the Saint, often playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more sympathetic roles. Leonard was also a regular on the radio comedy seriesThe Adventures of Maisie in the 1940s. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy, fat cat Dodsworth in twoWarner Bros.Merrie Melodies cartoons directed byRobert McKimson.

In the adventure movieThe Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives.

Though he never entirely abandoned acting, by the mid-1950s Leonard was much more likely to be found behind the camera than in front of it, as he transitioned from a character actor into a successful TV producer (often in partnership withDanny Thomas), and also a frequent TV episode director. Leonard's hits as a producer includedThe Danny Thomas Show (akaMake Room for Daddy) (1953–1964), where midway through that series run, he had a recurring role as Danny's agent, Phil Brokaw;The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968);Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–1969); andI Spy (1965–1968). Thanks to his many years in show business, Leonard had cultivated a quick, shrewd capacity for pinpointing strengths and flaws in prospective projects. It was Leonard who recognized that a sitcom pilot,Head of the Family, was structurally sound but miscast. He felt that actor–writerCarl Reiner was too overbearing as the lead, and insisted that the script be refilmed with up-and-coming comicDick Van Dyke. The result wasThe Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966).

Sheldon Leonard also directed several TV series episodes, including four of the first eight episodes of the TV seriesLassie (1954). Leonard also provided the voice ofLinus the Lionhearted in a series ofPostCrispy Critters cereal TV commercials in 1963–1964, which led to aLinus cartoon series that aired on Saturday (and later, Sunday) mornings onCBS (1964–1966) andABC (1967–1969). He also was briefly the star of his own television showBig Eddie (1975), where he played the owner of a large sports arena. The show lasted for only ten episodes.

The character ofAndy Taylor was introduced in a 1960 episode ofThe Danny Thomas Show, which led to the seriesThe Andy Griffith Show. Leonard is informally credited with developing the practice of using an episode of a series as abackdoor pilot episode for new series, in which a guest star is introduced as a new character with the intention of using this character as the basis for a new show. Leonard introduced theAndy Griffith spin-offMayberry R.F.D. as the summer replacement for theGriffith show, so it would have a pre-sold audience during the regular season. He was the executive producer onGomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., and had an appearance on the show as a Hollywood producer who has to do 34 takes on a movie scene beforeSergeant Carter gets it right ("A Star Is Not Born").

Leonard also has the distinction (along with authorMickey Spillane) of being one of the first two Miller Lite spokesmen. Using his trademark accent, he told the audience, "I was at first reluctant to try Miller Lite, but then I was persuaded to do so by my friend, Large Louis." One of his last acting roles was a guest appearance on the TV seriesCheers, in which he played Sid Nelson, the proprietor of "The Hungry Heifer",Norm Peterson's favorite eating establishment.

Leonard died at his home inBeverly Hills, California, on January 11, 1997, at age 89.^[1][3] He was buried atHillside Memorial Park Cemetery inCulver City, California.

Bill Cosby, whom Leonard cast inI Spy, described Leonard as "my last father" when he dedicated an episode ofCosby to both Leonard and his slain sonEnnis Cosby. Bill Cosby included an impersonation of Sheldon Leonard in one track of his 1966 hit comedy albumWonderfulness. The track "Niagara Falls" describes Sheldon Leonard's honeymoon atNiagara Falls.

In "Monkees Marooned", the eighth episode of the second season ofThe Monkees, a character named Leonard Sheldon, and speaking with Leonard's accent, approachesPeter Tork on the street, much like "The Tout" and persuades Tork to trade his guitar for a treasure map.

Leonard's name served as an eponym for the charactersSheldon Cooper andLeonard Hofstadter in the 2007–2019 American sitcomThe Big Bang Theory because the writers were fans of his work.^[4]

Actor

Producer

• The Danny Thomas Show (1953–1964). He also appeared onscreen as Phil Brokaw (1957–1961).
• The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968).
• The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–1966). He also appeared onscreen in the season 3 episode "Big Max Calvada".
• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964–1969). He also appeared onscreen in the season 5 episode "A Star is Not Born".
• I Spy (1965–1968).
• Accidental Family (1967–1968)
• My World and Welcome to It (1969–1970)
• From a Bird's Eye View (1970–1971)
• Shirley's World (1971–1972)
• I Spy Returns (1994)^[1]

Director

• It's Always Jan
• The Andy Griffith Show
• The Danny Thomas Show
• The Dick Van Dyke Show
• My Favorite Martian (pilot only)
• I Spy
• Lassie (4 episodes, Season 1: 1954)

• Leonard, Sheldon.And The Show Goes On: Broadway and Hollywood Adventures. Limelight, 1995,ISBN 0-87910-184-9

Wikimedia Commons has media related toSheldon Leonard.

• Sheldon Leonard atIMDb
• Sheldon Leonard atTurner Classic Movies
• Sheldon Leonard at theInternet Broadway Database
• Sheldon Leonard at museum.tv
• Sheldon Leonard atFind a Grave

• 1907 births
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• Primetime Emmy Award winners
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• Syracuse University alumni
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