Biography
Born Isaiah Edwin Leopold on 9 November 1886 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, and passing away on 19 June 1966 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA, the performer entered showbusiness while still in his mid-teens. He spent several years developing a distinctive comedy routine on the vaudeville circuit. By the early years of the twentieth century he had become a New York headliner who billed himself as “The Perfect Fool.” Although he concentrated chiefly on revues, which he began headlining at the age of eighteen, he steadily advanced to leading roles in productions that included The Deacon And The Lady (1910), Over The Top (1917) and The Perfect Fool (1921). He also appeared in the 1914 and 1915 editions of the Ziegfeld Follies as well as the Shubert Brothers’ Gaieties Of 1919.
Rather than accede to producers determined to punish striking members of Actor’s Equity—an organization in which he was active—Wynn established his own touring company in 1919. The actors succeeded in their dispute, and Wynn resumed starring on Broadway, later appearing in Florenz Ziegfeld’s Simple Simon (1930), Hooray For What? (1937) and Laugh Town Laugh (1942).
Throughout the 1930s he maintained a steady radio presence, hosting his own series from 1932 to 1937. By the 1940s, however, several business ventures had collapsed, precipitating both financial ruin and a nervous breakdown. He eventually returned to the stage and, beginning in the late 1940s, performed on television, where he received an Emmy award. At the urging of his son, the actor Keenan Wynn (born 27 July 1916 in New York City, New York, USA, and died 14 October 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA), he began working in motion pictures as a character actor, having earlier appeared in the wartime revue film Stage Door Canteen (1943). Subsequent screen credits encompassed The Diary Of Anne Frank (1959), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination; Cinderfella (1960); Babes In Toyland (1961); Son Of Flubber (1963); and Mary Poppins (1964), in which he performed the song “I Love To Laugh.” He also featured in The Greatest Story Ever Told and That Darn Cat, both released in 1965. His final screen role came in The Gnome-Mobile (1967). His grandson, Tracy Keenan Wynn, later became a screenwriter.
Rather than accede to producers determined to punish striking members of Actor’s Equity—an organization in which he was active—Wynn established his own touring company in 1919. The actors succeeded in their dispute, and Wynn resumed starring on Broadway, later appearing in Florenz Ziegfeld’s Simple Simon (1930), Hooray For What? (1937) and Laugh Town Laugh (1942).
Throughout the 1930s he maintained a steady radio presence, hosting his own series from 1932 to 1937. By the 1940s, however, several business ventures had collapsed, precipitating both financial ruin and a nervous breakdown. He eventually returned to the stage and, beginning in the late 1940s, performed on television, where he received an Emmy award. At the urging of his son, the actor Keenan Wynn (born 27 July 1916 in New York City, New York, USA, and died 14 October 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA), he began working in motion pictures as a character actor, having earlier appeared in the wartime revue film Stage Door Canteen (1943). Subsequent screen credits encompassed The Diary Of Anne Frank (1959), for which he earned an Academy Award nomination; Cinderfella (1960); Babes In Toyland (1961); Son Of Flubber (1963); and Mary Poppins (1964), in which he performed the song “I Love To Laugh.” He also featured in The Greatest Story Ever Told and That Darn Cat, both released in 1965. His final screen role came in The Gnome-Mobile (1967). His grandson, Tracy Keenan Wynn, later became a screenwriter.
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