Alan Sues

Alan Sues
File:Alan Headshot.png
Born	Alan Grigsby Sues (1926-03-07) March 7, 1926 Ross, California
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1955 - present
Website	http://www.alansues.com/

Alan Sues (born March 7, 1926) is a U.S. comic actor best known for his performances as part of the ensemble on the 1968-1973 television program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. Sues' on-screen persona was campy, outrageous and contained verbal slapstick; typical of his humor was a skit that found him following a pair of whiskey-drinking cowboys to a Wild West bar and requesting a frozen daiquiri. Sues' recurring characters on the program included Big Al the Sportscaster and Uncle Al the Kiddie's Pal. He also parodied castmate JoAnne Worley when she left the show, appearing in drag.

Biography

Sues studied theatre at the Pasadena Playhouse before he made his Broadway debut in the stage play Tea and Sympathy, directed by Elia Kazan, which had a very successful run in New York City. From that, he was able to get more work in stand-up comedy (at Reuben Bleu and Blue Angel, both clubs in Manhattan), worked with Julius Monk, and joined an improv/sketch group with The Mad Show, which led to his being cast in Laugh-In. (Fans who know Alan for his outrageous comedy will be surprised to hear that he won a Shakespeare contest while attending UCLA.

Outside of Laugh-In, Sues appeared in the classic Twilight Zone episode, The Masks, in a decidedly non-comic role. He also had supporting roles in the films Move Over, Darling (1963) and The Americanization of Emily (1964).

After Laugh-In, onstage he portrayed Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes (opposite John Wood, and later Leonard Nimoy), which, according to Sues, was "one of my favorite roles, because it's so against type, and I loved the makeup". The makeup for Moriarty was used in several books about makeup as an example of shadowing and technique.

From 1953-1958 Sues was married to Phyllis (b. 1923) a dancer who continued to use her married name of Phyllis Sues after their divorce. The divorce in 1958 was amicable, with Phyllis going on to a career in design and dance instruction. In 2008, fifty years after their divorce, Phyllis Sues conducted a lengthy interview with Sues at his home for her web site.(Phyllis Sues interview with Alan Sues, 2008.)

Sues appeared in television commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter during the 1970s, as a tongue-in-cheek Peter Pan. He also toured with Singin' in the Rain, playing the Elocution Instructor. In addition, he appeared in several movies, and provided voiceovers including Oh! Heavenly Dog and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.

He appeared in the short films Lord of the Road (1999) and Artificially Speaking (2009), the latter making its premiere at Dances with Films 2009 in Los Angeles. Sues is currently developing and writing a comedic/romantic/mystery screenplay.

Sues is recording an audiobook, Oh, Nothing... compiled of several stories and anecdotes from his 50 years in show business. Stated in his foreword: "This is not an autobiography by any means. I'm already bored just saying that word! People have been telling me for years to write a book, but I've been told my stories come across better when I tell them. Accompanied by a glass of cheap wine." The audiobook is slated for a 2011 release on iTunes.

Stage

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Alan Sues as Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes

• "The Mad Show" - Sketch & improvisation
• "Tea and Sympathy" (1953)
• Happy Birthday
• "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" - J Pierrepont Finch
• "Good News (musical)"
• "Carl Reiner's Something Different (1967)"
• "Sugar(musical)" (1972)
• “The Three Musketeers” (1976)
• “Singin’ in the Rain (national tour 1995-1999) Director/elocutionist
• “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” - Moriarity (1975)
• “Two for the Show” - One man stage show - Multiple Characters (1998-2000)

Filmography

Film

• Artificially Speaking (2009)...Sparky Schlosser
• Lord of the Road (1999)
• A Bucket of Blood (1995)...Art Buyer
• Snowballing (AKA Smooth Moves) (1984)...Roy
• Oh! Heavenly Dog (1984)...Freddie
• The Americanization of Emily (1964)...Officer Enright
• Move Over, Darling (1963)...Court Clerk

Television

• Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In (1968-1972)...Regular performer
• The Twilight Zone "The Masks" (1964)...Wilfred Harper, Jr.
• Sabrina, the Teenage Witch "Good Will Haunting" (1998)...Bellevuedere
• Punky Brewster "Tangled Web" (1987)...Andre Sockstein
• The Brady Brides "Cool Hand Phil" (1987)...Duke
• Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)...Scratcher the jealous Reindeer
• The Wild Wild West (1965)...Matt Dawson

External links

• Alan Sues official web site
• Please use a more specific IBDB template. See the documentation for available templates.
• Artificially Speaking (Recent short film) official website