Frank Gorshin

Frank Gorshin
File:Gorshinriddler.JPG Gorshin as the Riddler, from the Batman television series
Born	Frank John Gorshin, Jr. (1933-04-05)April 5, 1933 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Died	May 17, 2005(2005-05-17) (aged 72) Burbank, California, United States
Cause of death	Lung Cancer
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Spouse(s)	Christina Randazzo (1957–2005); his death
Children	Mitchell Gorshin
Military career
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1953–1955
Unit	Special Services

Frank John Gorshin, Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist, with many guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and Tonight Starring Steve Allen). His most famous acting role was as The Riddler in the Batman live-action television series.

Early life

File:GorshinVAcard.jpg

Gorshin's Department of Veterans Affairs Index Card.

Gorshin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Roman Catholic parents Frances, a seamstress, and Frank Gorshin, Sr., a railroad worker. He was of Yugoslav descent. At the age of 15, he took a part-time job as a cinema usher at the Sheridan Square Theatre. He memorized the mannerisms of the screen stars he saw and created an impressionist act. He was still in high school when he obtained his first paid employment, which he secured as the prize in a Pittsburgh talent contest in 1951: a one-week engagement at Jackie Heller's New York nightclub, Carousel. His parents had insisted that he take the engagement, even though his 15-year-old brother had been hit by a car and killed just two nights before.

After graduation from Peabody High School, Gorshin attended the Carnegie Tech School of Drama (now known as Carnegie Mellon University) in Pittsburgh. When not studying, he worked in local plays and nightclubs.

In 1953, Gorshin was drafted into the United States Army and was posted in Germany. He served for a year and a half as an entertainer attached to Special Services. While in the Army, Gorshin met Maurice Bergman, who later introduced him to Hollywood agent Paul Kohner. Frank Gorshin's entire Army service record was later destroyed in the U.S. National Personnel Records Center fire of 1973.

Career

Gorshin performing with Lou Rawls in 1977

When Gorshin left the Army, he returned to public performance, and in 1956, he became a prolific film actor. He also appeared as an actor and a guest on television shows, including parts in 1959's The Untouchables and twelve guest spots on The Ed Sullivan Show (his first being February 9, 1964, the same night The Beatles and Davy Jones debuted). He was a popular act at nightclubs, notably those of Las Vegas, where he was the first impressionist to headline the main showrooms. He was also the first impressionist headliner at the Empire Room of New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Gorshin's slender athletic build, wide mouth, and pale eyes under strong brows were ideal characteristics for screen henchmen. In 1957, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car after driving from Pittsburgh for 39 hours without sleep. He was on his way to a Hollywood screen test for the part of Officer Ruby in Run Silent, Run Deep. He sustained a fractured skull and spent four days in a coma; a Los Angeles newspaper incorrectly reported that he had been killed. The role went to Don Rickles.

Gorshin's first film role was Between Heaven and Hell. In the late 1950s Gorshin had roles in B-movies such as Hot Rod Girl (1956), Dragstrip Girl (1957) and Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957). In 1960 he was featured in Bells are Ringing, playing the Method Actor while doing a Marlon Brando impression. As a dramatic actor, he often played "tough guys" like those played by one of his favorite targets of impressions, James Cagney, whom he was said to resemble. He did take a comic turn, though, as the hipster jazz bassist Basil (paired with singer Connie Francis) in Where The Boys Are (1960), and played a boss-behind-bars for laughs in Otto Preminger's comedy Skidoo (1968).

He was nominated for an Emmy (Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy) for his best remembered role as The Riddler in the 1960s Batman live action television series. Gorshin's portrayal of the character included a high deranged cackle, inspired by that of Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) in Kiss of Death (1947). He reprised this role in the 1978 TV movie "Legends of the Super-Heroes". He also had a memorable role in the 1969 Star Trek episode "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" as the bigoted half-whiteface, half-blackface alien Bele. Contrary to popular rumor and articles Gorshin was not Emmy nominated for this role.

In the 1970s Gorshin appeared on Broadway, in Jimmy (1970) and Guys and Dolls (1971). He made numerous guest-starring appearances on popular TV series such as Ironside (1974), Hawaii Five-O (1974), Get Christie Love! (1975), and Charlie's Angels (1977). In 1979 he played interplanetary assassin Seton Kellogg in the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century two-part episode "Plot to Kill a City".

During the 1980s, he appeared as the villainous Mr. Wesker in the miniseries Goliath Awaits (1981), as the cantankerous King Gama in the opera Princess Ida (1982) as part of the PBS series The Compleat Gilbert and Sullivan. He played the role of Smiley Wilson on the ABC soap opera The Edge of Night (1981–82), where he used his impersonation talents to mimic other performers on the show. During this decade he also guest starred in episodes of shows like The Fall Guy (1984), Murder, She Wrote (1988), and Monsters (1989).

During the 1990s he featured as a mobster kingpin in The Meteor Man (1993), played the evil sorcerer Brother Septimus in The Tale of the Carved Stone episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1993), voiced the character of Reverend Jack Cheese in an episode of The Ren and Stimpy Show (1995). Notably, he appeared in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys (1995) as the gruff superior to Madeleine Stowe's psychiatrist.

In his final years Goshin portrayed comedian George Burns on Broadway in the one-man show Say Goodnight, Gracie (2002), which was nominated for a 2003 Tony Award for best play and was reunited with several of his Batman colleagues in the TV movie Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, in which he appeared as himself. Gorshin died on day of telefilm's DVD release. He played the strict legendary Harvard Law School Professor, John H. Keynes, in the Korean drama Love Story in Harvard (2004), voiced villain Hugo Strange in three 2005 episodes of The Batman animated series. He also voiced the characters Marius and Lysander in the computer role playing game Diablo II.

Final Roles and Death

Gorshin's last television appearance was in "Grave Danger", an episode of the CBS-TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation which aired two days after his death; the episode, which was directed by Quentin Tarantino, was dedicated to his memory. While he was known for his impressions, his role on CSI was as himself.

Gorshin's final performance was a Memphis, Tennessee performance of Say Goodnight, Gracie. He finished his performance and boarded a plane for Los Angeles. After he experienced severe breathing difficulty during the flight, the attendants gave him an emergency oxygen mask. Upon landing, Gorshin was met by an ambulance which took him to the hospital, where he later died on May 17, 2005, at the age of 72 from lung cancer, emphysema, and pneumonia. Gorshin had been a heavy smoker for most of his adult life, consuming up to five packs of cigarettes a day. Adam West claimed that "Frank could reduce a cigarette to ash with one draw." When he did nightclub performances or live shows, audiences were warned not to attend if they disliked smoking.

He is interred at the Roman Catholic Calvary Cemetery in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh.

Personal life

On April 8, 1957, Gorshin married Christina Randazzo. They had one son, Mitchell, and later separated but remained married until his death.

Filmography

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents Ep# 37 "The Decoy" (Autograph seeker) (1956)
• The Proud and Profane (1956)
• Hot Rod Girl (1956)
• Between Heaven and Hell (1956)
• Runaway Daughters (1956)
• The True Story of Jesse James (1957)
• Dragstrip Girl (1957)
• The Delicate Delinquent (1957)
• Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
• Portland Expose (1957)
• Tank Battalion (1958)
• Night of the Quarter Moon (1959)
• Warlock (1959)
• Bells are Ringing (1960)
• Studs Lonigan (1960)
• Where the Boys Are (1960)
• The Great Imposter (1961)
• Ring of Fire (1961)
• The George Raft Story (1961)
• Sail a Crooked Ship (1961)
• That Darn Cat! (1965)
• Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966)
• The Munsters (1966)
• Batman (1966)

• Skidoo (1968)
• Star Trek (1969)
• Record City (1977)
• Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)
• Legends of the Superheroes (1978)
• Goliath Awaits (1981)
• Underground Aces (1981)
• The Uppercrust (1981)
• Princess Ida (1982) [as King Gama] recorded at Pinewood studios
• Hot Resort (1985)
• Uphill All the Way (1986)
• Hollywood Vice Squad (1986)
• The Gnomes' Great Adventure (1987) (voice)
• Beverly Hills Bodysnatchers (1989)
• Midnight (1989)
• Sweet Justice (1992)
• The Hollywood Beach Murders (1992)
• Body Trouble (1992)
• Amore! (1993)
• The Meteor Man (1993)
• Hail Caesar (1994)
• The Big Story (1994) (short subject) (voice)
• Mr. Payback: An Interactive Movie (1995) (Cameo)
• 12 Monkeys (1995)
• From Hare to Eternity (1996) (short subject) (voice)
• Superior Duck (1996) (short subject) (voice)
• Threshold (1997)

• Bloodmoon (1997)
• Better Than Ever (1997)
• After the Game (1997)
• Pullet Surprise (1997) (short subject) (voice)
• Twilight of the Ice Nymphs (1997)
• Guy Maddin: Waiting for Twilight (1997) (documentary)
• The Rules (For Men) (1999)
• The Art of Murder (1999)
• All Shook Up (1999)
• Man of the Century (1999)
• Final Rinse (1999)
• Game Day (1999)
• Castlerock (2000)
• Luck of the Draw (2000)
• The Curio Trunk (2000) (short subject)
• High Times' Potluck (2002)
• Manna from Heaven (2002)
• Mail Order Bride (2003)
• Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt (2003)
• The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park (2004)
• Love Story in Harvard (2004)
• Angels with Angles (2005)
• Firedog (2005) (voice)
• Buckaro (2005) (judge)

Stage appearances

• What Makes Sammy Run? playing Sammy Glick at Valley Music Theatre (Los Angeles) (1966)
• Jimmy playing James J. Walker at Winter Garden Theatre (Broadway) (1969)
• The Prisoner of Second Avenue playing Mel Edison at Parker Playhouse (Florida) (1973)
• Whodunnit standing in as Andreas Capodistriou at Biltmore Theatre (Broadway) (1982)
• On the Twentieth Century playing Oscar Jaffe on a tour of the United States (1986)
• Ah, Wilderness! playing Nat Miller at American Heartland Theatre (Kansas City, Mo.) (1987)
• Guys and Dolls as a performer in Las Vegas (1995)
• The Sunshine Boys as Willie Clark on a tour of the United States (2001)
• Say Goodnight, Gracie as George Burns at Helen Hayes Theatre (Broadway) (2002)

Quotes

• "I don't think of myself as being funny. But life takes strange turns." [People Magazine, January 1996]
• "What does it all mean?" [His gravestone, 2005]

External links

• Official Website
• Frank Gorshin as the Riddler tribute webpage
• Frank Gorshin at IMDb
• Frank Gorshin at AllMovie
• Frank Gorshin at Memory Alpha
• Frank Gorshin at Find a Grave
• yahoo group
• The Riddler # 1 - Frank Gorshin
• MTV: Influential 'Batman' Riddler Frank Gorshin Dies At 72
• Jesse McKinley: Frank Gorshin, 'Batman' Riddler, Dies at 72, obituary in The New York Times at May 19, 2005

Video performances

• Doing impression of Richard Burton
• Doing impression of Burt Lancaster
• Doing impression of James Cagney