Biography
Shecky Greene didn't find the entertainment industry so much as it found him. He served in the navy for three years aboard an aircraft carrier. After being discharged, he moved to Chicago and began studying at Wright Junior College to become a gym teacher. He took a summer job as a social director at a resort, and when the budget wouldn't allow him to hire outside entertainment, he tapped into his latent abilities and started amusing vacationers with his comedy. Things clicked, and while attending college the next year he found time to book club dates and build an act. After his three-year stint at the Prevue Lounge in New Orleans, the club burned down, and Greene moved back to Chicago to pick up where he left off in his studies, but that didn't last long. Martha Raye called him one night with an offer to play her club in Miami, and, once he saw the money he could make as a showman, he changed his career path for good. Though he is considered by many to be the preeminent nightclub performer, his comedic abilities haven't translated into major success in movies or television. He's made appearances on game shows and popular episodic sitcoms, from the cruise ship-themed "The Love Boat" in the '70s to Paul Reiser's take on modern marriage, "Mad About You," in the '90s. He has also taken small roles in feature films such as the 1984 romantic comedy "Splash," starring Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Shecky Greene died on December 31, 2023 in Las Vegas, NV at the age of 97.
