Comedian and Actor Sid Caesar Has Died at 91
The multitalented Sid Caesar took live and complex comedy skits on the air as a pioneer in 1950s TV. Caesar, who established a new comedic tradition in America before he was 30, died in Los Angeles on Wednesday at 91.
Caesar’s biographer and close friend Eddy Friedfeld confirmed the comedian’s death, saying he had spoken with Caesar’s daughter, Karen. The news of Caesar’s death was first reported by Larry King on Twitter.
It was the NBC program Your Show of Shows that put Caesar on the map when it debuted in 1950. Here’s how NPR’s Susan Stamberg describes it:
“Sid Caesar was 27 when he launched Your Show of Shows — TV’s first and greatest live comedy. His writers became comedy royalty: Carl Reiner, Neil Simon, his brother Danny, Woody Allen, Larry Gelbart, and Mel Brooks.”
More: Comedian and Actor Sid Caesar Has Died at 91 : The Two-Way : NPR