William "Buddy" Lester (January 16, 1915 â€" October 4, 2002) was an
American comedian and actor who played dozens of character roles in
films and television. Although known for his appearances in Jerry
Lewis's comedy films, he was also regularly seen on popular television
shows (such as The New Phil Silvers Show and Barney Miller) in the
1960s and 1970s. As a comedian, he was a fixture on the international
nightclub circuit for several decades and was the younger brother of
comedian Jerry Lester.William Lester was born January 16, 1915 in
Chicago. He began performing in variety shows in Chicago theaters at
the age of seven, with his older brother, Jerry, who later became host
of Broadway Open House, the television forerunner of The Tonight Show.
He claimed in interviews that an early booster was the notorious
mobster Al Capone, who helped the underage entertainers get jobs in
nightclubs. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Lester,
already an established stand-up comedian, stage actor, and radio host,
eventually began appearing in films and on TV, becoming a popular
character actor. His first film role was playing himself, as a
nightclub entertainer, in the 1959 movie, The Gene Krupa Story.He
regularly appeared in Jerry Lewis features, including The Patsy, The
Ladies Man, The Nutty Professor, Three on a Couch, Cracking Up, Hardly
Working and The Big Mouth.Although known mainly as a comic actor, he
was also effective portraying tough underworld characters, in part
because of his tall stature and a distinctive scar down his right
cheek. He enjoyed concocting stories about the origin of the scar -
claiming at one point to have received it in a sword duel while a
student in Heidelberg, Germany - but admitted that it was actually the
result of falling onto a broken drinking glass when he was three years
old. Lester portrayed Vince Massler, one of the gang members in the
1960 film Ocean's 11 with Frank Sinatra, for whom he performed as
opening act many times.
American comedian and actor who played dozens of character roles in
films and television. Although known for his appearances in Jerry
Lewis's comedy films, he was also regularly seen on popular television
shows (such as The New Phil Silvers Show and Barney Miller) in the
1960s and 1970s. As a comedian, he was a fixture on the international
nightclub circuit for several decades and was the younger brother of
comedian Jerry Lester.William Lester was born January 16, 1915 in
Chicago. He began performing in variety shows in Chicago theaters at
the age of seven, with his older brother, Jerry, who later became host
of Broadway Open House, the television forerunner of The Tonight Show.
He claimed in interviews that an early booster was the notorious
mobster Al Capone, who helped the underage entertainers get jobs in
nightclubs. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Lester,
already an established stand-up comedian, stage actor, and radio host,
eventually began appearing in films and on TV, becoming a popular
character actor. His first film role was playing himself, as a
nightclub entertainer, in the 1959 movie, The Gene Krupa Story.He
regularly appeared in Jerry Lewis features, including The Patsy, The
Ladies Man, The Nutty Professor, Three on a Couch, Cracking Up, Hardly
Working and The Big Mouth.Although known mainly as a comic actor, he
was also effective portraying tough underworld characters, in part
because of his tall stature and a distinctive scar down his right
cheek. He enjoyed concocting stories about the origin of the scar -
claiming at one point to have received it in a sword duel while a
student in Heidelberg, Germany - but admitted that it was actually the
result of falling onto a broken drinking glass when he was three years
old. Lester portrayed Vince Massler, one of the gang members in the
1960 film Ocean's 11 with Frank Sinatra, for whom he performed as
opening act many times.
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