Фрэнк Горшин: Американский актер и комик

American actor and comedian (1933–2005)

Frank John Gorshin Jr. (April 5, 1933 – May 17, 2005) was an American actor, comedian and impressionist. He made many guest appearances on television variety and talk shows, including The Ed Sullivan Show, Tonight Starring Steve Allen, The Dean Martin Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. As an actor, he played the Riddler on the live action television series Batman and was nominated for an Emmy Award for the performance.

Gorshin was born on April 5, 1933, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Catholic parents Frances, a seamstress, and Frank Gorshin Sr., a railroad worker. He was of Slovenian ancestry. His father, Frank Sr., was a second generation Slovenian American whose parents emigrated to America from Slovenia. His mother, Frances or Fanny, née Prešeren, came to the United States as a young girl from Regrča Vas, near Novo Mesto, the main city of Lower Carniola, in Slovenia. Both of his parents were active in Pittsburgh's Slovenian community. They sang in the Slovenian Singing Society Prešeren, named after the great Slovenian poet France Prešeren. In an interview, Frances said that her son, being the product of a Slovenian home, spoke mostly Slovene before going to school. 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 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. In 1963, Gorshin had a guest starring role in the long running ABC military series Combat! as Pvt. Wharton who took false credit for the heroism of his dead friend, but redeemed himself later, saving Sgt. Saunders. In another episode in 1965 he played Pvt. Gavin, a tank operator who had washed out of U. S. Army Armor tank operations training. Gorshin was a popular act at nightclubs, notably those of Las Vegas, where he was the first impressionist to headline the main showrooms. 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), as a bumbling kidnapper in the Hayley Mills vehicle That Darn Cat! (1965), and as a boss behind bars for laughs in Otto Preminger's comedy Skidoo (1968). In 1962, Gorshin was cast as Billy Roy Fix in the episode "The Fire Dancer" of the NBC modern Western television series Empire, starring Richard Egan as the rancher Jim Redigo. He was nominated for an Emmy Award (Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy) for his role as the Riddler on ABC's 1960s live action television series Batman, starring Adam West and Burt Ward. Gorshin's portrayal of the character included a high pitched, deranged cackle, inspired by that of Tommy Udo (Richard Widmark) in Kiss of Death (1947). Gorshin disliked the Riddler's original unitard costume from the comics, and had a green business suit and bowler hat marked with question marks created as an alternative, a variant of which would be later adapted in the comics itself. He played the Riddler in ten episodes of the series as well as the theatrical film, although John Astin made two appearances in 1967 in the role when Gorshin was unavailable. Gorshin was very angry about being replaced by Astin as the Riddler, but he agreed to return to Batman as the Riddler in Season 3 in an episode entitled "Ring Around The Riddler". He reprised the role in the 1979 television film Legends of the Superheroes. Gorshin 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 from the planet Cheron. Contrary to popular rumor and several news articles, Gorshin did not receive an Emmy nomination for this role. In the early 1970s, Gorshin appeared on Broadway in Jimmy (1969) and Guys and Dolls (1971). He made numerous guest starring appearances on such television series as The Name of the Game (1969) Ironside (1974), Hawaii Five O (1974), Get Christie Love! (1975), Charlie's Angels (1977) and Wonder Woman (1977). In 1979, he played interplanetary assassin Seton Kellogg in a two part episode of the television series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century titled "Plot to Kill a City". In 1982, Gorshin acted and sang the role of irascible King Gama in a TV production of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera Princess Ida, as part of the PBS series The Compleat Gilbert and Sullivan, and subsequently in live performance at other venues. He also appeared as the villainous Dan Wesker in the miniseries Goliath Awaits (1981); and 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 series. During this decade, he also guest starred in episodes of series such as 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 & Stimpy Show (1995). Notably, he appeared in Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys (1995) as the gruff superior to Madeleine Stowe's psychiatrist. Gorshin also provided the voice of Daffy Duck and Foghorn Leghorn in the 1996 Looney Tunes short Superior Duck as well as voicing Foghorn and Yosemite Sam in 1997's Pullet Surprise and From Hare to Eternity, respectively. In his final years, Gorshin portrayed the famous 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 television film Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam and Burt, in which he appeared as himself. Gorshin died on the day of the 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), and 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. Gorshin's last television appearance was in "Grave Danger", an episode of the CBS 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 role was as a voice actor in the unreleased animated feature film Firedog.

On April 8, 1957, Gorshin married Christina Randazzo. They had one son, Mitchell, and later separated but remained married until his death. Gorshin had been a heavy smoker for most of his adult life, consuming up to five packs of cigarettes a day. His Batman co star Adam West once claimed that "Frank could reduce a cigarette to ash with one draw." When Gorshin appeared in nightclubs or other live performances, audiences were warned not to attend if they disliked smoking, as he often smoked onstage. Gorshin is interred at Calvary Catholic Cemetery in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh.

Year Title Role Notes1956The Proud and ProfaneHarryUncredited1956Hot Rod GirlFlat Top1956Between Heaven and HellPrivate Millard Company GUncredited1956Runaway DaughtersTommy Burns1957The True Story of Jesse JamesCharley Ford1957Dragstrip GirlTommy Burns1957The Delicate DelinquentWise Guy on StreetUncredited1957Invasion of the Saucer MenJoe Gruen1957Portland ExposeJoe1958Tank BattalionPFC 'Skids' Madigan1958Torpedo RunSub CrewmanUncredited1959Night of the Quarter MoonRacist PunkUncredited1959WarlockBilly GannonUncredited1960Bells are RingingBlake Barton1960Studs LoniganKenny Killarney 1960The Great ImposterBarney1960Where the Boys Are Basil1961Ring of FireFrank Henderson1961The George Raft StoryMoxie Cusack1961Sail a Crooked ShipGeorge M. Wilson1965That Darn Cat!Iggy1966Ride Beyond VengeanceTod Wisdom1966Batman Edward Nigma / Riddler1968SkidooThe Man1978Record CityChameleon1981Underground AcesFred Kruger1981Den Tüchtigen gehört die WeltHarry Werner, alias Nash1985Hot ResortMr. Green1986Uphill All the WayPike1986Hollywood Vice SquadWalsh1987The Gnomes' Great AdventureHoller, Carlo, Omar, Prince GustavVoice1989Beverly Hills BodysnatchersDoc1989MidnightRon Saphier1989Singapore Harbor1992Body TroubleJohnny Zero1992The Hollywood Beach MurdersZoran1992Sweet JusticeBilly Joe Rivas1993The Meteor ManAnthony Beyer (Drug Lord)1993Amore!Asino1994Hail CaesarPete Dewitt1994The Big StoryCub Reporter, Editor, Older ReporterVoice, short199512 MonkeysDr. Fletcher1995Mr. Payback: An Interactive MovieHimselfCameo1996Superior DuckDaffy Duck, Foghorn LeghornVoice, short1997Pullet SurpriseFoghorn LeghornVoice, short1997From Hare to EternityYosemite SamVoice, short1997BloodmoonChief William Hutchins1997Twilight of the Ice NymphsCain Ball1997Threshold1997Better Than EverWill1997After the Game (aka The Last Hand)Benny Walsh1997Guy Maddin: Waiting for TwilightDocumentary1999Man of the CenturyRoman Navarro1999Final RinseChief1999Game DaySam Segal1999The Rules (For Men)1999The Art of MurderUncredited1999All Shook UpSheriff Dudston2000Luck of the DrawSterling Johnson2000Beethoven's 3rdUncle Morrie NewtonVideo2000The Curio TrunkHarold BelfastShort2000CastlerockMack2002High Times' PotluckThe Slim Man2002Manna from HeavenEd2003Mail Order BrideRussian Doctor2005Angels with AnglesGeorge Burns, Shelleen2005The Best of Frank GorshinHimselfVideo2005BuckaroJudge2005FiredogVoice2006The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer ParkBurdus