Biography for
Larry Storch More at IMDbPro »

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As a kid in the 1930s growing up in a tough New York neighborhood, kinetic wiseguy Larry Storch took in the multi-ethnic flavor of his surroundings and started blurting out various accents as a juvenile to provoke laughs and earn attention. Little did he know that this early talent would take him on a six-decade journey as a prime actor and comedian. Larry's gift as an impressionist paid off early as a teen in vaudeville houses. Following military duty during WWII as a seaman (1942-1946), a happenstance meeting with comedian Phil Harris in Palm Springs led to an opening act gig at Ciro's for Lucille Ball' and Desi Arnaz show. From there, he received his biggest break yet on radio with "The Kraft Music Hall" when he was asked to sub for an ailing Frank Morgan. Larry not only delivered his patented star impersonations, he did a devastating one of Morgan himself that went over famously.

A summer hosting replacement on the TV variety "Cavalcade of Stars" (1949) was followed by Larry's own variety series, "The Larry Storch Show" (1953). In musical revues from the early 1950s with such showcases as "Red, Hot and Blue" and "Curtain Going Up," he also became a fixture on the nightclub circuit. He made a leap into legit acting with the musical "You Never Know" (1955) and comedies "The Tender Trap" (1956) and "Who Was that Lady I Saw You With?" (1958) in which he played a hyper Russian spy. In the meantime, a long-lasting friendship with Tony Curtis that formulated during his Navy days paid off in spades. Curtis started finding work for his buddy in his films, beginning with an unbilled bit in the Universal costumer The Prince Who Was a Thief (1951). When Larry's career was going through a noticeable lull in the early 1960s, Curtis again came to the rescue by giving him top supporting roles in some of his prime cinematic fluff--Who Was That Lady? (1960), in which he recreated his stage role, 40 Pounds of Trouble (1962), Sex and the Single Girl (1964) and Wild and Wonderful (1964).

TV audiences soon started seeing his manic-looking mug regularly on episodic TV, including "Sergeant Bilko" and "Car 54, Where Are You?". Larry's biggest claim to fame would come via his role as Forrest Tucker's loyal but beleaguered sidekick Cpl. Randolph Agarn in the western comedy "F Troop" (1965). While continuing to make an "impression" in nightclubs, Larry found a lucrative outlet in animation too, giving vocal life to four decades' worth of cartoons, including "Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales" (1963), "Underdog" (1964), "The Pink Panther Show" (1969) and "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!" (1969) series. He also provided the voice of Koko the Clown in the syndicated cartoon show "Out of the Inkwell" (1961). Beginning in the 1980s Storch made a comic resurgence of sorts under the theater lights with a healthy run opposite Jean Stapleton and Marion Ross in "Arsenic and Old Lace" from 1986-1988, and in the musicals "Oklahoma!" (1990) and "Annie Get Your Gun" (2000), the latter as Chief Sitting Bull. He also appeared with his friend Curtis again, this time in a musical stage version of Curtis' classic film Some Like It Hot (1959). Larry was married to actress Norma Storch from 1961 until her death from cancer in 2003.

Spouse

Trivia

A staunch New Yorker, he likes to play his sax in Central Park.

Stepfather of June Cross and Lynda Gravatt.

Started out as an M.C. in burlesque houses in New York. When television came along, many clubs closed because patrons were staying home to watch the new invention, so Storch started working in the new medium.

During WWII, Larry Storch served on a submarine with Tony Curtis. They became lifelong friends. Storch and Curtis have appeared in 8 movies together, and, in 2003, both were in the (theatrical) musical version of Some Like It Hot (1959) that toured across the country!.

Brother of actor Jay Lawrence.

Attended the 2007 Twilight Zone Convention at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey, August 4-5, 2007.

Inadvertently set in motion the Cary Grant line, "Judy, Judy, Judy..." during one of his nightclub acts. Legend has it that Storch was in the middle of a Grant impersonation when Judy Garland walked in. Apparently, this is how he addressed the star. Even though the line was never said in any of Grant's movies, Storch's impression inexplicably stuck and was often used by other impressionists.

Personal Quotes

I'll never forget what Edward Everett Horton said to me: "Promise me, Larry, you will never grow old". I've tried my best to use that advice.

Sometimes, I walk out on stage, and you can hear from the balcony, "Hey, Agarn!" It still tickles me after 40 years. They don't make them like F-Troop anymore!

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