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IMDbPro

Sheldon Leonard(1907-1997)

  • Producer
  • Director
  • Writer
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Sheldon Leonard circa 1954
Theatrical Trailer from MGM
Play trailer2:57
Pocketful of Miracles (1961)
4 Videos
84 Photos
Sheldon Leonard was born in New York City's lower Manhattan, the son of Jewish parents. He studied acting at Syracuse University and, after graduating, landed a job on Wall Street. Following the Wall Street crash of 1929, he found himself unemployed and resolved to become a professional actor on the stage. The road was hard, since it took him five years to first appear on Broadway in "Hotel Alimony" (1934). While this production was universally slammed by the critics, the next plays he appeared in, "Having Wonderful Time" (1937) and "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" (1938), were unqualified successes, the former running for 372 performances.

Movie offers followed, and from 1939 he became one of Hollywood's most recognizable screen tough guys, the names of his characters evocative of the roles he played: Pretty Willie in Tall, Dark and Handsome (1941), Slip Moran in Lucky Jordan (1942), Lippy Harris in Jinx Money (1948), Jumbo Schneider in Money from Home (1953) and, famously, Harry the Horse in Guys and Dolls (1955). There was also an assortment of minor henchmen and western heavies named Blackie or Lefty, and he was Nick, the sneering, humorless barkeeper who tosses James Stewart into the snow in It's a Wonderful Life (1946).

Having had his fill of acting in those kinds of parts, Leonard began a new career as a television producer in the 1950s and went on to become one of the most successful TV producer/directors of the 1950s and 1960s. Four of his productions (all on CBS)--The Danny Thomas Show (1953), Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) (which won 21 Emmy Awards) and The Andy Griffith Show (1960)--were rated in the Top Ten. He had a further success with I Spy (1965), championing the cause of racial equality over the (initial) objections of the network by being the first series to have an African-American (Bill Cosby) in an equal co-starring dramatic role with a white actor. Leonard is also regarded as having invented the television spin-off.
BornFebruary 22, 1907
DiedJanuary 10, 1997(89)
BornFebruary 22, 1907
DiedJanuary 10, 1997(89)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 3 Primetime Emmys
    • 8 wins & 7 nominations total

Photos84

Sheldon Leonard in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)
Sheldon Leonard and George J. Lewis in Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
Adele Jergens and Sheldon Leonard in Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)
Lou Costello, Marc Lawrence, Sheldon Leonard, and Joe Sawyer in Hit the Ice (1943)
Lou Costello, Sheldon Leonard, and Joe Sawyer in Hit the Ice (1943)
Elyse Knox and Sheldon Leonard in Hit the Ice (1943)
Sheldon Leonard in Hit the Ice (1943)
Sheldon Leonard and Ginny Simms in Hit the Ice (1943)
Sheldon Leonard and Ginny Simms in Hit the Ice (1943)
Sheldon Leonard in Hit the Ice (1943)
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marc Lawrence, Sheldon Leonard, and Joe Sawyer in Hit the Ice (1943)
Marc Lawrence, Sheldon Leonard, and Joe Sawyer in Hit the Ice (1943)

Known for

Angela Cartwright, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, Marjorie Lord, and Danny Thomas in The Danny Thomas Show (1953)
The Danny Thomas Show
7.1
TV Series
  • Producer(produced by)
James Stewart and Donna Reed in It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
It's a Wonderful Life
8.6
  • Nick
  • 1946
Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not (1944)
To Have and Have Not
7.8
  • Lt. Coyo
  • 1944
Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine in Guys and Dolls (1955)
Guys and Dolls
7.1
  • Harry the Horse
  • 1955

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Producer

  • I Spy Returns (1994)
    I Spy Returns
    • executive producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1994
  • Top Secret (1978)
    Top Secret
    • executive producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1978
  • Aces Up
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • The Singles
    • producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1972
  • The Don Rickles Show
    • producer
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Shirley's World (1971)
    Shirley's World
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1971–1972
  • From a Bird's Eye View (1970)
    From a Bird's Eye View
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1970–1971
  • My World and Welcome to It (1969)
    My World and Welcome to It
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1969–1970
  • My Friend Tony (1969)
    My Friend Tony
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)
    Gomer Pyle: USMC
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1964–1969
  • Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy (1965)
    I Spy
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1965–1968
  • Ron Howard, Frances Bavier, and Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
    The Andy Griffith Show
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1960–1968
  • Goldie Hawn, Joby Baker, Billy De Wolfe, Julie Parrish, and Ronnie Schell in Good Morning World (1967)
    Good Morning World
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1967–1968
  • Accidental Family (1967)
    Accidental Family
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1967–1968
  • Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
    The Dick Van Dyke Show
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 1961–1966

Director

  • Studio 5-B (1989)
    Studio 5-B
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1989
  • Aces Up
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1974
  • The Singles
    • Director
    • TV Movie
    • 1972
  • My World and Welcome to It (1969)
    My World and Welcome to It
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • Danny Thomas in The Danny Thomas Hour (1967)
    The Danny Thomas Hour
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1968
  • Accidental Family (1967)
    Accidental Family
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1967
  • Bill Cosby and Robert Culp in I Spy (1965)
    I Spy
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1965
  • Ron Howard, Frances Bavier, and Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
    The Andy Griffith Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1960–1965
  • Jim Nabors and Frank Sutton in Gomer Pyle: USMC (1964)
    Gomer Pyle: USMC
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1964
  • Bill Dana and Maggie Peterson in The Bill Dana Show (1963)
    The Bill Dana Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1963–1964
  • Angela Cartwright, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, Marjorie Lord, and Danny Thomas in The Danny Thomas Show (1953)
    The Danny Thomas Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1953–1964
  • My Favorite Martian (1963)
    My Favorite Martian
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1963
  • Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961)
    The Dick Van Dyke Show
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1961–1963
  • Kraft Mystery Theater (1961)
    Kraft Mystery Theater
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1962
  • Walter Brennan, Richard Crenna, and Kathleen Nolan in The Real McCoys (1957)
    The Real McCoys
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1957

Writer

  • Ron Howard, Frances Bavier, and Andy Griffith in The Andy Griffith Show (1960)
    The Andy Griffith Show
    • created by (creator, uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 1960–1968
  • Kraft Mystery Theater (1961)
    Kraft Mystery Theater
    • written by
    • TV Series
    • 1962
  • Angela Cartwright, Rusty Hamer, Sherry Jackson, Marjorie Lord, and Danny Thomas in The Danny Thomas Show (1953)
    The Danny Thomas Show
    • new material (as S.L. Bershad)
    • TV Series
    • 1957–1960
  • Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)
    General Electric Theater
    • teleplay
    • TV Series
    • 1953
  • David Alpert and Frances Rafferty in Your Jeweler's Showcase (1952)
    Your Jeweler's Showcase
    • writer
    • teleplay
    • original story and teleplay
    • TV Series
    • 1952–1953
  • Grace Albertson, Richard Fraser, and Cy Kendall in Shadow of Terror (1945)
    Shadow of Terror
    • story
    • 1945

Videos4

Uncertain Glory
Trailer 2:15
Uncertain Glory
To Have And Have Not
Trailer 2:47
To Have And Have Not
Somewhere in the Night
Trailer 1:50
Somewhere in the Night
Pocketful of Miracles
Trailer 2:57
Pocketful of Miracles

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • S.L. Bershad
  • Height
    • 6′ (1.83 m)
  • Born
    • February 22, 1907
    • New York City, New York, USA
  • Died
    • January 10, 1997
    • Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(natural causes)
  • Spouse
    • Frances BoberJune 28, 1931 - January 10, 1997 (his death, 2 children)
  • Children
      Stephen W Bershad
  • Parents
      Frank Bershad
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared in "Hotel Alimony" on Broadway. Comedy.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Print Biography
    • 1 Article

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    The characters Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter of the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory (2007) are named in honor of him.
  • Trademarks
      Often co-produced and/or collaborated with Danny Thomas.

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