Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Tom Poston(1921-2007)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Tom Poston
CT #1 Post
Play trailer2:34
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
9 Videos
58 Photos
Veteran comedic actor Tom Poston, he with the bugged-out eyes that commonly accentuated a vague look of bewilderment, was born in Columbus, Ohio, on October 17, 1921. By age nine, the young boy was appearing with an acrobatic troupe.

Poston later attended Bethany College in West Virginia when World War II broke out and he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He won medals for his courage under fire, and rose to the rank of captain. While he never returned to Bethany College, he would later receive an honorary doctorate from the institution. Following his military service, Poston went to New York and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), training with acting guru Sanford Meisner, among others. Making his Broadway debut in 1947 in José Ferrer's production of "Cyrano de Bergerac", Poston had the makings of a serious dramatic actor, appearing in such classics as "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" and "King Lear".

Although he also appeared seriously in TV drama in the early stages, comedy would become his forte. Hosting the amusing daily TV show "Entertainment" led to his biggest break on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956). He, Louis Nye, Don Knotts, and other members of Allen's stock company became famous for their hilarious characters in Allen's famed sketch sequences. Poston himself would be best remembered as the "Man on the Street" interviewee who could never remember his own name. Winning an Emmy during those four seasons (1956-60), Poston went on to host another program, this time a game show, entitled Split Personality (1959).

He developed an affinity for parlor games and appeared as a panelist on other quiz shows as well, notably To Tell the Truth (1956). Given a chance to star in his own comedy films by the early 1960s, Poston went completely unnoticed in such blah vehicles as Zotz! (1962) and The Old Dark House (1963), which failed to capitalize on his delightfully bungling, eccentric humor, although he did turn in a very funny supporting performance as a perpetually soused playboy in the Dick Van Dyke comedy Cold Turkey (1971).

After his movie career dried up, television again became the object of his affection, usually in service to other stars. Alongside such top comedians as Bob Newhart (Newhart (1982)) and Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy (1978)), Poston's absent-minded "second banana" foils found their engaging niche. The comedic actor also continued with light comedy theater vehicles such as "Forty Carats", "Come Blow Your Horn", "Plaza Suite", and "Mary, Mary", and even managed a few musicals ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof").

Poston had a pre-fame first marriage that ended in divorce. His second wife was film actress Jean Sullivan. Their daughter, Francesca Poston, also became an actress. He had two other children by third wife Kay, who was 22 years his junior: son Jason and daughter Hudson. They divorced in 1975, but remarried in 1980 and remained together until her death at age 54 in 1998 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He and Kay appeared on many telethons to discuss the crippling disease. Three years later, Poston found happiness again when he married Suzanne Pleshette (they originally met while appearing in the 1959 Broadway comedy "Golden Fleecing", then worked again together on the old The Bob Newhart Show (1972)). He continued to provide glum, baggy-eyed comedy relief on TV as an octogenarian up until the end. Sadly, while wife Suzanne was battling cancer, Poston passed away unexpectedly of respiratory failure at his Los Angeles home on April 30, 2007, after a brief illness. Pleshette died on January 19, 2008.

The stalwart actor may not have nabbed top comic superstardom in his heyday, but he certainly enjoyed a long, durable career doing what he did best -- acting goofy and giving audiences a reason to smile.
BornOctober 17, 1921
DiedApril 30, 2007(85)
BornOctober 17, 1921
DiedApril 30, 2007(85)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy

Photos58

Tom Poston and Fred Willard in D.C. Follies (1987)
Julia Meade, Zeme North, and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Jim Backus and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Jim Backus and Tom Poston in Zotz! (1962)
Jennifer Finnigan and Tom Poston in Committed (2005)
Tom Poston and Josh Cooke in Committed (2005)
Julia Duffy, Mary Frann, Bob Newhart, Tony Papenfuss, Tom Poston, William Sanderson, and Peter Scolari in Newhart (1982)
Megan Mullally and Tom Poston in Will & Grace (1998)
Don Knotts, Louis Nye, and Tom Poston
Don Knotts, Louis Nye, and Tom Poston
Don Knotts, Louis Nye, and Tom Poston

Known for

Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tim Allen, and Erik Per Sullivan in Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Christmas with the Kranks
5.4
  • Father Zabriskie
  • 2004
Mary Frann, Jennifer Holmes, Steven Kampmann, Bob Newhart, and Tom Poston in Newhart (1982)
Newhart
7.8
TV Series
  • George Utley
The Old Dark House (1963)
The Old Dark House
5.4
  • Tom Penderel
  • 1963
Robin Williams and Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy (1978)
Mork & Mindy
7.1
TV Series
  • Mr. Bickley

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005)
    The Suite Life of Zack & Cody
  • Tammy Lynn Michaels, Jennifer Finnigan, Darius McCrary, Tom Poston, and Josh Cooke in Committed (2005)
    Committed
  • Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tim Allen, and Erik Per Sullivan in Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
    Christmas with the Kranks
  • Julie Andrews and Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004)
    The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
  • Daveigh Chase, Dave Thomas, and Cujo in Beethoven's 5th (2003)
    Beethoven's 5th
  • James Garner, Katey Sagal, David Spade, Kaley Cuoco, Amy Davidson, and Martin Spanjers in 8 Simple Rules (2002)
    8 Simple Rules
  • Jere Burns, Mark Feuerstein, Matt Letscher, Suzanne Pleshette, Ashley Williams, and Constance Zimmer in Good Morning, Miami (2002)
    Good Morning, Miami
  • Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Wilmer Valderrama, Topher Grace, and Laura Prepon in That '70s Show (1998)
    That '70s Show
  • Liberty's Kids (2002)
    Liberty's Kids
    • (voice)
  • Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, and Megan Mullally in Will & Grace (1998)
    Will & Grace
  • Terry Farrell, Ted Danson, Alex Désert, Shawnee Smith, and Hattie Winston in Becker (1998)
    Becker
  • Apple Valley Knights
  • Ellen DeGeneres, Cloris Leachman, Jim Gaffigan, Martin Mull, and Emily Rutherfurd in The Ellen Show (2001)
    The Ellen Show
  • Tom Braidwood, Dean Haglund, and Bruce Harwood in The Lone Gunmen (2001)
    The Lone Gunmen
  • George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, Ming-Na Wen, Noah Wyle, Laura Innes, Alex Kingston, Eriq La Salle, Kellie Martin, Paul McCrane, Michael Michele, Erik Palladino, Maura Tierney, and Goran Visnjic in ER (1994)
    ER

Soundtrack

  • Mary Frann, Jennifer Holmes, Steven Kampmann, Bob Newhart, and Tom Poston in Newhart (1982)
    Newhart
    • (uncredited)
  • Robin Williams and Pam Dawber in Mork & Mindy (1978)
    Mork & Mindy

Videos9

Newhart: Season 2
Clip 0:49
Newhart: Season 2
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: 10th Anniversary Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:19
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: 10th Anniversary Edition 2-Movie Collection
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: 10th Anniversary Edition 2-Movie Collection
Clip 1:48
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement: 10th Anniversary Edition 2-Movie Collection
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Clip 1:21
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Trailer
Trailer 2:48
Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:04
Trailer
DVD Trailer - Season 2
Trailer 1:02
DVD Trailer - Season 2
Zotz!
Trailer 2:42
Zotz!
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Trailer 2:34
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement

Personal details

Edit
    • Tom Poston Online
    • October 17, 1921
    • Columbus, Ohio, USA
    • April 30, 2007
    • Los Angeles, California, USA(respiratory failure)
    • Suzanne PleshetteMay 11, 2001 - April 30, 2007 (his death)
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared (as "Pvt. Turnipseed") in "Stockade" on Broadway. Drama. Written by Mark J. Appleman. Based on the novel "From Here to Eternity" by James Jones. Incidental music by Jay Chernis. Directed by Robert H. Gordon. President Theatre: 4 Feb 1954-6 Feb 1954 (4 performances). Cast: Tige Andrews (as "Cpl. Oliver"), Cam Applegate, Jay Barney, Barnett Biro, Don Gordon (as "Angelo Maggio"), George Hall, Murray Hamilton (as "Robert E. Lee Prewitt"), Ted Jordan, Norman Keats, Rusty Lane (as "Jack Molloy"), Gerald Milton, Stephen Pluta, William Thourlby. Produced by Paul Butler and Diana Greene.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Articles
    • 3 Pictorials

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1941 to 1945, and flew over Europe on D-Day.
  • Quotes
    These guys [his TV characters] are about a half-step behind life's parade. The ink on their instruction sheets is beginning to fade. But they can function and cope, and don't realize they are driving people up the walls. (in a 1983 interview)
    • His frequent collaborations with Bob Newhart

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.