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IMDbPro

Mort Sahl(1927-2021)

  • Actor
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mort Sahl in When Comedy Went to School (2013)
Trailer for When Comedy Went to School
Play trailer2:14
When Comedy Went to School (2013)
2 Videos
15 Photos
Crowned as leading the new breed of modern comedians by Time magazine in 1960, Mort Sahl is the first entertainer ever to appear on its cover. Before comedy clubs existed, Sahl began performing at the hungry i music club in San Francisco in the early 1950s. He differed from other comedians, appearing in casual clothing rather than a suit, skewering popular politicians such as Eisenhower, Joe McCarthy and JFK. Sahl's approach is energetic, tangential, and deep and wide in both social and political scopes, inspiring Woody Allen, George Carlin and countless other comedians.

A 1955 performance with Dave Brubeck was recorded and released (without Sahl's permission), selling as Mort Sahl At Sunset, and recently recognized by the Library of Congress as the first stand-up comedy record album.

When JFK was assassinated in 1963, Sahl regularly targeted the government's official Warren Commission Report during his routines, resulting in the loss of much of Hollywood's support, while maintaining audience popularity with college tours and a best-selling book, Heartland.

Sahl is one of the longest, active, performing social satirists, spanning 60 years and 11 presidents.
BornMay 11, 1927
DiedOctober 26, 2021(94)
BornMay 11, 1927
DiedOctober 26, 2021(94)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos15

Anita Ellis and Mort Sahl in Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Mort Sahl in D.C. Follies (1987)
Mort Sahl and Fred Willard in D.C. Follies (1987)
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl in ABC Comedy News (1973)
Mort Sahl in Make 'Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America (2009)
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Mort Sahl
Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, George Jessel, and Mort Sahl

Known for:

Elizabeth Montgomery and Henry Silva in Johnny Cool (1963)
Johnny Cool
6.4
  • Ben Morrow
  • 1963
Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, and Sharon Tate in Don't Make Waves (1967)
Don't Make Waves
5.8
  • Sam Lingonberry
  • 1967
Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
Nothing Lasts Forever
6.2
  • Uncle Mort
  • 1984
Thriller (1960)
Thriller
8.2
TV Series
  • Sam Lynch

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Jerry Lewis in Max Rose (2013)
    Max Rose
    • Jack Murphy
    • 2013
  • Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge (1987)
    Jonathan Winters: On the Ledge
    • Interviewer
    • TV Movie
    • 1987
  • Leslie Nielsen, Fred Willard, and The Krofft Puppets in D.C. Follies (1987)
    D.C. Follies
    • Mort Sahl
    • TV Series
    • 1987
  • Nothing Lasts Forever (1984)
    Nothing Lasts Forever
    • Uncle Mort
    • 1984
  • John Gielgud, Rutger Hauer, Ian Holm, Blythe Danner, Derek Jacobi, Robert Vaughn, Trevor Howard, and Renée Soutendijk in Inside the Third Reich (1982)
    Inside the Third Reich
    • Werner Finck
    • TV Movie
    • 1982
  • Helen Hayes and Mildred Natwick in The Snoop Sisters (1972)
    The Snoop Sisters
    • Lawrence Fortesue
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • ABC Comedy News (1973)
    ABC Comedy News
    • Mort Sahl
    • TV Series
    • 1973
  • Emergency! (1972)
    Emergency!
    • Burglar
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Dan Rowan and Dick Martin (aka Rowan & Martin) 1975
    Laugh-In
    • Guest Performer
    • TV Series
    • 1972
  • Love, American Style (1969)
    Love, American Style
    • Kurt (segment "Love and the Singles Apartment")
    • TV Series
    • 1970
  • Raymond Burr and Barbara Sigel in Ironside (1967)
    Ironside
    • Len Leavitt
    • TV Series
    • 1969
  • Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, and Sharon Tate in Don't Make Waves (1967)
    Don't Make Waves
    • Sam Lingonberry
    • 1967
  • Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (1967)
    Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding!
    • Dan Ruskin
    • 1967
  • ABC Stage 67 (1966)
    ABC Stage 67
    • TV Series
    • 1966
  • Elizabeth Montgomery and Henry Silva in Johnny Cool (1963)
    Johnny Cool
    • Ben Morrow
    • 1963

Soundtrack

  • Rachel Brosnahan in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017)
    The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
    • performer: "Great Moments In Comedy With Mort Sahl (Pt. 1)" (uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 2017

Videos2

When Comedy Went to School
Trailer 2:14
When Comedy Went to School
The Dick Cavett Show
Trailer 0:29
The Dick Cavett Show

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Discogs
    • France's national library catalogue
  • Height
    • 5′ 8″ (1.73 m)
  • Born
    • May 11, 1927
    • Montréal, Québec, Canada
  • Died
    • October 26, 2021
    • Mill Valley, California, USA(Undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Kenslea Ann Motter1999 - 2009 (divorced)
  • Children
    • Mort Sahl Jr.
  • Parents
      Harry Sahl
  • Other works
    Unsold pilot: Starred in a pilot for a proposed CBS sitcom called, "Josie and Joe" about the misadventures of a cab driver and his wife.
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 1 Interview
    • 2 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Woody Allen said of him, "With Mort Sahl, the whole face of comedy changed completely".
  • Quotes
    Television is never more false than when it's openly sincere.

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