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Shelley's
show business story begins in 1943, when he was honorably discharged
from the Navy. He then enrolled as a drama student at Chicago's
Goodman Theatre, where he met Sarah Herman, another aspiring
thespian. They fell in love, and were married in 1947. After
graduating from the Goodman Theatre, Shelley joined the Woodstock
Players, a stock theater company in Woodstock, Illinois. It
was here that Shelley had the opportunity to really develop
and polish his acting skills, with the support and encouragement
of fellow players Geraldine Page, Betsy Palmer, and Tom Bosley.
Leaving Woodstock in 1949, Shelley and Sarah made their way
across the country, with Shelley in search of acting work. When
those jobs were scarce, Shelley worked as a social director,
a cab driver, a speech teacher, an assistant manager at a drug
store, and an instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studios. While
in New York, Shelley found work as a sketch writer for the Steve
Allen Tonight Show, and was doing well, when he received an
invitation to join an improvisational troupe known as The Compass
Players, which took him back home to Chicago. With Compass (which
later evolved into Second City), Shelley worked with soon-to-be
famous performers Mike Nichols, Elaine May, Severn Darden, and
Barbara Harris, among others.
While
performing improvised sketches with The Compass Players, Shelley
began developing solo pieces, employing an imaginary telephone
to take the place of an onstage partner. While watching Mort
Sahl perform at Mr. Kelly's in Chicago in 1957, Shelley realized
he didn't necessarily have to tell traditional jokes as other
comedians of the day did in order to work in nightclubs, and
went on to audition at the club performing his one-man monologues
and telephone routines, with great success. Those first dates
at Mr. Kelly's led to other nightclub engagements around the
country, appearances on national television, and a recording
contract with Verve Records. INSIDE SHELLEY BERMAN, released
in early 1959, became the first comedy album to be awarded a
gold record, and the first to win a Grammy for Best Comedy Performance,
Spoken Word. Shelley would eventually record a total of six
albums for Verve, including OUTSIDE SHELLEY BERMAN and THE EDGE
OF SHELLEY BERMAN, both of which also went gold. Shelley would
go on to appear on numerous TV specials, and all of the major
variety shows, including those hosted by Ed Sullivan (where
Shelley appeared 21 times), Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Dinah Shore,
Perry Como, Andy Williams, and Dean Martin.
Shelley's
great success as a comedian enabled him to continue with his
first love - acting. He starred on Broadway in A FAMILY AFFAIR
and would continue to do stage work in productions of THE ODD
COUPLE; DAMN YANKEES; WHERE'S CHARLEY?; FIDDLER ON THE ROOF;
TWO BY TWO; I'M NOT RAPPAPORT; LA CAGE AUX FOLLES; THE PRISONER
OF SECOND AVENUE and GUYS AND DOLLS, among many others. Comedic
and dramatic acting roles on television began to come his way,
including memorable appearances on episodes of PETER GUNN; THE
TWILIGHT ZONE; RAWHIDE; BEWITCHED; THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.;
THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW; ADAM-12; EMERGENCY; CHiPS; ST. ELSEWHERE;
NIGHT COURT; MacGYVER and L.A. LAW. In recent years, Shelley
has graced the small screen on FRIENDS; ARLI$$; LIZZIE McGUIRE;
PROVIDENCE; WALKER, TEXAS RANGER; THE KING OF QUEENS; DEAD LIKE
ME; THE BERNIE MAC SHOW, GREY'S ANATOMY and ENTOURAGE. Since
2002, Shelley has appeared as Nat David (Larry David's father)
in HBO's CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. This show, largely improvised
by cast members, has given Shelley the opportunity to return
to his improv roots, and introduced him to a new generation
of TV viewers. Most recently, Shelley has been making numerous
recurring guest star appearances as the befuddled-but-compassionate
Judge Robert Sanders on ABC's BOSTON LEGAL, which have brought
him acclaim from critics and fans alike.
Among
Shelley's film roles: THE BEST MAN (with Henry Fonda); DIVORCE,
AMERICAN STYLE (with Dick Van Dyke and Debbie Reynolds); EVERY
HOME SHOULD HAVE ONE (with Marty Feldman); '80s cult favorite
TEEN WITCH; THE LAST PRODUCER (with Burt Reynolds); MEET THE
FOCKERS (with Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller); THE ARISTOCRATS
and THE HOLIDAY (with Cameron Diaz and Jack Black).
Shelley
continues to do film and television work, as well as headline
in Las Vegas several times a year. He has authored three books,
two plays, several TV pilot scripts, and numerous poems. For
over twenty years, Shelley has been teaching humor writing at
USC in the Master of Professional Writing program. Shelley spends
his (precious little) free time volunteering for various charitable
organizations, and indulging in his favorite hobby, knife collecting.
Video
contact:
Gail A. Stocker
1025 N. Kings Rd Suite 113
Los Angeles CA 90069
323.654.4015 phone
323.654.1150 fax
gail@comedycontact.com
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