Phil Silvers

Appears as Master Sergeant Ernest G. (Ernie) Bilko on a 44¢ USA commemorative postage stamp, issued 11 August 2009, in the Early TV Memories issue honoring The Phil Silvers Show (1955).

He was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6370 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on November 1, 2000.

He died in his sleep in 1985, while in Century City, California. His family attributed the death to unspecified natural causes. He was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Silvers is still well-remembered as a comic actor.

Silvers made his last television appearance in an 1983 episode of the crime drama "CHiPs". He then went into retirement.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 740-741. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1998).

In 1972, Silvers survived a stroke, but was left with a permanently slurred speech. This effectively ended his theatrical career, but did not prevent him from appearing in further film and television roles.

Silvers' sight was failing fast, and to compensate for this fact he was wearing contact lenses as well as glasses. It was a familiar sight to see Jim Dale, Peter Butterworth, and Silvers scatting around the sand for a lost lens while filming Follow That Camel (1967).

His second wife filed for divorce on the grounds of mental cruelty in 1966.

His Gladasya production company co-produced Gilligan's Island (1964).

He had roles in the comedy films "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" (1963), and "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (1967), playing respectively the characters Otto Meyer and Marcus Lycus. Silvers was a compulsive gambler, and suffered from chronic depression.

' Silvers returned to television stardom with "The New Phil Silvers Show" (1963-1964), where he played factory foreman Harry Grafton. Like Bilko, Grafton was depicted as a con-artist who owned his own company and run schemes on the side. Not as successful as its predecessor, the series lasted for a single season and 30 episodes.

He suffered from chronic depression and a nervous breakdown in 1962. He also suffered a stroke in 1972 and was left with slurred speech.

Silvers enjoyed film stardom in the 1960s, though mostly playing supporting roles. He appeared mostly in American productions, but guest-starred in the British comedy film "Follow That Camel".

It was thew 14th film in the long-running "Carry On" film series (1958-1992). The film was a parody depicting life in the Foreign Legion, and Silvers played the Bilko-like character of Sergeant Ernie Nocker. He earned a salary of 30,000 pounds, making him the highest-paid actor of the "Carru On" film series up to that point. Silvers appeared frequently as a guest-star in then-popular sitcoms, such as "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Gilligan's Island".

Had five daughters with his second wife, Evelyn Patrick: Tracey Silvers (1957), Nancey Silvers, Cathy Silvers, Candace Silvers (1961) and Laury Silvers (1963). Grandfather of Jaclyn Sara Silvers and Phillip Frankland Lee.

Phil Silvers was a comedic actor of Russian-Jewish descent, nicknamed as "The King of Chutzpah". He was best known for his starring role as Master Sergeant Ernest "Ernie" Bilko in the hit sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959).

Silvers did not become a household name until his starring role in the sitcom "The Phil Silvers Show" (1955-1959). It was a military comedy, starring Master Sergeant Ernest "Ernie" Bilko. Bilko was depicted as con-artist and gambler who could fast-talk people into complying with his schemes. The show lasted for 4 seasons, and 144 episodes. It found further success in syndication, and often ranks high in lists of popular sitcoms.

Has won two Tony Awards as Best Actor (Musical): in 1952 for "Top Banana", a role that he recreated in the film version of the same name, Top Banana (1954), and in 1972 for a revival of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum". He was also nominated in the same category in 1961 for "Do Re Mi".

Enjoyed a long string of Broadway successes, most notably "High Button Shoes" (1948), "Top Banana" (1951, for which he won a Tony Award), "Do-Re-Mi" (1961), "How the Other Half Loves" (1970), and the revival of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" (1971, and another Tony Award).

He had a hit as a songwriter when he composed the lyrics of "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)" (1942) for singer Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), The song was apparently named after Frank's young daughter Nancy Sinatra (1940-).

He made his feature film debut in "Hit Parade of 1941". Silvers worked primarily as a character actor over the following decades, appearing in films produced by 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. When the studio system declined, Silvers initially returned to the theater.

In 1939, Silvers made his Broadway debut in "Yokel Boy". The show was considered mediocre by critics, but Silvers gained acclaim in the press.

In the 1930s, Silvers started appearing in Vitaphone short films.

By 1924, Silvers performed as a professional singer in the Gus Edwards Revue.

Silver started his career as an entertainer in 1922, at the age of 11. A frequent accident at New York City's movie theaters was for their film projector to break down. Someone had to keep the audience entertained during repairs, so Silver was hired to sing to them. Part of his reward was to attend the movie theater free of charge.

In 1911, Silvers was born in Brooklyn, New York City. He was the 8th and youngest child born to Russian-Jewish immigrants Saul Silver (alias Saul Silversmith) and Sarah Handler. Saul was a sheet metal worker who was employed in the building industry. He had helped build a number of New York City's skyscrapers.

His employer was theater company owner Gus Edwards (1878-1945). He then took to working in vaudeville and as a burlesque comic.