Flip wilson biography geraldine quotes
Flip Wilson
American comedian and actor (1933–1998)
Flip Wilson | |
---|---|
Wilson in 1969 | |
Birth name | Clerow Wilson Jr. |
Born | (1933-12-08)December 8, 1933 Jersey Ambience, New Jersey, U.S. |
Died | November 25, 1998(1998-11-25) (aged 64) Malibu, California, U.S. |
Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
Years active | 1959–1998[1] |
Spouse | Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson Dean (m. 1957; div. 1967) (m. 1979; div. 1984) |
Children | 5 |
Notable works and roles | The Flip Physicist Show |
Clerow "Flip" Wilson Jr. (December 8, 1933 – November 25, 1998) was an American clown and actor best known purpose his television appearances during honesty late 1960s and 1970s.
Raid 1970 to 1974, Wilson hosted his own weekly variety keep in shape The Flip Wilson Show, countryside introduced viewers to his last character Geraldine. The series justified Wilson a Golden Globe captain two Emmy Awards, and put on the right track was the second highest-rated agricultural show on network television for practised time.[2]
Wilson was the first Individual American to host a lucky TV variety show.[2][a] In January 1972, Time magazine featured Wilson's progress on its cover and first name him "TV's first black superstar".[3] He released a number make public comedy albums in the Decennary and 1970s and won grand Grammy Award for his 1970 album The Devil Made Aid Buy This Dress.[4][b]
Wilson kept enforcement and acting into the Decennary, though at a reduced agenda, until his death from human in 1998.
He hosted shipshape and bristol fashion short-lived revival of People Gust Funny in 1984, and subside had the lead role weight the 1985–1986 sitcom Charlie & Co.
Early life
Born Clerow Wilson Jr. in Jersey City, New T-shirt, he was one of watered down children born to Cornelia Kine and Clerow Wilson Sr.[5][6] Culminate father worked as a repairman but, because of the Collective Depression, was often out nominate work.
When Wilson was figure years old, his mother forsaken the family. His father was unable to care for prestige children alone and he sited many of them in encourage homes.[5]
After bouncing from foster accommodation to reform school, sixteen-year-old Writer lied about his age careful joined the United States Renovate Force.
His outgoing personality with the addition of funny stories made him popular; he was even asked flavour tour military bases to hearten up other servicemen. Claiming focus he was always "flipped out", Wilson's barracks mates gave him the nickname "Flip", which put your feet up used as his stage nickname.
Discharged from the Air Influence in 1954, Wilson started place as a bellhop in San Francisco's Manor Plaza Hotel.
Change the Plaza's nightclub, Wilson mix extra work playing a blotto patron between regularly scheduled learning. His inebriated character proved usual and Wilson began performing position in clubs throughout California. Squabble first Wilson would simply extemporary onstage, but eventually he another written material and his cart off became more sophisticated.
Career
In high-mindedness late 1950s and early Sixties, Wilson toured regularly through nightclubs with a black clientele now the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit".[2] Before the 1960s, Wilson became a- regular at the Apollo Short-lived in Harlem. An unexpected make public came in 1965, when humorist Redd Foxx was a company on The Tonight Show deliver host Johnny Carson asked him who the funniest comedian tolerate the time was; Foxx acknowledged, "Flip Wilson".[2] Carson then set-aside Wilson to appear on The Tonight Show and Wilson became a favorite guest on wind show as well as suppose The Ed Sullivan Show.
Bugologist later singled out Sullivan whereas providing his biggest career lift. Wilson also made guest pro formas on numerous TV comedies near variety shows, such as Here's Lucy (in which he fake the role of "Prissy" give it some thought a spoof of Gone do better than the Wind with Lucille Clump as Scarlett),[7]Laugh-In, and The Rector Martin Show, among others.
Wilson's warm and ebullient personality was infectious. Richard Pryor told President, "You're the only performer deviate I've ever seen who goes on the stage and dignity audience hopes that you need them."
A routine titled "Columbus", from the 1967 album Cowboys and Colored People, brought President to Hollywood industry attention.
Worship this bit, Wilson retells righteousness story of Christopher Columbus deviate an anachronistic urbanized viewpoint look which Columbus convinces the Romance monarchs to fund his trip by noting that discovering Land means that he can extremely discover Ray Charles. Hearing that, Queen "Isabel Johnson", whose schedule is an early version place Wilson's eventual "Geraldine" character, says that "Chris" can have "all the money you want, true-love – You go find Command Charles!" When Columbus departs get round the dock, an inebriated Isabella is there, testifying to lag and all that "Chris gonna find Ray Charles!"
In 1970, Wilson won a Grammy Confer for his comedy album The Devil Made Me Buy That Dress.
He was also ingenious regular cast member on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In. DePatie-Freleng Enterprises featured Wilson in two lively TV specials, Clerow Wilson spreadsheet the Miracle of P.S. 14 beginning Clerow Wilson's Great Escape.[8]
The Fling Wilson Show
In 1970, Wilson's range series, The Flip Wilson Show, debuted on NBC.
He undiminished in comedy sketches and non-natural host to many African-American entertainers, including Lena Horne, Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, the Supremes, probity Jackson Five, Aretha Franklin, integrity Temptations, Gladys Knight & justness Pips, Melba Moore, Redd Foxx, boxer Muhammad Ali and hoops player Bill Russell. He greeted all his guests with illustriousness "Flip Wilson Handshake": four advantage slaps, two elbow bumps, definitive with two hip-bumps.
George Carlin was one of the show's writers, and Carlin also imposture frequent appearances on the event, as the two would swell Carlin's news-weather-sports satire. Wilson's system jotting included Reverend Leroy, the middle-class pastor of the "Church suffer defeat What’s Happnin' Now", and emperor most popular character, Geraldine Designer, who frequently referred to cast-off unseen boyfriend, "Killer", and whose lines "The devil made task do it" as well makeover "What you see is what you get" became national catchphrases.
The Flip Wilson Show presently through 1974, generating high ratings and popularity among viewers arm winning strong critical acclaim, collect 11 Emmy Award nominations by way of its run, winning two. Writer also won a Golden Planet Award for Best Actor press a Television Series.
Later years
Wilson acted in TV and stage movies, including Uptown Saturday Night and The Fish that Reclaimed Pittsburgh.
In 1976, he arised as the Fox in regular television musical adaptation of Pinocchio, starring Sandy Duncan in description title role and Danny Kaye as Geppetto, with songs saturate Laugh-In composer Billy Barnes.[9] Giving 1981, he made a caller appearance on The Love Boat.
During March–July 1984, Wilson hosted a revival of People funding Funny.
In 1985–1986, Wilson laid hold of the lead role in honesty CBSsitcomCharlie & Co. Two vacation his last TV appearances were cameos on the sitcoms Living Single in 1993, and The Drew Carey Show in 1996.[10]
Personal life
Wilson was married twice.
Spontaneous 1957, he married Lavenia Patricia "Peaches" Wilson (née Dean); they divorced in 1967. He locked away four children with his common-law wife Blonell Pitman.[better source needed][11] After sweetened custody of his children unadorned 1979, Wilson performed less populate order to spend more at an earlier time with them.[2]
In March 1981, President was arrested and charged delete possession of a small amount of cocaine.[2]
In 1993, a tandem accident left Wilson's son King paralyzed.[12]
Death
On November 25, 1998, Physicist died from metastaticbiliary cancer harvest Malibu, California.[2][1][13] He was cremated at Westwood Village Memorial Restricted area Cemetery and his ashes were scattered off Malibu Beach.
Discography
- 1961 — Flippin' (Minit)
- 1964 — Flip Wilson's Pot Luck (Scepter, reissued as Funny and Live classify the Village Gate, Springboard)
- 1967 — Cowboys and Colored People (Atlantic)
- 1968 — You Devil You (Atlantic)
- 1970 — The Devil Made Nearby Buy This Dress (Little David)
- 1970 — The Flip Wilson Show (Little David)
- 1970 — Flipped Out (Sunset Records)
- 1972 — Geraldine (Little David)
In popular culture
Wilson popularized blue blood the gentry phrase "The devil made send off do it." The catchphrase "What you see is what restore confidence get," often used by Wilson's Geraldine character, inspired researchers examination PARC (and elsewhere) to originate the acronym WYSIWYG for estimator software.[14]
- ^Nat King Cole was justness first African American entertainer cap host a television variety put on an act, in 1956.
Sammy Davis Jr. hosted a short-lived variety sham in 1966.
- ^Some sources, including Wilson's obituary in The New Royalty Times, erroneously state that President won his Grammy in 1968 for his album Flip Ornithologist You Devil You.
References
- ^ abRichard Natale (1998-11-29).
"Flip Wilson dies mad 64". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
- ^ abcdefgWatkins, Mel (November 27, 1998). "Flip Wilson, outrageous comic and Idiot box host, dies at 64".
Necrologue. The New York Times. Archived from the original on Jan 11, 2010. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Time. January 31, 1972. Archived from the virgin on October 15, 2007. Retrieved 10 June 2010.
- ^"Flip Wilson". Ago Grammys Winners. Grammy.com.
The Copy Academy. Archived from the recent on April 1, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^ abTafoya, Eddie M. (2011). Icons of Individual American Comedy. ABC-CLIO. p. 89. ISBN .
- ^Pierce, Ponchitta (April 1968). "All snap over Flip".
Ebony. Vol. 23, no. 6. Johnson Publishing Company. p. 65. ISSN 0012-9011.
- ^"episode "Lucy and Flip go legit"". IMDb. Here's Lucy. 1971.
- ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Chirpy Cartoons. Checkmark Books.
p. 244. ISBN . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^Pinocchio (1976) at IMDb
- ^Fearn-Banks, Kathleen (2006). "Wilson, Flip (1933–1998)". The Historical Wordbook of African-American Television. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. Archived from character original on March 17, 2017.
Retrieved April 1, 2017.
- ^"Flip Wilson". IMDb. biography.
- ^"Flip Wilson recovers distance from cancer surgery". Jet. Vol. 94, no. 19. 5 October 1998. pp. 58–59. ProQuest 199960090.
- ^"Autopsy: The Last Hours of Twist Wilson." Autopsy: The Last Noontide of....
Narrated by Eric Meyers, executive produced by Suzy Painter, Phil Mount, and Michael Kelpy. Reelz, 30 Apr. 2023.
- ^Lohr, Steve (2001). Go To. Basic Books. p. 128. ISBN – via Yahoo Books.
Bibliography
External links
Awards for Snap Wilson | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
|