Sheldon Leonard
Known for Acting · 113 credits
- Born
- 1907-02-22
- Died
- 1997-01-10
- Place of birth
- Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- Also known as
- S.L. Bershad · S. L. Bershad · Sheldon Leonard Bershad
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and writer. Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle class Jewish parents Anna Levit and Frank Bershad. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1929.
As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick), To Have and Have Not (1944), Guys and Dolls (1955), and Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent, usually delivered from the side of his mouth. In Decoy (1946), Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled police detective Joe Portugal.
On radio from 1945 to 1955, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program and later in the TV series of the same name. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey Bud. C'mere a minute."), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant racing logic. As "The Tout," he never gave out information on horse racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was, "Who knows about horses?"
Leonard was part of the cast of voice actors on the Damon Runyon Theatre radio show (1948-1949). He was part of the ensemble cast of the Martin and Lewis radio show. He also appeared frequently on The Adventures of the Saint, often playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles. Leonard was also a regular on the radio comedy series The Adventures of Maisie in the 1940s. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy fat cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons directed by Robert McKimson. In the adventure movie The Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives.
Known For
TV Shows (34)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
Murder, She Wrote
1984
as Sgt. Bulldog Kowalski
Cheers
1982
as Sid Nelson
The Cosby Show
1984
as Dr. Wexler
The Merv Griffin Show
1962
as Self
Matlock
1986
as Casino Tipster
The Facts of Life
1979
The Lucy Show
1962
as Sheldon Leonard
I Love Lucy
1951
as Harry Martin (uncredited)
Burke's Law
1963
as Ronald 'Touchy' Touchstone / 'Chicasaw Pete' Wickowski
American Masters
1986
as Self - Interviewee (archive footage)
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
as Norman Miles
The Dick Van Dyke Show
1961
as Big Max Calvada
Sanford and Son
1972
The Colgate Comedy Hour
1950
as Self
Dinah!
1974
as Self
The Bob Hope Show
1950
as Self
The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show
1950
as Johnny Velvet / Silky Thompson
The Jack Benny Program
1950
as Elevator Tout / Racetrack Tout / Tombstone Harry / Bobby Darin's Agent (uncredited)
Tonight Starring Jack Paar
1957
as Self
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968
as Self (uncredited)
Dream On
1990
as Don Monteleoni
The Danny Thomas Show
1953
as Gus / Phil Brokaw
I Spy
1965
as Disc Jockey
Screen Director's Playhouse
1955
as George
The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts
1973
as Self
My World and Welcome to It
1969
The David Susskind Show
1959
as Self
General Electric Theater
1953
Big Eddie
1975
Linus the Lionhearted
1964
as Linus (voice)
Your Jeweler's Showcase
1952
as Hardwick Harris
The Duke
1954
as Sam Marco
Movies (79)
It's a Wonderful Life
1946
as Nick
Guys and Dolls
1955
as Harry the Horse
Pocketful of Miracles
1961
as Steve Darcey
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987
as Self (archive footage)
Somewhere in the Night
1946
as Sam
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet the Invisible Man
1951
as Boots Morgan
Tortilla Flat
1942
as Tito Ralph
To Have and Have Not
1945
as Lt. Coyo
Captain Kidd
1945
as Cyprian Boyle
Another Thin Man
1939
as Phil Church
Open Secret
1948
as Detective Sgt. Mike Frontelli
The Brink's Job
1978
as J. Edgar Hoover
Sinbad the Sailor
1947
as Auctioneer
Hit the Ice
1943
as Harry 'Silky' Fellowsby
The Diamond Queen
1953
as Mogul
Married Bachelor
1941
as Johnny Brannigan
Lucky Jordan
1942
as Slip Moran
Crime, Inc.
1945
as Capt. Ferrone
The Gangster
1947
as Cornell
Money from Home
1953
as Jumbo Schneider
Young Man with Ideas
1952
as Rodwell 'Brick' Davis
The Falcon in Hollywood
1944
as Louie Buchanan
Here Come the Nelsons
1952
as Duke
Tall, Dark and Handsome
1941
as Pretty Willie Williams
Take One False Step
1949
as Detective Pacciano
The Iroquois Trail
1950
as Chief Ogane
Street of Chance
1942
as Joe Marruci
The Last Crooked Mile
1946
as Ed 'Wires' MacGuire
Uncertain Glory
1944
as Henri Duval
My Dream Is Yours
1949
as Grimes
Sheldon Leonard's Wonderful Life
2011
as Self
Zombies on Broadway
1945
as Ace Miller
Stop, You're Killing Me
1952
as Lefty
Ouanga
1935
as LeStrange, the Overseer
Frontier Gal
1945
as 'Blackie' Shoulders
Come Fill the Cup
1951
as Lennie Garr
The Islander
1978
as Paul Lazaro
Decoy
1946
as Sergeant Joe Portugal
Behave Yourself!
1951
as Shortwave Bert
Top Secret
1978
as Carl Vitale
Rise and Shine
1941
as Menace
Radio Stars on Parade
1945
as Lucky Maddox
If You Knew Susie
1948
as Steve Garland
Bowery Bombshell
1946
as Ace Deuce Baker
Jinx Money
1948
as Lippy Harris
City Without Men
1943
as Monk LaRue
Trocadero
1944
as Mickey Jones
Buy Me That Town
1941
as Chink Moran
Passport to Suez
1943
as Johnny Booth
Color Adjustment
1992
as Self
Why Girls Leave Home
1945
as Chris Williams
Shep Comes Home
1948
as 'Swifty' Lewis
Joe Palooka in Winner Take All
1948
as Hermon
Born to Sing
1942
as Pete Detroit
Kiddin' the Kitten
1952
as Dodsworth (voice) (uncredited)
River Gang
1945
as Peg Leg
Timber Queen
1944
as Smacksie Golden
Gambler's Choice
1944
as Chappie Wilson
The Fabulous Joe
1947
as Louie
Week-End in Havana
1941
as Boris
Taxi, Mister
1943
as Gangster Louis Glorio / The Frisco Ghost
Violence
1947
as Fred Stalk
Alias a Gentleman
1948
as Harry Bealer
My Mummy's Arms
1934
as Abdullah
Harvest Melody
1943
as Chuck
Madonna of the Desert
1948
as Nick Julian
Private Nurse
1941
as John Winton
Daughter of the Jungle
1949
as Dalton Kraik
Klondike Kate
1943
as 'Sometime' Smith
The Gentleman Misbehaves
1946
as Trigger Stazzi
Rainbow Over Texas
1946
as Kirby Haynes
Sock a Doodle Do
1952
as Kid Banty (voice) (uncredited)
The Bowery Boys: Legends of Laughter
2020
as Self (archive footage)
Pierre of the Plains
1942
as Clairou
A Peck o' Trouble
1953
as Dodsworth (voice)
Her Kind of Man
1946
as Felix Bender
Breakdown
1952
as Nick Sampson
The Making of 'It's a Wonderful Life'
1990
as Self
The Gem of the Ocean
1934
as Pasha
About Sheldon Leonard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and writer. Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle class Jewish parents Anna Levit and Frank Bershad. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1929. As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick), To Have and Have Not (1944)… With 113 credits spanning from 1934 to 2020, Sheldon Leonard has appeared in 79 films and 34 TV shows.
Fans searching for Sheldon Leonard movies, Sheldon Leonard filmography, or the latest projects starring Sheldon Leonard can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Sheldon Leonard Movies
- It's a Wonderful Life (1946) — as Nick
- Guys and Dolls (1955) — as Harry the Horse
- Pocketful of Miracles (1961) — as Steve Darcey
- James Stewart: A Wonderful Life (1987) — as Self (archive footage)
- Somewhere in the Night (1946) — as Sam
Where to Watch Sheldon Leonard Films
Most Sheldon Leonard movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Sheldon Leonard, check our movies catalogue and browse page.