Comedy in History - On This Day

Events 1 - 100 of 247 1892-02-20 Comedy "Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman" by Oscar Wilde premieres at St James Theatre, London 1923-02-01 Nol Coward's stage comedy "The Young Idea" premieres at the Savoy Theatre, London; runs for 60 performances

Events in Film & TV

Events 1 - 100 of 247

  • 1598-04-30 1st theater performance in America, the Spanish comedy Rio Grande
  • 1695-04-30 William Congreve's Restoration comedy "Love for Love" premieres in London
  • 1750-05-02 Carlo Goldoni's comedy "La Botega di Caffè" (The Coffee Shop) premieres in Mantua
  • 1771-11-04 Carlo Goldoni's prose comedy "Le Bourru Bienfaisant" premieres in Paris
  • 1777-05-08 Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy play "School for Scandal" premieres in London
  • 1787-04-16 1st American comedy, "The Contrast," makes its debut in NYC
  • 1852-11-20 Charles Reade and Tom Taylor's historical comedy play "Masks & Faces" premieres in London
  • 1852-12-08 Gustav Freytag's comedy play "The Journalists" premieres in Breslau
  • 1886-09-25 Comedy opera "Dorothy" first produced in London

Lady Windermere's Fan

1892-02-20 Comedy "Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman" by Oscar Wilde premieres at St James Theatre, London

  • 1912-12-23 1st "Keystone Kops" silent slapstick comedy film, entitled "Hoffmeyer's Legacy" is released

"The Young Idea"

1923-02-01 Noël Coward's stage comedy "The Young Idea" premieres at the Savoy Theatre, London; runs for 60 performances

  • 1925-04-21 Noël Coward's controversial comedy play "Fallen Angels" premieres in London, after initially being refused a license due to the loose morals of the female characters
  • 1927-01-10 Howard Lindsay and Bertrand Robinson's stage comedy "Tommy", starring Alan Bunce, Peg Entwistle, and Sidney Toler, opens at the Gaiety Theatre, NYC; runs for 232 performances
  • 1927-02-16 Noël Coward's stage comedy "The Marquise", starring Marie Tempest, opens at the Criterion Theatre, London; runs for 129 performances
  • 1927-06-11 Noël Coward's stage comedy "The Marquise", starring Marie Tempest, closes at the Criterion Theatre, London, after 129 performances
  • 1927-07-23 Howard Lindsay and Bertrand Robinson's stage comedy "Tommy", starring Alan Bunce, Peg Entwistle, and Sidney Toler, closes at the Gaiety Theatre, NYC, after 232 performances
  • 1930-09-24 G Kaufman & M Hart's comedy "Once in a Lifetime" premieres in NY

"City Lights"

1931-01-30 "City Lights", American silent romantic comedy film directed by Charlie Chaplin, starring himself and Virginia Cherrill, premieres at Los Angeles Theater

  • 1933-01-24 Noël Coward's stage comedy "Design for Living", starring Alfred Lunt; Lynn Fontanne, and Coward himself, opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC; runs for 155 performances
  • 1935-09-07 Romantic comedy film "Page Miss Glory" starring Marion Davies premieres in the USA
  • 1935-11-15 "A Night at the Opera", comedy film directed by Sam Wood, starring the Marx Brothers, is released
  • 1936-07-07 RCA broadcasts the first real TV program, a variety show with dancing, a film on locomotives, a Bonwit Teller fashion show, and a monologue from Tobacco Road

Room Service

1937-05-19 John Murray and Allen Boretz's stage comedy "Room Service", starring Sam Levene, Eddie Albert, and Phillip Loeb, opens at the Cort Theatre, NYC; runs for 500 performances

  • 1938-07-16 John Murray and Allen Boretz's stage comedy "Room Service", starring Sam Levene, Eddie Albert, and Phillip Loeb, closes at the Cort Theatre, NYC, after 500 performances
  • 1938-09-21 RKO film comedy "Room Service", starring the Marx Brothers, based on Allen Boretz and John Murray's play, premieres in NYC
  • 1939-04-17 SN Behrman's "No Time for Comedy" premieres in NYC

The Man Who Came to Dinner

1939-10-16 George Kaufman and Moss Hart's comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner" opens at the Music Box Theatre, NYC; runs for 739 performances

  • 1939-11-08 Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse's stage comedy "Life with Father" opens at Empire Theatre, NYC, later transferring to the Bijou, and then the Alvin Theatre; runs for 3224 performances

Ninotchka

1939-11-09 Romantic comedy film "Ninotchka" directed by Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo premieres

  • 1940-01-09 James Thurber and Elliott Nugent's stage comedy "The Male Animal" opens at the Cort Theater. NYC; runs for 243 performances
  • 1940-08-03 James Thurber and Elliott Nugent's stage comedy "The Male Animal" closes at the Cort Theater. NYC, after 243 performances

Abbott and Costello

1942-10-08 Comedy duo Abbott and Costello launch their weekly radio show

  • 1947-07-12 Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse's stage comedy "Life with Father" closes at the Alvin Theatre, NYC, after 3224 performances
  • 1947-11-01 Gian Carlo Menotti's musical drama/comedy double bill "The Medium" and " The Telephone" closes at The Ethel Barrymore Theatre, NYC after 211 performances
  • 1949-05-29 Candid Camera, TV comedy show, moves to NBC
  • 1950-05-02 Carlo Terron's comedy "Giuditta" premieres in Milan

"Out of This World"

1950-12-21 Cole Porter's musical "Out of This World" an adaptation of Titus Plautus's mythological comedy Amphitryon, starring George Gaynes, opens at New Century Theater, NYC; runs for 157 performances

  • 1951-05-05 Cole Porter's musical "Out of This World" an adaptation of Titus Plautus's mythological comedy Amphitryon, starring George Gaynes, closes at New Century Theater, NYC, after 157 performances
  • 1953-06-11 "Amos 'n Andy" TV Comedy, also radio from '29; last aired on CBS
  • 1953-08-27 Romantic comedy film "Roman Holiday" is released, starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, and Eddie Albert

Comedy in Music

1953-10-02 Victor Borge's one-man show "Comedy in Music" opens at John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 849 performances, a Guinness world record

Ladies of the Corridor

1954-10-21 Dorothy Parker and Arnaud d'Usseau's black comedy stage play "Ladies of the Corridor" opens at the Longacre Theater, NYC; runs for 45 performances

Hancock's Half Hour

1954-11-02 BBC radio comedy "Hancock's Half Hour" debuts starring Tony Hancock and Sid James, written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson

  • 1955-06-12 TV comedy "Mister Peepers" starring Wally Cox airs for last time on NBC

Film & TV History

1955-10-20 Ira Levin's stage comedy "No Time for Sergeants", based on Mac Hymans's novel, starring Andy Griffith, and featuring Don Knotts, opens at Alvin Theatre, NYC; runs for 796 performances

The Ladykillers

1955-12-08 Black Ealing comedy "The Ladykillers", directed by Alexander Mackendrick and starring Alec Guinness is released in the UK

  • 1956-01-21 Victor Borge's one-man show "Comedy in Music" closes at John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 849 performances, a Guinness world record

The Girl Can't Help It

1956-12-01 Musical comedy film "The Girl Can't Help It" starring Jayne Mansfield with cameos by rock 'n' roll stars Little Richard, Eddie Cochran, and Gene Vincent premieres

  • 1957-01-04 "Blondie" situation comedy premieres on NBC TV (later on CBS)
  • 1958-04-03 Abe Burrows, Richard and Marian Bissell's comedy "Say, Darling" opens at ANTA Theater, NYC; runs for 332 performances
  • 1958-12-01 Liberty Records releases single "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)" by David Seville and the Chipmunks; it becomes a #1 hit, and wins 3 Grammy Awards (Comedy Performance, Children's Recording, and Best Engineered),
  • 1960-02-04 Lionel Bart's musical comedy "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be" opens at Garrick Theatre, London; runs for 886 pefromances

Music History

1961-05-10 Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller comedy revue "Beyond the Fringe" opens at the Fortune Theatre in London's West End

  • 1962-09-26 TV comedy series "Beverly Hillbillies" premieres on CBS
  • 1962-10-27 Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller comedy revue "Beyond the Fringe" opens at John Golden Theater, NYC; runs for 667 performances
  • 1964-05-30 Alan Bennett, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore and Jonathan Miller comedy revue "Beyond the Fringe" closes at John Golden Theater, NYC, after 667 performances
  • 1964-11-09 Victor Borge's "Comedy in Music - Opus 2" opens at John Golden Theatre, NYC; runs for 192 performances
  • 1964-11-11 Murray Schisgal's stage comedy "Luv", directed by Miks Nichols and starring Alan Arkin and Eli Wallach, opens at the Booth Theatre, later transferring to the Broadhurst, and then the Helen Hayes, NYC; runs for 901 performances, winning 3 Tony Awards
  • 1965-04-24 "Comedy in Music-Opus 2" closes at John Golden NYC after 192 performances
  • 1965-08-11 "Help!" a musical comedy film featuring the Beatles released in the US

Theatrical Finale

1967-01-07 Murray Schisgal's stage comedy "Luv", directed by Mike Nichols. and starring Alan Arkin and Eli Wallach, closes at the Helen Hayes Theater, NYC, after 901 performances, and 3 Tony Award wins

  • 1967-02-05 "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" variety show premieres on CBS TV [1]

Television Debut

1967-09-17 British rock band "The Who" make US television debut, performing "My Generation" on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour", and detonating Keith Moon's drum kit

  • 1968-10-06 The Beatles promotional films (music videos) for "Hey Jude" and "Revolution" first broadcast in the US on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour"
  • 1969-03-14 CBS-TV renews "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" for a third season
  • 1969-04-04 CBS-TV abruptly cancels "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" three weeks after renewing it, citing the program's failure to provide advance screening for review before airing [1]
  • 1969-06-08 "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" variety show last airs on CBS-TV [1]

Monty Python's Flying Circus

1969-10-05 TV sketch comedy series "Monty Python's Flying Circus" premieres on BBC1

M*A*S*H

1970-01-25 Dark comedy film "M*A*S*H", directed by Robert Altman, starring Donald Sutherland and Elliott Gould, and based on novel by Richard Hooker, premieres (Palme d'Or 1970)

  • 1970-11-09 Comedy troupe "The Goodies" make their television debut on the BBC
  • 1971-02-10 John Guares' stage comedy "House of Blue Leaves" opens at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre, NYC; runs for 337 performances

Birthdays in Film & TV

  • 1655-02-07 Jean-François Regnard, French comedy writer, dramatist and traveller (Slave in Algeria), born in Paris, France (d. 1709)
  • 1793-07-20 Aleksander Fredro, Polish poet and comedy writer (Pan Jowiolski), born in Surochów, Poland (d. 1876)
  • 1841-05-14 Sir Squire Bancroft [Butterfield], British actor and manager known for creating 'drawing-room comedy' (Haymarket), born in Rotherhithe, London (d. 1926)
  • 1871-06-14 Theo Frenkel, Dutch actor (Footlights, Hague's Comedy), born in Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands (d. 1956)
  • 1888-06-16 Bobby Clark, American vaudevillian, clown and actor (in comedy act with Paul McCullough), born in Springfield, Ohio (d. 1960)
  • 1890-08-12 Al Goodman, Russian-American orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), born in Nikopol, Russia (d. 1972)
  • 1891-12-05 Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), born In Buffalo, New York (d. 1937)
  • 1892-01-31 Eddie Cantor, American comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater), born in New York City (d. 1964)
  • 1897-04-15 Pedro Regas, Greek stage actor (Only Angels Have Wings, Pat Paulsen's Half a Comedy Hour), born in Goranoi, Greece (d. 1974)
  • 1903-01-04 Joris Diels, Flemish actor and director (It's a Cruel World, Haagsche Comedy), born in Antwerpen, Belgium (d. 1992)
  • 1905-02-04 Hylda Baker, English comedy actress, born in Farnworth, Lancashire, England (d. 1986)
  • 1906-09-30 John I M Stewart [pseudonym Michael Innes], Scottish detective writer (Comedy of Terrors), born in Edinburgh, Scotland (d. 1994)
  • 1910-12-02 Robert Paige, American actor, TV newscaster and political correspondent (Son of Dracula, Pardon My Sarong, Colgate Comedy Hour), born in Indianapolis, Indiana (d. 1987)
  • 1912-04-16 Catherine Scorsese [Cappa], Italian-American actress (The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear), born in New York City (d. 1997)
  • 1912-11-27 Connie Sawyer [Rosie Cohen], American actress known as "The Clown Princess of Comedy" (Pineapple Express, Dumb and Dumber), born in Pueblo, Colorado (d. 2018)
  • 1913-05-08 Sid James [Solomon Joel Cohen], South African-born British character and comedy actor (Hancock's Half Hour, Carry On), born in Johannesburg, Transvaal Province (d. 1976)
  • 1913-08-03 Mel Tolkin, Ukrainian television comedy writer, born in Odessa, Ukraine (d. 2007)
  • 1916-06-24 John Ciardi, American poet, translator (Dante's "Divine Comedy"), and literary commentator, born in Boston, Massachusetts (d. 1986)
  • 1920-03-23 Jimmy Edwards, British comedy writer and actor (Take It From Here, Whack-O!), born in Barnes, Surrey, England (d. 1988)
  • 1920-08-05 Selma Diamond, Canadian-American comedy writer (Your Show Of Shows), and actress (Night Court, 1984-85 - "Selma"), born in Montreal, Quebec (d. 1985)
  • 1922-02-07 Josephine "Hattie" Jacques, British comedy actress (Carry on films, Hancock's Half Hour), born in Kent, England (d. 1980)
  • 1922-03-23 Ugo Tognazzi, Italian comedy actor, director and screenwriter (La Cage Aux Folles, The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man), born in Cremona, Italy (d. 1990)
  • 1923-03-03 Barney Martin, American actor, comedy writer and NYPD detective (Seinfeld), born in Queens, New York (d. 2005)
  • 1923-05-04 Eric Sykes, British radio, stage and television comedy writer, actor and director (Goon Show; Sykes and A...), born in Oldham, Lancahsire, England (d. 2012)
  • 1924-06-08 George Kirby, American comedian (ABC Comedy Hour, Pearl Bailey Show), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1995)
  • 1924-10-13 Terry Gibbs [Julius Gubenko], American jazz vibraphonist and bandleader (The Dream Band; Steve Allen Comedy Hour), born in Brooklyn, New York
  • 1926-01-17 Dick Hills, British screenwriter, with Sid Green (Two Of A Kind; The Strange World of Gurney Slade), and comedian (Those Two Fellers), born in Eltham, England (d. 1996)
  • 1927-03-04 Robert Orben, American comedy writer, magician, and speechwriter for US Vice President Gerald Ford, born in New York City (d. 2023)
  • 1927-06-30 Pat McCormick, American comedy writer (Red Skeleton; Get Smart; The Tonight Show; Don Rickles Show), and actor (Smokey and the Bandit), born in Lakewood, Ohio (d. 2005)
  • 1927-07-06 Pat Paulsen, American comedian (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), actor, and frequent, presidential candidate, born in South Bend, Washington (d. 1997)
  • 1928-06-19 Barry Took, English comedy writer (d. 2002)
  • 1929-12-08 Ali Bongo [William Oliver Wallace], British comedy musician and magician (President of The Magic Circle - Shriek of Araby), born in England (d. 2009)
  • 1930-05-02 Bernard Slade [Newbound], Canadian screenwriter (The Flying Nun; The Partridge Family), and playwright (Same Time, Next Year; Romantic Comedy), born in St. Catherines, Ontario (d. 2019)
  • 1930-07-25 Mitzi Shore [Lillian Saidel], American owner of The Comedy Store and founder of The Comedy Channel, born in Menominee, Michigan (d. 2018)
  • 1931-05-19 Eric Davidson, English screenwriter (Look, Mike Yarwood!), born in Deptford, England (d. 1996)
  • 1931-07-28 Darryl Hickman, American actor (Men of Boys Town; The Human Comedy; Tea and Sympathy), and screenwriter, born in Hollywood, California (d. 2024)
  • 1933-11-15 Barbara Carson, American actress (Comedy Tonight, Carter Country), born in Memphis, Tennessee (d. 1990)
  • 1934-03-22 Larry Martyn, English comedy actor (d. 1994)
  • 1935-10-23 Jimmy Dale, British-Canadian pianist and orchestra leader (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), born in London, England (d. 2017)
  • 1936-02-04 David Brenner, American stand-up comedian and TV talk show host (Nightlife) known as a pioneer of observational comedy, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (d. 2014)
  • 1938-08-24 Mason Williams, American musician, songwriter ("Classical Gas", Smother Brothers Comedy Hour), author, and photographer, born in Abilene, Texas
  • 1939-03-09 John Howard Davies, British child actor (Oliver Twist), and television comedy producer and director (Monty Python's Flying Circus; Fawlty Towers; The Good Life), born in Paddington, England (d. 2011)
  • 1939-04-05 David Winters, American choreographer and director (Steve Allen Comedy Hour), born in London, England
  • 1940-11-22 Terry Gilliam, comedy author-animator (Monty Python), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • 1942-10-30 Sven-David Sandström, Swedish composer (Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy), born in Motala, Sweden (d. 2019)
  • 1943-05-15 Harve Brosten, American comedy writer (All In The Family, 1975-77), born in Chicago, Illinois
  • 1944-02-26 Marilyn Michaels, American comedian (ABC Comedy Hour), born in New York City
  • 1944-05-07 Richard O'Sullivan, British comedy actor (Man About the House), born in Chiswick, London
  • 1946-09-27 Robin Nedwell, English comedy actor (d. 1999)
  • 1947-02-25 Anne Beatts, American comedy writer (National Lampoon magazine; Saturday Night Live, 1975-79; Square Pegs), born in Buffalo, New York (d. 2021) [1]
  • 1948-11-10 Mário Viegas, Portuguese actor (The Jew, Divine Comedy, Funeral of Patrao), born in Santarém, Portugal (d. 1996)
  • 1948-11-23 Bruce Vilanch, American comedy writer (head writer for the Oscars), born in New York City
  • 1950-10-30 Louise Duart, American comedienne (Paramount Comedy Theater # 5), born in Quincy, Massachusetts
  • 1951-07-27 Janet Eilber, American actress (Hard to Hold, Romantic Comedy), born in Detroit, Michigan
  • 1953-06-21 Robyn Douglass, American actress (Lonely Guy, Romantic Comedy), born in Sendai, Japan
  • 1955-01-06 Sandra Bernhard, American actress (Follow That Bird, King of Comedy), born in Flint, Michigan
  • 1955-06-06 Sandra Bernhard, American stand-up comic and actress (The King of Comedy; Roseanne - "Nancy"), born in Flint, Michigan
  • 1955-07-09 Fred Norris [Nukis], American comedy writer (Howard Stern Show), singer, guitarist, and actor, born in Willimantic, Connecticut
  • 1959-06-22 Wayne Federman, American comedian and comedy writer (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), born in Los Angeles, California
  • 1963-02-17 Larry the Cable Guy [Daniel Lawrence Whitney], American comedian (Blue Collar Comedy Tour), born in Pawnee City, Nebraska
  • 1963-04-22 Sean Lock, British comedian (British Comedy Award, 2000), and television personality, born in Chertsey, Surrey, England (d. 2021)
  • 1965-02-25 Carrot Top [Scott Thompson], Fla, comedian (Amer Comedy Award-1994)
  • 1966-10-31 Jon Wurster, American session and touring drummer (Superchunk; The Mountain Goats; Bob Mould), and comedy writer, born in Sellersville, Pennsylvania
  • 1970-11-07 Neil Hannon, Northern Irish musician (The Divine Comedy), born in Derry, Northern Ireland
  • 1974-04-24 Comedy Dave [David Lloyd Vitty], British radio personality, born in Hong Kong
  • 1987-11-30 Ian Hecox, Part of the America Online comedy duo Smosh

Weddings in Film & TV

Lucille Ball

1961-11-19 American television comedy icon Lucille Ball (50) weds American stand-up comic Gary Morton (36) at Marble Collegiate Church, NYC, the second marriage for both

  • 2005-10-09 "The O.C." writer and talk show host Regis Philbin's daughter Jennifer Joy Philbin (31) weds NBC comedy series "The Office" writer Michael Schur (32) at St. Ignatius Loyola Church in New York City
  • 2014-05-25 Happy Endings actress Casey Wilson (33) weds comedy writer David Caspe (35) in Ojai, California

Deaths in Film & TV

  • 1556-12-23 Nicholas Udall, English playwright (wrote the 1st comedy in English "Ralph Roister Doister"), dies at about 52
  • 1721-09-20 Thomas Doggett, British comedy actor (Drury Lane Theatre), dies at approximately 51
  • 1876-07-15 Aleksander Fredro, Polish poet and comedy writer (Zemstra), dies at 82
  • 1926-04-19 Sir Squire Bancroft [Butterfield], British actor and manager known for creating 'drawing-room comedy' (Haymarket), dies at 84
  • 1937-06-18 Al Boasberg, American vaudeville, radio and film comedy writer (Jack Benny; Bob Hope; The Marx Brothers), dies of a heart attack at 44
  • 1956-09-20 Theo Frenkel, Dutch actor (Footlights, Hague's Comedy), dies at 85
  • 1960-01-02 Cees [Cornelis J] Laseur, Dutch actor and director (Hague Comedy), dies at 60
  • 1960-02-12 Bobby Clark, American vaudevillian, clown and actor (in comedy act with Paul McCullough), dies at 71
  • 1961-06-02 Peter H "Paul" Huf, actor and director (Dutch Comedy), dies at 70
  • 1964-10-10 Eddie Cantor, American comedian (Eddie Cantor Comedy Theater), dies at 72
  • 1972-01-10 Al Goodman, Russian-American orchestra leader (NBC Comedy Hour), dies at 81
  • 1976-04-26 Sid James [Solomon Joel Cohen], South African-born British character & comedy actor (Hancock's Half Hour, Carry On), dies from a heart attack at 62
  • 1980-10-06 Josephine "Hattie" Jacques, British comedy actress (Carry on films, Hancock's Half Hour), dies of a heart attack at 58
  • 1983-03-28 Ank [Anna M] van der Moer, actress (Verkade, Dutch Comedy), dies at 71
  • 1983-12-31 Frank Link, actor (Burns & Schreiber Comedy Show), dies at 46
  • 1985-05-13 Selma Diamond, Canadian-American comedy writer (Your Show Of Shows), and actress (Night Court, 1984-85 - "Selma"), dies of lung cancer at 64
  • 1986-05-01 Hylda Baker, English comedy actress (b. 1905)
  • 1987-12-21 Robert Paige, American actor, TV newscaster and political correspondent (Son of Dracula, Pardon My Sarong, Colgate Comedy Hour), dies 77
  • 1988-07-07 Jimmy Edwards, British comedy writer and actor (Take It From Here - "Pa Glum"; Whack-O - "Professor"!), dies from pneumonia at 68
  • 1990-10-27 Ugo Tognazzi, Italian comedy actor, director and screenwriter (La Cage Aux Folles, The Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man), dies of a brain hemorrhage at 68
  • 1992-04-04 Sy Kramer, singer/comedy writer dies of cancer at 59
  • 1993-03-02 Paul D Zimmerman, American screenwriter (King of Comedy), dies at 54
  • 1994-08-07 Larry Martyn, British comedy actor (Are You Being Served), dies at 60
  • 1994-11-08 Michael O'Donoghue, American comedy writer (SNL), dies of a cerebral hemorrhage at 54
  • 1994-11-14 John I M Stewart, detective writer (A Comedy of Terrors), dies at 88
  • 1995-09-30 George Kirby, American comedian (ABC Comedy Hour, Pearl Bailey Show), dies at 71
  • 1996-04-01 Mário Viegas, Portuguese actor (The Jew, Divine Comedy, Funeral of Patrao), dies at 47
  • 1996-05-20 Eric Davidson, comedy scriptwriter, dies at 65
  • 1996-06-06 Dick Hills, British screenwriter, with Sid Green (Two Of A Kind; The Strange World of Gurney Slade), and comedian (Those Two Fellers), dies at 70
  • 1997-01-06 Catherine Scorsese [Cappa], Italian-American actress (The King of Comedy, Goodfellas, Cape Fear), dies from Alzheimer's disease at 84
  • 1997-04-24 Pat Paulsen, American comedian (The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour), actor, and frequent presidential candidate, dies of kidney failure while being treated for cancer at 69
  • 2005-03-21 Barney Martin, American actor, comedy writer and NYPD detective (Seinfeld), dies of lung cancer at 82
  • 2005-07-29 Pat McCormick, American comedy writer (Red Skeleton; Get Smart; The Tonight Show; Don Rickles Show), and actor (Smokey and the Bandit), dies at 78
  • 2005-08-18 Gao Xiumin, Chinese comedy actress (b. 1959)
  • 2006-11-10 Diana Coupland, British comedy actress (b. 1932)
  • 2007-11-26 Mel Tolkin, Ukrainian television comedy writer, dies at 94
  • 2008-08-29 Geoffrey Perkins, British comedy producer (b. 1953)
  • 2009-03-08 Ali Bongo [William Oliver Wallace], British comedy musician and magician (President of The Magic Circle - Shriek of Araby), dies at 79
  • 2010-09-29 Greg Giraldo, American comedian (Comedy Central Roast), dies of an overdose at 44
  • 2011-04-23 John Sullivan, British comedy writer, dies at 64
  • 2011-08-23 John Howard Davies, British child actor (Oliver Twist), and television comedy producer and director (Monty Python's Flying Circus; Fawlty Towers; The Good Life), dies of cancer at 72
  • 2012-07-04 Eric Sykes, British radio, stage and television comedy writer, actor and director (Goon Show, Sykes and A...), dies at 89
  • 2014-03-15 David Brenner, American stand-up comedian and TV talk show host (Nightlife) known as a pioneer of observational comedy, dies from cancer at 78
  • 2017-05-20 Jimmy Dale, British-Canadian pianist and orchestra leader (The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour), dies at 81
  • 2018-01-21 Connie Sawyer [Rosie Cohen], American actress known as "The Clown Princess of Comedy" (Pineapple Express, Dumb and Dumber), dies at 105
  • 2018-04-11 Mitzi Shore [Lillian Saidel], American owner of The Comedy Store and founder of The Comedy Channel, dies at 87
  • 2019-06-10 Sven-David Sandström, Swedish composer (Jeppe: The Cruel Comedy), dies of cancer at 76
  • 2019-10-30 Bernard Slade [Newbound], Canadian screenwriter (The Flying Nun; The Partridge Family), and playwright (Same Time, Next Year; Romantic Comedy), dies of Lewy body dementia at 89
  • 2021-04-07 Anne Beatts, American comedy writer (National Lampoon magazine; Saturday Night Live, 1975-79; Square Pegs), dies at 74
  • 2021-08-16 Sean Lock, British comedian (British Comedy Award, 2000), and television personality, dies of cancer at 58
  • 2023-02-02 Robert Orben, American comedy writer, magician, and speechwriter for US Vice President Gerald Ford, dies at 95
  • 2024-05-22 Darryl Hickman, American actor (Men of Boys Town; The Human Comedy; Tea and Sympathy), and screenwriter, dies at 92

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