Sid
Raymond
(January 21, 1909 – December 1, 2006)
 The
Florida Comedy Guide proudly pays tribute to someone who never
made the American lexicon, yet spent years entertaining people
unheralded. He made many comedic and dramatic appearances
through the years in memorable movies and TV shows, yet was
always the guy next to the star. But without his presence
and efforts, the pictures he was in would not have been the
same.
Born in 1909 as Raymond Silverstein, Sid spent the early part
of his career as so many others had: in the Catskills. An
inspiration act to many of us in the comedy industry, he spent
time in WWII traveling into combat zones to entertain the
troupes...even under fire. With a lot of time spent on radio,
he developed a talent for voices and characters.
In the late 40's and 50's, Sid was featured in animated cartoons.
He became the voice of Katnip and did various voices for secondary
characters for the popular Popeye series. These appearances
have been overshadowed over the years by the continued popularity
of his extrememly successful characters, Baby Huey and of
course, Heckle and Jeckle.
As you know, we have also paid tribute to Jackie
Gleason. Sid worked with "The Great One" on
The Honeymooners when he appeared as Mr. Bartfeld in
the episode "The Babysitter". He also had many other
ensemble appearances in various dramatic and comedic TV series.
These continued his constant work as a character actor.
His film appearances have had him seen by most audiences,
though few would be able to identify him. He has appeared
with many top stars including appearances in the Hustler
and the Prize (though uncredited) with Paul Newman,
Pajama Game with Liza Minnelli, Hot Stuff with
Dom DeLuise and Ossie Davis, Let It Ride with Richard
Dreyfuss, Folks with Tom Selleck and Don Ameche, My
Father the Hero with Gerard Depardieu and Katherine Heigl,
Making Mr. Right with John Malkovich, and Big Trouble
with Tim Allen and Rene Russo.
A
27-minute documentary about Sid Raymond, "Sid at 90,"
was produced in 2002 by Howard Weinberg. The show premiered
at the Lincoln Center in New York as part of the 12th Annual
New York Jewish Film Festival in January of 2003. The show
featured Sid and discussed his life and career. If you have
an interest in Sid Raymond, you should definitely check out
this video. Information on the documentary is available on
the Howard Weinberg website at www.howardweinberg.net.
Never one to not work, Sid was constantly looking for his
next performance. Over the last few years of his life, he
was continually going on auditions. This resulted in his leaving
a lasting impression on the next generation of audiences by
appearing on the extremely popular show The O.C. as
Stu in the episode "The Return of the Nana."
On
the day he passed away, his agent called him at his home in
Aventura about a commercial audition. An actor to the end.
Sid was married for 69 years to Dorothy. He is survived by
Dorothy, his daughters Margo and Cynthia, and has two sisters
and a granddaughter.
Though he will always be remembered for the characters he
played, it is the man we pay tribute for because he made us
laugh. His work was loved by millions and will not soon be
forgotten.
Find
Comedy In Your Area
More
information on the history
of improv is available on the Improv
Miami website and information on the history of stand-up
is available on our History of Stand-Up
page.
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