Marty Feldman(1934-1982)
- Writer
- Actor
- Script and Continuity Department
"I am too old to die young, and too young to grow up," Marty Feldman told a
reporter -- a week before he died.
This beloved comedian, who poked fun
at himself, as well as others, was born Martin Alan Feldman on July 8, 1934, in London, England. His parents were of Ukrainian Jewish heritage (from Kiev). He was the son of Cecilia (née Crook) and Myer Feldman, a gown manufacturer. Marty spent his
childhood in the poverty-stricken London East End and left school at
the age of 15, hoping for a career as a jazz trumpeter (his appearance
in a Variety show earned him the title "the worst trumpeter in the
world"). He had just started his comedy career, as a writer for BBC
radio programs and TV shows in the late 1950s, when he married Lauretta
Sullivan in January 1959 (they would stay married until his death in
1982). There's a saying: "Your face is your fortune"; Marty had
received a double-whammy. His nose was mangled in his youthful years in
a boxing match; his walleyed orbs were the result of both a hyperactive
thyroid and a botched operation after a car accident before his 30th
birthday, in 1963. American audiences first saw Marty in Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers (1968), where
he did comedy skits with Susie Ewing and the Golddiggers. He appeared in a
number of movies, his most-remembered role being that of Igor (pronounced Eye-Gor) in Young Frankenstein (1974). Besides acting, he made his
directorial debut in The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977). Beloved and popular, it seemed Marty was
to enjoy a long career in the entertainment field. However, he died of
a massive heart attack, caused by shellfish food poisoning, while
filming Yellowbeard (1983) in Mexico City, on December 2, 1982... he was only
48.
reporter -- a week before he died.
This beloved comedian, who poked fun
at himself, as well as others, was born Martin Alan Feldman on July 8, 1934, in London, England. His parents were of Ukrainian Jewish heritage (from Kiev). He was the son of Cecilia (née Crook) and Myer Feldman, a gown manufacturer. Marty spent his
childhood in the poverty-stricken London East End and left school at
the age of 15, hoping for a career as a jazz trumpeter (his appearance
in a Variety show earned him the title "the worst trumpeter in the
world"). He had just started his comedy career, as a writer for BBC
radio programs and TV shows in the late 1950s, when he married Lauretta
Sullivan in January 1959 (they would stay married until his death in
1982). There's a saying: "Your face is your fortune"; Marty had
received a double-whammy. His nose was mangled in his youthful years in
a boxing match; his walleyed orbs were the result of both a hyperactive
thyroid and a botched operation after a car accident before his 30th
birthday, in 1963. American audiences first saw Marty in Dean Martin Presents the Golddiggers (1968), where
he did comedy skits with Susie Ewing and the Golddiggers. He appeared in a
number of movies, his most-remembered role being that of Igor (pronounced Eye-Gor) in Young Frankenstein (1974). Besides acting, he made his
directorial debut in The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977). Beloved and popular, it seemed Marty was
to enjoy a long career in the entertainment field. However, he died of
a massive heart attack, caused by shellfish food poisoning, while
filming Yellowbeard (1983) in Mexico City, on December 2, 1982... he was only
48.