Bill Dana

Bill Dana is an American comedian, actor, and screenwriter. He often appeared on television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show, frequently in the guise of a heavily accented Mexican character named José Jiménez. Dana often portrayed the Jiménez character as an astronaut. Dana was born William Szathmary in Quincy, Massachusetts. He is of Hungarian-Jewish descent. Dana began his career as a page at NBC's famous Studio 6B while performing comedy in nightclubs around New York with partner Gene Wood. In the 1950s, he performed on The Imogene Coca Show, The Danny Thomas Show, and... The Martha Raye Show, as well as writing for and producing The Spike Jones Show. Dana's career took a major turn when he began writing stand-up routines for the young comedian Don Adams, including the now well-known "Would you believe?" jokes popularized by Get Smart. From there, he was brought in as a writer for the Steve Allen Show, where he created the José Jiménez character for the show's "Man in the Street" segments. On an Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Dana related a story of how a woman recognized him on the street, but only knew him as José Jiménez, and asked what his real name was.
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