Jack Gilford was an American actor on Broadway, films and television. Gilford was born Jacob Aaron Gellman on the lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, and grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His parents were Romanian-born Jewish immigrants Sophie "Susksa" , who owned a restaurant, and Aaron Gellman, a furrier. Gilford was the second of three sons, with an older brother Murray and a younger brother Nathaniel . Gilford was discovered working in a pharmacy by his mentor Milton Berle. While working in amateur theater, he competed with other talented youngsters, including a young Jackie... Gleason. He started doing imitations and impersonations. His first appearance on film was a short entitled Midnight Melodies where he did his imitations of George Jessel, Rudy Vallee and Harry Langdon. He developed some unique impressions that became his trademarks — most notably, one of "split pea soup coming to a furious boil" using only his face. Other unusual impressions he created were a fluorescent light going on in a dark room, John D. Rockefeller Sr. imitating Jimmy Durante, and impressions of animals.
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| Birthdate: | July 25, 1908 |
| Birthplace: | New York City |
| Date of death: | June 2, 1990 |
| Religion: | Judaism |
| Also known as: | Jacob Aaron Gellman, Gilford, Jack |