Sheldon Leonard

Sheldon Leonard

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sheldon Leonard Bershad (February 22, 1907 – January 11, 1997) was an American film and television actor, producer, director, and writer. Sheldon Leonard Bershad was born in Manhattan, New York City, the son of middle class Jewish parents Anna Levit and Frank Bershad. He graduated from Syracuse University in 1929. As an actor, Leonard specialized in playing supporting characters, especially gangsters or "heavies", in films such as It's a Wonderful Life (1946; as bartender Nick), To Have and Have Not (1944), Guys and Dolls (1955), and Open Secret (1948). His trademark was his especially thick New York accent, usually delivered from the side of his mouth. In Decoy (1946), Leonard uses his "heavy" persona to create the hard-boiled police detective Joe Portugal. On radio from 1945 to 1955, Leonard played an eccentric racetrack tout on The Jack Benny Program and later in the TV series of the same name. His role was to salute Benny out of the blue in railroad stations, on street corners, or in department stores ("Hey Bud. C'mere a minute."), ask Benny what he was about to do, and then proceed to try to argue him out of his course of action by resorting to inane and irrelevant racing logic. As "The Tout," he never gave out information on horse racing, unless Jack demanded it. One excuse the tout gave was, "Who knows about horses?" Leonard was part of the cast of voice actors on the Damon Runyon Theatre radio show (1948-1949). He was part of the ensemble cast of the Martin and Lewis radio show. He also appeared frequently on The Adventures of the Saint, often playing gangsters and heavies, but also sometimes in more positive roles. Leonard was also a regular on the radio comedy series The Adventures of Maisie in the 1940s. During the 1950s, Leonard provided the voice of lazy fat cat Dodsworth in two Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoons directed by Robert McKimson. In the adventure movie The Iroquois Trail (1950), Leonard played against type in the significant role of Chief Ogane, a Native American warrior, who pursues and fights the frontiersman Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler (George Montgomery) in a climactic duel to the death with knives. Later in the 1950s and 1960s, he established a reputation as a producer of successful television series, including The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room For Daddy) (1953–64), The Andy Griffith Show (1960–68), Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. (1964–69), The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961–66), and I Spy (1965–68). He also directed several TV series episodes, including four of the first eight episodes of the TV series Lassie (Season 1, 1954). Leonard also provided the voice of Linus the Lionhearted in a series of Post Crispy Critters cereal TV commercials in 1963-64, which led to a Linus cartoon series that aired on Saturday (and later, Sunday) mornings on CBS (1964–66) and ABC (1967–69). He also was briefly the star of his own television show Big Eddie (1975), where he played the owner of a large sports arena. The show lasted for only ten episodes.
Known For: Acting
Birthday: 1907-02-22
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
Also Known As: S.L. Bershad, S. L. Bershad, Sheldon Leonard Bershad

Movies List of Sheldon Leonard

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Pocketful of Miracles

1961 Movie
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It's a Wonderful Life

1946 Movie
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Decoy

1946 Movie
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Guys and Dolls

1955 Movie
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Zombies on Broadway

1945 Movie
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Take One False Step

1949 Movie
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My Dream Is Yours

1949 Movie
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To Have and Have Not

1945 Movie
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The Brink's Job

1978 Movie
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The Gangster

1947 Movie
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Hit the Ice

1943 Movie
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Crime, Inc.

1945 Movie
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Another Thin Man

1939 Movie
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Street of Chance

1942 Movie
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Violence

1947 Movie
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Sinbad the Sailor

1947 Movie
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Week-End in Havana

1941 Movie
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Her Kind of Man

1946 Movie
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Rise and Shine

1941 Movie
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Open Secret

1948 Movie
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The Last Crooked Mile

1946 Movie
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Jinx Money

1948 Movie
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Tortilla Flat

1942 Movie
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Born to Sing

1942 Movie
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Bowery Bombshell

1946 Movie
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Sock a Doodle Do

1952 Movie
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The Gem of the Ocean

1934 Movie
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Passport to Suez

1943 Movie
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Rainbow Over Texas

1946 Movie
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Young Man with Ideas

1952 Movie
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Kiddin' the Kitten

1952 Movie
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Breakdown

1952 Movie
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Lucky Jordan

1942 Movie
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Frontier Gal

1945 Movie
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A Peck o' Trouble

1953 Movie
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Taxi, Mister

1943 Movie
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The Diamond Queen

1953 Movie
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Behave Yourself!

1951 Movie
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Why Girls Leave Home

1945 Movie
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Here Come the Nelsons

1952 Movie
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Trocadero

1944 Movie
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Married Bachelor

1941 Movie
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Top Secret

1978 Movie
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Gambler's Choice

1944 Movie
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Radio Stars on Parade

1945 Movie
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If You Knew Susie

1948 Movie
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My Mummy's Arms

1934 Movie
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Timber Queen

1944 Movie
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Alias a Gentleman

1948 Movie
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Money from Home

1953 Movie
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The Islander

1978 Movie
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Private Nurse

1941 Movie
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City Without Men

1943 Movie
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The Iroquois Trail

1950 Movie
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Ouanga

1935 Movie
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Uncertain Glory

1944 Movie
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Madonna of the Desert

1948 Movie
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Klondike Kate

1943 Movie
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Pierre of the Plains

1942 Movie
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Buy Me That Town

1941 Movie
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Come Fill the Cup

1951 Movie
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Harvest Melody

1943 Movie
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Captain Kidd

1945 Movie
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Color Adjustment

1992 Movie
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River Gang

1945 Movie
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The Fabulous Joe

1947 Movie
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Shep Comes Home

1948 Movie