Robert Klein

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In a who's who of influential 1970s comedians, Robert Klein was at the top of the list alongside the likes of George Clin and Richard Pryor. Neither bitter nor cynical, Klein made his mk on stand-up comedy with his wry, observational style. Twenty-five yes after he debuted his hilious take on his generation's cultural touchstones with the album Child of the Fifties, echoes of Klein could be hed in all the top comics of the day, most notably Jerry Seinfeld. Klein was also a Yale-trained actor who was acclaimed for his work in Broadway musicals and appeed in dozens of films and TV shows. Always a steadily performing stand-up throughout his life, Klein enjoyed a resurgence in populity in 2005 when he recorded the HBO special "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back," and followed it up with a well-received memoir of the same name in 2006.

Robert Klein was born on Feb. 8, 1942, in the Bronx, NY. His 2006 autobiography recounted ely yes in a middle class, lefty Jewish aptment building, singing in a neighborhood doo-wop band and a summer spent working in the restaurant of a Catskills resort. But it was the everyday, universal features of Klein's postw American life that would be the basis for his relatable stand-up material – lunch ladies, air raid drills, and the idolatry of Babe Ruth. As no ideal postw nucle family would encourage one of its members to embk on a ceer in show business, Klein followed up his 1958 graduation from DeWitt Clinton High School with four yes at Alfred University in Upstate New York. While working towds a Bachelors degree in Political Science and History, Klein became involved in the school's drama deptment, and with the encouragement of an acting coach, decided to pursue post-graduate work in Yale's drama deptment. While at Yale, Klein traveled to Chicago to audition for a spot in the fledgling Second City comedy troupe, shing the stage with fellow comedy hopeful, Fred Willd. Both were accepted, permanently changing the course of Klein's life evermore.

Klein spent a ye cutting his teeth in Second City productions before returning to New York in 1966, where he immediately landed several stage roles including the Mike Nichols-directed Broadway musical "The Apple Tree." He appeed in several more Broadway productions while developing his stand-up act at New York's famed Improv comedy club. In the summer of 1970, Klein's growing reputation as a comedian and his Broadway resume led to being cast as the host of "Comedy Tonight" (CBS, 1970), a viety show with comedy sketches and musical numbers punctuated by Klein's comedy routines. The show only lasted through the summer but it introduced TV audiences to Klein's observational humor and led to film roles including a pt in "The Owl and the Pussycat" (1970) string Barbara Streisand.

Klein's stand-up ceer hit it big in 1973 with the release of his first comedy album Child of the Fifties and a sold-out concert at Cnegie Hall. The Grammy-nominated album cemented Klein's reputation as one of the era's biggest entertainers, and also mked the beginning of the "observational" style that would influence the future of stand-up. He released a pair of follow-up albums in 1974 and 1975 - the same ye Klein became the first stand-up comedian ever to appe on the three ye-old cable network HBO. Klein hit his stride in 1979, exploring his many talents with a role in the big screen drama "The Bell J" and a return to Broadway in the Neil Simon musical "They're Playing Our Song," for which he ened a Tony nomination. He also launched a weekly syndicated radio show called "The Robert Klein Radio Show" which ran for two yes.

Throughout the 1980s, Klein appeed regully in guest roles on prime time TV but the bulk of his work focused on his Robert Klein-ness. He recorded more stand-up specials for HBO - including "Robert Klein at Yale" (1982) - and though his background might have seemed ideal for helming his own talk show, both "The Robert Klein Show" (NBC, 1981) and "Robert Klein Time" (USA, 1986) failed to survive. In the 1990s, thanks in pt to the cultural phenomenon of "Seinfeld" (NBC, 1989-1998), observational comedy was the reigning flavor of the day, and its originator suddenly found himself both lost in the crowd and outdated at the same time.

In a return to serious acting, he landed his first recurring TV role on the drama "Sisters" (1991-93) and coincidentally followed up with success on Broadway with "The Sisters Rosensweig." At the turn of the new millennium, Klein was able to cash in on his "boomer" status, referencing his ely ceer with the stand-up special "Child in his Fifties" (HBO, 2000), and receiving an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music & Lyrics for the song "Colonoscopy." Now a bona fide legend, his talking head was frequently featured in comedy documenties like "Comedian" (2002), "When Stand-Up Comics Ruled the World" (VH1, 2004), and "Funny Already, A History of Jewish Comedy" (Comedy Central, 2004). In 2005, Klein recorded his eighth HBO special, "The Amorous Busboy of Decatur Avenue: A Child of the Fifties Looks Back" and released a memoir of the same name the following ye. HBO paid homage by releasing the DVD set, "Robert Klein: The HBO Specials 1975-2005" in 2007.

Comedy