Paul Lynde

Age: 55 (passed away Jan. 10th, 1982)
Height: 5' 11"

Birth Place: Mount Vernon, Ohio, USA
Born: Jun. 13th, 1926

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Paul Lynde's Main TV Roles

NOTE: Complete List of Works can be found at IMDB

BIOGRAPHY:

Paul Lynde was born in 1926 in Mount Vernon, Ohio (one of six children and the middle of four boys). His father was a local police officer and the sheriff of the Mount Vernon Jail for two years. Lynde got his inspiration to become an actor at the age of four or five after his mother took him to see the original silent film Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925). After graduating from Northwestern University, Lynde relocated to New York City where his first break came from being a stand-up comedian at the Number One Fifth Avenue nightclub. Then came an appearance on a Broadway show, "New Faces of 1952".

Lynde also had a two-year run on TV with "The Perry Como Show" (1948) and the Broadway and film versions of Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Throught his life, Lynde appeared in the Broadway plays "The Impossible Years", "Don't Drink the Water", and "Plaza Suite". His many film credits include New Faces (1954), Send Me No Flowers (1964), and Rabbit Test (1978). One of his most memorable roles was a recurring role on "Bewitched" (1964) playing the sneering, sarcastic Uncle Arthur. He appeared on TV's "The Dean Martin Show" (1965), "The Kraft Music Hall" (1967), "Donny and Marie" (1976), and both the prime-time and daytime versions of the game show "The Hollywood Squares" (1965) where he occupied the famous center square. He had two TV series of his own, "The Paul Lynde Show" (1972) and "Temperatures Rising" (1972). Paul Lynde's witty, wisecracking one-liners and his novel line delivery made him one of Hollywood's funniest and best loved entertainers. Paul Lynde died under mysterious circumstances when he was found dead in his bed after possibly suffering a heart attack in January 1982 at age 55. He had been in ill-health for over a year with cancer or some other illness that was never fully revealed to the public before or after his death.

TRIVIA:

The sign proclaiming Mount Vernon, Ohio, as the birthplace of Paul Lynde was recently changed to read: "Home of Daniel Decatur Emmett, Author of [the song] 'Dixie.'"
His father's name was Hoy Lynde, and his mother's name was Sylvia Bell. He had three brothers: Richard, Cord, and John.
Told his agent shortly before his death that he had given up cigarettes and alcohol.
He had a weight problem that he fought to control his entire life.
Was an accomplished cook.
Lynde left _"The Hollywood Squares" (1965)_ (qv) in 1979, in a dispute over his salary. When tabloids ran stories claiming he had been fired for his drinking as well as on-set problems, he sued them for libel, seeking $10 million in damages.
Long-time "center square" and court jester in residence on the original _"The Hollywood Squares" (1965)_ (qv), Paul Lynde's quips on that show are still quoted, and laughed at, to this day.
When he first went to New York, he lived in an apartment building that housed many other struggling actors. The building had communal kitchens, kitchens shared by all the tenants of a floor. One of the other actors in the building claimed that Lynde used to steal his food from the refrigerator. That actor was a young 'Marlon Brando' (qv).

Paul Lynde Photos

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Show	Character(s)
Donny and Marie	Paul Lynde
The Hollywood Squares	Center Square&hellip
Stanley (1956)	Horace Fenton
Fractured Flickers	Paul Lynde
Perils of Penelope Pitstop	Sylvester Sne&hellip The Hooded Claw
That's Life (1968)	Clerk
The Paul Lynde Show	Paul Simms
The Red Buttons Show	Regular perfo&hellip
Where's Huddles?	Claude Pertwee