Jackie Gleason Overview:

Legendary actor, Jackie Gleason, was born Herbert John Gleason on Feb 26, 1916 in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Gleason died at the age of 71 on Jun 24, 1987 in Fort Lauderdale, FL and was laid to rest in Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Miami, FL.

MINI BIO:

Portly American comedian with a nice line in easy-going humor. He played a few small roles as comic relief at the beginning of the 1940s, then made a sensational impact with his first big dramatic role in The Hustler, which won him an Academy Award nomination. Disappointingly, he returned to comedy roles and his film career again stuttered, but he was very successful on television. Died from cancer of the liver. Grandfather of actor Jason Patric.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Although Gleason was nominated for one Oscar, he never won a competitive Academy Award.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1961Best Supporting ActorThe Hustler (1961)Minnesota FatsNominated
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He was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the categories of Recording and Television. In addition, Gleason was inducted into the TV Hall of Fame .

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Jackie Gleason Quotes:

Minnesota Fats: Big John, do you think this boy is a hustler?


David Poe: Oliver, Nancy and I are going to get married.
Nancy Benson: We love each other, Mr. Poe.
Oliver Poe: That's Victorian bourgeois. I'll prove it you.
[calls mistress on speaker phone]
Oliver Poe: Laverne, are we sleeping together?
Laverne Baker: Yes, Oliver.
Oliver Poe: Do we love each other? Are we married?
Laverne Baker: Yes, dear. No, dear.
Oliver Poe: [disconnects speaker phone] Case closed.


Jack Griffith: How sweet it is!


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Jackie Gleason Facts
Prone to excess with wine, women, song and work, a lifestyle which often led to exhaustion. In such cases, he would check into a hospital for some needed rest. But one famous story has it, when Gleason really felt "sick", he checked himself OUT of the hospital, and went home to be taken care of!

His family background was, according to most accounts, almost Dickensian. It was marked by severe illness and grinding poverty, in any event. His father, Herb Gleason (1884-1964), was a henpecked insurance clerk who took his myriad disappointments in life out in drink. He deserted the family when Jackie was nine. His mother (d. 1935), the former Mae Kelly, was overprotective of her younger son, who died when Jackie was in his teens. An older brother, Clemence, died, probably of tuberculosis, at the age of fourteen, when Jackie was three.

On January 20, 1961, a game show he co-developed, "You're In the Picture" (1960), premiered on CBS. The premise was to have celebrity guests place their heads into a cutout scene and ask the host questions as to guess what picture or historical scene they were in. The show's concept was ill-conceived, especially for co-creator and host Gleason, and was blasted by critics and viewers alike. On the next week's broadcast Gleason apologized to the viewers, saying, "Honesty is the best policy. We had a show last week that laid the biggest bomb! I've seen bombs in my day, but this one made the H-bomb look like a two-inch salute." The time slot was filled with a variety program; "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1961).

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