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Dom DeLuise
An energetic comic talent with a hysterical and infectious laugh, Dom DeLuise was a character actor who lent stellar support to some of the biggest names in entertainment in for three decades. A dependable laugh-getter on television in the 1960s, his popularity brought him to features, where he was put to superb use in films by Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder; he was also a frequent sidekick to Burt Reynolds, who seemed incapable of keeping a straight face when DeLuise was around. Not content to rest on his acting alone, he directed two features, contributed performances to countless animated projects, appeared in several operas with the New York Met, and found considerable success as the author of several best-selling cookbooks and children's books.