Irwin Corey

Among the most innovative comedians of all time, Irwin Corey came to be known as "Professor" Irwin Corey thanks to his memorable stage persona. Born in Brooklyn, New York in 1914, poverty forced Corey to spend some of his youth raised at the Brooklyn Hebrew Orphan Asylum. For much of the Great Depression he would travel the country working odd jobs and even becoming a featherweight Golden Gloves boxing champion. Humor was always Corey's specialty however, and he began making a living at it when he signed on as a writer for the musical comedy revue "Pins and Needles" in 1938. By 1942, he was debuting his comedy act at the Village Vanguard and appearing on Broadway in "New Faces of 1943" the following year. Around this time, Corey began to develop his stage persona as the Professor, wandering up to the stage as if utterly distracted, and speaking complex and overly florid language about banal or often nonsensical topics. The act would make him a regular on TV shows like "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" (NBC, 1962-1992) and "The Mike Douglas Show" (WBC, 1964-1979) and a popular comedic presence in movies like "Jack" (1996) and Woody Allen's "The Curse of the Jade Scorpion" (2001). Corey passed away in 2017. He was 103 years old.