| George S. Irving | |
|---|---|
| Born | George Irving Shelasky November 1, 1922 Springfield, Massachusetts, USA |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian |
| Spouse(s) | Maria Karnilova (1948-2001) |
George S. Irving (born November 1, 1922) is a American actor, known primarily for his character roles on Broadway.
Born as George Irving Shelasky in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his debut in the original 1943 production of Oklahoma!, only to find himself drafted days later to serve in World War II. Following his return, Irving would discover his singing voice and gift for broad comedy which would be a part of his performance for the next six decades.[citation needed]
One of his most famous non-Broadway roles was a voice-over for Rankin-Bass's animated holiday television special The Year Without a Santa Claus, in which he played the embittered Heat Miser opposite Dick Shawn's Snow Miser (a live-action version was produced in 2006 without Irving's participation). He did another voice-over for Rankin-Bass as Gepetto in Pinocchio's Christmas, and was the narrator of the animated cartoon series Underdog.
Still working at the age of 86, in 2008, Irving recreated the three roles he originally played in the ill-fated 1976 Joseph Stein musical So Long, 174th Street, now reworked, revised, and retitled Enter Laughing at Off-Broadway's York Theatre Company, and received rave reviews for his bawdy rendition of "The Butler's Song".[1]
Irving also performed his one-man cabaret show to great acclaim at Feinstein's in New York City in November 2008.[2]
On December 8, 2008, aged 86, George S. Irving received the 17th Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre.[3]
Irving returned to television in 2008 after an absence of more than a decade to reprise his now-legendary role as Heat Miser in a brand-new sequel to The Year Without a Santa Claus, A Miser Brothers' Christmas, which premiered on December 13, 2008 on cable's ABC Family. The show served as the network's first-ever original animated special. The production was nominated for an "Annie Award" for Best Animated Television Production Produced for Children by the Los Angeles Chapter of the "International Animated Film Society", which presents the awards. The awards ceremony was held on January 30, 2009, at Royce Hall, UCLA.
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Family
Irving was married to actress Maria Karnilova from 1948 until her death in 2001.
Stage productions
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References
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil (2008-09-16). "An Innocent In Love And Show Business". The New York Times (The New York Times). http://theater2.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/theater/reviews/16laug.html. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Dale, Michael (2008-11-06). "Kindness & George S. Irving at Feinstein's". BroadwayWorld.com (Widsom Digital Media). http://www.broadwayworld.com/blogs/viewblog.cfm?blogid=2258. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (2008-10-23). "Irving to Receive Oscar Hammerstein Award; Dale, Plunkett and Ackerman Will Pay Tribute". Playbill (Playbill Inc.). http://www.playbill.com/news/article/122664.html. Retrieved 2008-11-29.
External links
- George S. Irving at the Internet Broadway Database
- George S. Irving at the Internet Movie Database
- TonyAwards.com Interview with George S. Irving
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