Rich Little performing (as George Burns) in 2004

Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian comedian best known for his celebrity impersonations. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Little was one of three sons of a physician. He had a gift for impersonations since his school days and began performing professionally in night clubs at 17. He acted in Ottawa's Little Theatre and became a successful disc jockey who frequently incorporated impersonations into his show. In 1963, he was asked to audition by Mel Tormé, who was producing a new variety show for Judy Garland. The audition won him the job and he broke into American show business. From 1966-1967, Little appeared in ABC-TV's sitcom Love on a Rooftop as the Willises' eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker.

Little was a frequent guest on variety and talk shows. He cracked up Johnny Carson by capturing the Tonight Show host's voice and many on-stage mannerisms perfectly (he later played Carson in the HBO TV-movie The Late Shift). One of his best known impressions is of U.S. President Richard Nixon. During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon. He was a regular guest on Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts in the 1970s and was also a regular on The Julie Andrews Hour in 1973. He was named Comedy Star of the Year by the American Guild of Variety Artists in 1974. He hosted The ABC Comedy Hour (also known as KopyKats) in 1972, The Rich Little Show in 1976, and The New You Asked For It in 1981. Little has had various HBO specials including the 1978 one man show, Rich Little's Christmas Carol. He has also appeared in several movies and released nine albums. When David Niven proved too ill for his voice to be used in his appearance in Trail of the Pink Panther, Little provided the overdub; he rendered similar assistance for the 1991 TV special Christmas at the Movies by providing an uncredited dub for the aging actor/dancer Gene Kelly.

Little was the host for the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. His performance was largely panned "with his ancient jokes and impressions of dead people (Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan)."^[1][2][3]

Other interests

Little has been active in several charities including the Juvenile Diabetes Fund and the Children's Miracle Network. He has been named to Miami Children's Hospital International Pediatrics Hall of Fame and been honored by the naming of the Rich Little Special Care Nursery at Ottawa Civic Hospital.

In popular culture

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• Little himself was impersonated on an episode of Saturday Night Live by fellow impressionist Darrell Hammond.
• Little also appeared in an episode of the animated television show Futurama, as himself, doing an impression of Howard Cosell.
• Little was referenced in the show Freaks and Geeks, in that the Weir family attended a concert.
• In the Seinfeld episode "The Stakeout" Jerry asks his mother about a phone call saying "What was the tone in her voice? How did she sound?" His mother responds "Who am I, Rich Little?"
• In the King of Queens episode "Do Rico" Carrie (played by Leah Remini) tells Doug (played by Kevin James) that she is not turned on by another man's voice but by the "talented mimic" that Doug is. He then replies "well then let's get Rich Little in here, we'll have an orgy!"

Personal life

Little was married to Jeanne Worden from 1971 until their divorce in 1989. The couple have a daughter, Bria. He married Jeannette Markey in 1994; they divorced in 1997. He married his current wife, Marie Marotta, in 2003.

Although Little is a Canadian citizen, he resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he performs regularly.

References

External links

• Official website
• Rich Little at the Internet Movie Database
• Christmas at the Movies at the Internet Movie Database

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