Will Jordan

Will Jordan (born July 27, 1927) is an American character actor who is best known for his resemblance to television host and newspaper columnist Ed Sullivan. Sullivan often tended to appear ill-at-ease on stage, with stiff-armed, jerky mannerisms, which made him easy to impersonate.

Career

Jordan's early appearances mimicking Ed came on The Ed Sullivan Show itself.^[1] In his act, Jordan came up with the catch-phrase, "Welcome to our Toast of the Town 'Shoooo'", which became a stereotypical joke for nearly every Sullivan imitator after that, usually as the more generic "Really Big 'Shoooo'" (or "shoe").^[2]

In virtually all of his film appearances since the 1970s, Jordan has portrayed Sullivan in films that feature characters appearing on Sullivan's famous variety series.^[3] Sullivan himself died in 1974.

Jordan impersonated Sullivan in the 2003 film Down with Love. Currently, Jordan appears as Sullivan in the Broadway revival of the musical Bye Bye Birdie (as he did in the original Broadway production in 1960-1961).

References

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