Sid Caesar

A pioneer of television comedy, Sid Caesar was the prodigiously talented star of such legendary variety series as "Your Show of Shows" (NBC, 1950-54) and "Caesar's Hour" (NBC, 1954-57). Gifted beyond compare in so many aspects of comic performance - from physical humor, improvisation and pantomime to mimicry and his specialty, double-talk - Caesar wowed post-war audiences with his energy and keen eye for the absurd aspects of everyday life and popular culture. His shows, which were a training ground for some of the greatest comedy writers of the 1960s and beyond, were immediate classics, influencing generations of performers and fans. Off-camera, however, Caesar suffered from personal demons, including substance abuse issues, which became unmanageable after the demise of his series; he spent much of the next few decades rebuilding his life and career. By the new millennium, he was overseeing the preservation of his early work, which reminded audiences of his immeasurable impact on TV comedy and performance. His death at the age of 91 on February 12, 2014 was mourned by several generations of comedy fans.