McMahon, Ed 1923–

PERSONAL

Full name, Edward Leo Peter McMahon Jr.; born March 6, 1923, in Detroit, MI; raised in Lowell, MA; son of Edward Leo (an entertainer and fund-raiser) and Eleanor (maiden name, Russell) McMahon; married Alyce Furrel (some sources spell surname as Ferrill), July 5, 1945 (some sources cite 1949; divorced 1976); married Victoria Valentine, March 6, 1976 (some sources cite 1977; divorced 1989); married Pamela Hurn (a fashion designer), February 22, 1992; children: (first marriage) Claudia, Linda, Jeffrey, Michael Edward; (second marriage) Katherine Mary. Education: Attended Boston College; Catholic University of America, B.A., 1949. Religion: Roman Catholicism. Avocational Interests: Boating, reading.

Career: Actor, television announcer, and producer. WLLH-Radio, Lowell, MA, broadcaster, 1930s; worked as television producer and writer, Philadelphia, PA, 1949. Appeared in television commercials and print advertisements and worked as a spokesperson. Public speaker at various venues and host of different events. Affiliated with a talent management firm, film companies, a paper and novelty manufacturer, and real estate ventures. Worked as a bingo caller, a fair and carnival worker, a shoe shiner, in sales, in the dry cleaning business, and in construction. Young Musicians Foundation, member of board of directors; Veterans Bedside Network, member of board of governors; Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, honorary chair. Some sources state that McMahon was the manager of the singer Terry Knight. Military service: U.S. Marine Corps, fighter pilot and pilot instructor, served during World War II and in Korea; became colonel; received six Air Medals.

Member: Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Academy of Radio and Television Arts and Sciences, Muscular Dystrophy Association (national vice president; member of the board of directors), Catholic University of America Alumni Association.

Awards, Honors: Mar Del Plata Film Festival Award nomination, 1967, for The Incident; received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Humanitarian Award, Myasthenia Gravis Foundation, 1981; Tony Orlando Yellow Ribbon Medal of Freedom Patriot Award, 2001; named man of the year, Veterans Bedside Network and Marine Corps Scholarship Fund; Spirit of Life Award, City of Hope; Spirit of Truth Award, Advertising Club.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Circus clown, Big Top (also known as Sealtest Big Top), WCAU (Philadelphia, PA), 1950–51.

Cohost, Home Highlights, WCAU, c. 1950–51.

(Uncredited) Announcer, Bandstand (also known as AB, American Bandstand, American Bandstand 1966, New American Bandstand, and VH1s Best of "American Bandstand"), WFIL (Philadelphia, PA) and ABC, 1952–58.

Host, Get Happy, WCAU, c. 1954.

On-camera announcer, Two for the Money, CBS, 1957.

Announcer, Who Do You Trust?, ABC, 1957–62.

Announcer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, NBC, 1962–92.

Host, Missing Links, NBC, 1963–64.

Guest host, The Match Game, NBC, c. 1967–68.

Host, Snap Judgment, NBC, c. 1967–69.

Host, Concentration, NBC, 1969.

Host, Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theater (also known as The Chrysler Theater, NBC Adventure Theater, and Universal Star Time), NBC, 1971–72.

Host, Whodunnit?, NBC, 1979.

Host, Star Search (also known as Ed McMahon's "Star Search"), syndicated, 1983–95.

Cohost, TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes (also known as Super Bloopers & New Practical Jokes), NBC, 1984–93.

Voice of the engineer's henchman, Bruno the Kid (animated), syndicated, 1996–97.

Charles "Charlie" Dickerson, The Tom Show, The WB, 1997–98.

Host, Next Big Star (also known as Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star"), PAX TV, beginning 2001.

Host of Fun and Fortune, presenter of McMahon and Company, performer in Strictly for the Girls, and cohost of The Take Ten Show, all WCAU.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Marvin "Marv" Jordan, The Golden Moment—An Olympic Love Story, NBC, 1980.

Lou Parker, The Star Maker, NBC, 1981.

The 100 Most Memorable TV Moments, TV Land, 2004.

The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments, TV Land, 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Fred Walker, The Kid from Left Field, NBC, 1979.

Henry Sherman, The Great American Traffic Jam (also known as Gridlock), NBC, 1980.

Grandpa Bozell, "Safety Patrol!" (also known as "Disne's 'Safety Patrol'"), The Wonderful World of Disney, ABC, 1998.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Narrator, "The Enormous Egg," NBC Children's Theater, NBC, 1968.

Bartender and announcer, Swing Out, Sweet Land, NBC, 1970.

Host, Ed McMahon and His Friends … Discover Wet at Cypress Gardens, NBC, 1972.

The Stars and Stripes Show, NBC, 1972, 1976.

Floyd Whittaker, Lucy Calls the President (also known as The Lucille Ball Special), CBS, 1977.

The Mad Mad Mad Mad World of the Super Bowl, NBC, 1977.

Good Old Days Part II (also known as Dick Clark's "Good Ol' Days Part II"), 1978.

Host, Legends of the Superheroes, 1979.

The Celebrity Football Classic, NBC, 1979.

Announcer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 19th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1981.

Host, The All-Star Salute to Mother's Day, NBC, 1981.

Cohost, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 20th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1982.

Host, Television's Greatest Commercials, NBC, 1982, 1983.

Announcer, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 21st Anniversary Special, NBC, 1983.

Steve Martin's The Winds of Whoopie, NBC, 1983.

Cohost, Lou Rawls Parade of Stars, 1984.

Cohost, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 22nd Anniversary Special, NBC, 1984.

Cohost, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 23rd Anniversary Special, NBC, 1985.

Guest, Bob Hope Buys NBC?, NBC, 1985.

Carson's Comedy Classics, syndicated, 1985.

Christmas with Friends, NBC, 1985.

(In archive footage) The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years, 1986.

NBC's 60th Anniversary Celebration, NBC, 1986.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 24th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1986.

Lifetime Salutes Mom, Lifetime, 1987.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 25th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1987.

"Mickey's 60th Birthday Special," The Magical World of Disney, NBC, 1988.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 26th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1988.

The Hollywood Christmas Parade, syndicated, 1988, 1989.

There Really Is a Santa Claus, syndicated, 1989.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 27th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1989.

Host, International Star Search, syndicated, 1989, 1990, 1992.

Host, The Greatest Practical Jokes of All Time, NBC, 1990.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 28th Anniversary Special, NBC, 1990.

2 Years … Later, NBC, 1990.

Host from Hollywood, Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (also known as MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon), syndicated, 1990, 1997.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 29th Anniversary Special (also known as Johnny Carson's 29th Anniversary), NBC, 1991.

Yellow Ribbon Party (also known as Bob Hope's Yellow Ribbon Celebration), NBC, 1991.

Host from Disney-MGM Studios, Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade, ABC, 1992.

Grand marshal, King Orange Jamboree Parade, NBC, 1993.

Laughing Matters (also known as Funny Business), Showtime, 1993.

Walt Disney World Journey into Magic, 1993.

The Wonderful World of Disney: 40 Years of Television Magic, ABC, 1994.

Himself, "Weird Al" Yankovic: (There's No) Going Home, The Disney Channel, 1996.

Host, Benny Goodman's Greatest Hits, PBS, 1997.

The Best of Muppets Tonight!, ABC, 1997.

Narrator, Miss Patti Page: The Singing Rage, PBS, 1998.

Coming Home: The Veteran Experience in America, History Channel, 1998.

Dog Tales, USA Network, 1998.

Jerry Seinfeld: "I'm Telling You for the Last Time," HBO, 1998.

Himself, It's Only Talk: The Real Story of America's Talk Shows, Arts and Entertainment, 1999.

Himself, Let Me In, I Hear Laughter: A Salute to the Friars, Cinemax, 1999.

Voice, ABC 2000: The Millennium, ABC, 1999.

The Great American History Quiz, History Channel, 1999.

Himself, Laugh Out Loud: TV's 15 Greatest Comedians, Arts and Entertainment, 2002.

Himself, TV's Most Memorable Weddings, NBC, 2003.

An Evening of Stars 25th Anniversary: Tribute to Lou Rawls, NBC, 2004.

Appeared in other specials, including several telecasts of the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (also known as MDA Jerry Lewis Telethon), beginning in the 1960s.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

Presenter, The Ninth Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame, The Disney Channel, 1993.

The Second Annual TV Land Awards: A Celebration of Classic TV (also known as The Second Annual TV Land Awards), TV Land and Nickelodeon, 2004.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Mystery guest, What's My Line, CBS, 1967.

Host, The Kraft Music Hall, NBC, c. 1968.

Himself, "Lucy and Johnny Carson," Here's Lucy, CBS, 1969.

Make Your Own Kind of Music, NBC, 1971.

Ed McCallister, "Lucy, the Wealthy Widow," Here's Lucy, CBS, 1973.

Himself, "Celebrity Roast: Ed McMahon," The Dean Martin Show (also known as The Dean Martin Comedy Hour), NBC, 1973.

Lamont Franklin, "The Adventure of the Eccentric Engineer," Ellery Queen, NBC, 1976.

Himself, "Roller Disco: Parts 1 & 2," CHiPs (also known as CHiPs Patrol), NBC, 1979.

"Remote Control Man," Amazing Stories (also known as Steven Spielberg's "Amazing Stories"), NBC, 1985.

"Tonight, Tonight: Parts 1 & 2," ALF, NBC, 1988.

Himself, "The Mighty Gorga," Movie Macabre (also known as Elvira's "Movie Macabre"), syndicated, c. 1988.

Himself, "Star Search," Full House, ABC, 1989.

Frank Tuttle, "The Nice Man Cometh," Newhart, CBS, 1989.

Himself, "A Well-Kept Housekeeper," Who's the Boss?, ABC, 1991.

Himself, "Crappy Birthday," Living Single (also known as My Girls), Fox, 1993.

Himself, "Hank's Wedding," The Larry Sanders Show, HBO, 1993.

Big Hank Whittaker, "Who Killed the Host at the Roast?," Burke's Law, ABC, 1994.

Detective Salsbury, "The Big Jack Attack," Nurses, NBC, 1994.

Himself, "Halloween: The Final Chapter," Roseanne, ABC, 1995.

Himself, "The Commercial," Malcolm and Eddie (also known as Top of the Stairs), UPN, 1997.

Muppets Tonight, ABC, 1997.

Chaplain Flaherty, "Shipping Out," The Army Show, The WB, 1998.

Himself, "Ben Rubenstein, Meet Joe Black," Suddenly Susan, NBC, 1998.

Himself, "Rodney Dangerfield: Respect at Last," Biography (also known as A&E Biography: Rodney Dangerfield), Arts and Entertainment, 1998.

Voice, "Treehouse of Horror IX," The Simpsons (animated), Fox, 1998.

Narrator, Intimate Portrait: Jenny Jones, Lifetime, 1998.

Himself, "Jenny Jones," Biography (also known as A&E Biography: Jenny Jones), Arts and Entertainment, 1999.

Himself, "Prelude to a Kiss," Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (also known as Sabrina and Sabrina Goes to College), ABC, 1999.

Sean, "Come Fly with Me," Baywatch (also known as Baywatch Hawaii), syndicated, 1999.

At Home with …, CBS, 1999.

Himself, "Ed McMahon: America's Sidekick," Biography (also known as A&E Biography: Ed McMahon), Arts and Entertainment, 2000.

Himself, "Finch on Ice," Just Shoot Me!, NBC, 2000.

Himself, Richard Simmons: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2000.

Himself, "The Brain Game," Popular, The WB, 2001.

Himself, Jenny Jones: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2001.

Himself, "Road Trip," That '80s Show (also known as Eighties), Fox, 2002.

Himself, Pia Zadora: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2002.

Voice, "The Queen Is Wild/Back to the Academy," Duck Dodgers (animated; also known as Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century), Cartoon Network, 2003.

Voice, "When You Wish upon a Weinstein," Family Guy (animated; also known as Padre de familia and Padre del familia), Fox, 2003.

Himself, Classmates, 2003.

Himself, "Degas Away with It," Las Vegas (also known as Casino Eye), NBC, 2004.

Himself, "Our Sauce, It Is a Beauty," It's All Relative, ABC, 2004.

Voice of tugboat captain hero, "Smells Like a Mystery/Ship Ahoy!," Higglytown Heroes (animated), The Disney Channel, 2004.

E! 101 Most Awesome Moments in Entertainment (also known as E's "101"), E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

(In archive footage) 101 Most Unforgettable SNL Moments (also known as E's "101"), E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

$25 Million Dollar Hoax, NBC, 2004.

Himself, "Holiday Moments," TV Land's Top Ten, TV Land, 2005.

Himself, "My Roommates," Scrubs, NBC, 2005.

Appeared in episodes of other series, including Aunt Molly and Ed, WCAU (Philadelphia, PA); DreamMaker (also known as Richard Simmons' DreamMaker), syndicated; and Phenom, ABC.

Television Guest Appearances; Episodic:

Rowan & Martin's "Laugh-In" (also known as Laugh-In), NBC, 1968, 1969, 1970.

The Flip Wilson Show, NBC, 1972, 1973.

The Hollywood Squares, NBC and syndicated, multiple episodes in 1976.

The Jacksons, CBS, 1976.

Dinah! (also known as Dinah! & Friends), syndicated, 1977.

The John Davidson Show, syndicated, 1981.

Burt Wolf/Eating Well, PBS, 1992.

The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1998.

The Daily Show (also known as The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Global Edition), Comedy Central, 1999.

The List, VH1, 1999.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 2000.

The New Tom Green Show, MTV, 2003.

Larry King Live, Cable News Network, 2003, 2005.

Live with Regis and Kelly, syndicated, 2005.

Today (also known as NBC News Today and The Today Show), NBC, 2005.

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC, multiple episodes in 2005.

The Tony Danza Show, syndicated, 2005.

Television Appearances; Pilots:

That McMahon's Here Again (some sources cite title as Here's That McMahon Again), WCAU (Philadelphia, PA), 1950.

20th Century Follies, ABC, 1972.

ALF's Hit Talk Show, TV Land, 2004.

Television Appearances; Other:

Appeared in Against the Odds, PBS.

Television Work; Series:

Executive producer, Star Search (also known as Ed McMahon's "Star Search"), syndicated, 1983–95.

Executive producer, Next Big Star (also known as Ed McMahon's "Next Big Star"), PAX TV, beginning 2001.

Producer of Strictly for the Girls and coproducer of The Take Ten Show, both WCAU (Philadelphia, PA).

Television Work; Specials:

Assistant to the producers, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson 29th Anniversary Special (also known as Johnny Carson's 29th Anniversary), NBC, 1991.

Film Appearances:

Narrator, Dementia (also known as Daughter of Horror), Van Wolfe/American International Pictures, 1955.

Bill Wilks, The Incident, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1967.

Duncan, Slaughter's Big Rip Off (also known as Slaughter 2), American International Pictures, 1973.

Arab horseman, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, Universal, 1977.

Charlie Blanchard, Fun with Dick and Jane, Columbia, 1977.

Colonel William P. Walker, Full Moon High (also known as Moon High), Filmways, 1982.

Mr. Gillespie, Butterfly, Analysis Film Releasing, 1982.

(Uncredited) Himself on television, Pink Cadillac, Warner Bros., 1989.

Himself, Love Affair, Warner Bros., 1994.

Himself, Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (documentary), Northern Arts Entertainment, 1996.

Governor, For Which He Stands, 1996.

Luncheon chair, Just Write, Curb Entertainment International, 1997.

Baxter, Mixed Blessings, Dreamfactory, 1998.

Al Ross, The Vegas Connection, Pacific Films, 1999.

Himself, Pitch People (documentary), CS Associates, 1999.

Himself, Bewitched, Columbia, 2005.

Himself, The Weather Man (also known as El hombre del tiempo, O sol de Cada Manha, and Saeaemies), Paramount, 2005.

Stage Appearances:

The Impossible Years, Playhouse Theatre, New York City, c. 1965.

Radio Appearances; Series:

Host of Lifestyles Live, Cable Radio Network and USA Radio Network; host of segments on Monitor, NBC Radio. Appeared in shows broadcast by the radio network WCAU (Philadelphia, PA).

Internet Work; Series:

Creator and director, Ed McMahon's Next Big Star, Victory Entertainment, www.nextbigstar.com, beginning c. 2000.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

The Johnny Carson Collection, His Favorite Moments from the Tonight Show—'80s and '90s: The King of Late Night, 1994.

Audiobooks:

Barbara Paul, "Appetites," Murder to Go, New Star Media, 1993.

Albums:

And Now, Here's Ed McMahon, Cameo-Parkway, early 1960s.

WRITINGS

Teleplays; with Others; Series:

Big Top (also known as Sealtest Big Top), WCAU (Philadelphia, PA), 1950–51.

Writer for Strictly for the Girls, WCAU.

Nonfiction:

Ed McMahon's Barside Companion, World Publishing, 1969.

Slimming Down, Grosset & Dunlap, 1972.

(With Carroll Carroll) Here's Ed; or, How to Be a Second Banana, from Midway to Midnight (autobiography; also known as Here's Ed and Here's Ed: The Autobiography of Ed McMahon), Putnam, 1976.

The Art of Public Speaking, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1986.

(With Warren Jamison) Ed McMahon's Superselling: Performance Techniques for High Volume Sales, Prentice-Hall, 1989.

(With David Fisher) For Laughing Out Loud: My Life and Good Times, Warner Books, 1998.

Here's Johnny! My Memories of Johnny Carson, the Tonight Show, and 46 Years of Friendship, Rutledge Hill Press, 2005.

Humor:

(Editor) Grin and Beer It, Pyramid Publications, 1976.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Entertainment Weekly, May 27, 1994, p. 93; April 8, 2005, pp. 28-35.