Shecky Greene facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shecky Greene
Shecky Greene in The Love Machine (1971)
Born	Fred Sheldon Greenfield (1926-04-08)April 8, 1926 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 31, 2023(2023-12-31) (aged 97) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Education	Sullivan High School, Wilbur Wright College
Occupation	Comedian
Years active	1954–2003; 2009–2023
Spouse(s)	Nalani Kele ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1982)​ Marie Musso ​ (m. 1985)​

Shecky Greene (born Fred Sheldon Greenfield; April 8, 1926 – December 31, 2023) was an American comedian. He was known for his nightclub performances in Las Vegas, Nevada, where he became a headliner in the 1950s and '60s. He appeared in several films, including Tony Rome; History of the World, Part I; and Splash. In television, he guest-starred on such television shows as Love, American Style and Combat!, and later Laverne & Shirley and Mad About You.

Early life, family and education

Fred Sheldon Greenfield was born on April 8, 1926, to Jewish parents, Carl and Bessie Greenfield, and raised on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois.

In his youth Greene enjoyed performing as a singer in Richard Strauss's works and in a drama club he formed while attending Sullivan High School. He emulated his older brother, who liked to speak in accents.

During World War II Greene served in the United States Navy for three years and was discharged in 1944. He was briefly—but more than once—enrolled at Wright Junior College.

Career

Greene had planned to become a gym teacher. But after regularly performing stand-up in Chicago at mob-run nightclubs and various venues in the upper Midwest, he instead started his comedy career at the Prevue Lounge in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he worked for six years. From there, he went on to showrooms in Miami, Chicago, and Reno/Lake Tahoe before an agent persuaded him to move to Las Vegas and open in 1954 for Dorothy Shay, "the Park Avenue Hillbillie", at the Last Frontier. His act was held over for 18 weeks, a first for that venue. He began performing at The Tropicana Hotel in 1957, remaining there for five years as one of their headliners.

Greene was widely respected by his peers, including Johnny Carson who was a longtime fan. Greene made 40 appearances on The Tonight Show on which he also served as a guest host. He appeared on The Merv Griffin Show and also served as a guest host there upon ocassion. He noted that he gave Arnold Schwarzenegger and Luciano Pavarotti their first national television exposure. He also appeared on Match Game and Tattletales (with his first wife Nalani Kele) in the 1970s. He appeared in "The Love Boat" S1 E11 vignette "Divorce Me, Please" as Paul Baynes, who discovers newfound appreciation for his wife Audrey, played by Florence Henderson (1977).

When the MGM Grand Hotel opened in 1975 with Dean Martin as headliner, the second headline act was Greene whose salary at one point climbed to $150,000 a week; he quipped that $125,000 went to "my bookmaker".

Greene claimed Jay Leno once told him that his all-time favourite joke was one Greene recounted about Frank Sinatra (with whom Greene had a contentious relationship) "saving his life". Offended by a remark made by Greene, Sinatra sent five men to assault him; after some time, he heard Sinatra say, "OK, he's had enough."

Beginning in 2003, and lasting for six years, Greene suffered from panic attacks and stage fright that rendered him unable to perform. In 2009, in Las Vegas, Greene returned to performing.

Greene owned several nightclubs over the years and in different cities, including New Orleans.

Personal life and death

Offstage, Greene's main passion was Thoroughbred racing. A horse named Shecky Greene (1970–1984) was the 1973 American Champion Sprint Horse and the front-runner for nearly seven furlongs in the 1973 Kentucky Derby until Secretariat ran off with the race. Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, Illinois, outside Chicago, held a Shecky Greene Handicap race until it closed.

Greene was married twice. He was married to Nalani Kele from 1972 to 1982. She had a hugely successful nightclub act, the Nalani Kele Polynesian Revue, from the 1960s to the early 1970s. Beginning in 1985, he was married to Marie Musso, daughter of Vido Musso, a Las Vegas musician who played saxophone with Benny Goodman. He resided in Beverly Hills, California; Palm Springs, California; and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Greene led "humanitarian efforts" to create St. Jude's Ranch, a shelter for indigent and neglected children in Boulder City, Nevada.

Greene died at his home in Las Vegas on December 31, 2023, at the age of 97.

Awards

• Las Vegas Entertainment Award—Best Lounge Entertainer
• Jimmy Durante Award—Best Comedian
• Las Vegas Academy of Variety and Cabaret Artists—Male Comedy Star

Select filmography

See also

In Spanish: Shecky Greene para niños