orig. Philip Silversmith
born May 11, 1912, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.
died Nov. 1, 1985, Los Angeles, Calif.
U.S. actor and comedian.
He began his career as a boy singer in vaudeville and a comedian in burlesque. After making his film debut in 1940, he appeared as comic relief in many feature films. He acted on Broadway in High Button Shoes (1947–50) and starred in Top Banana (1951–52, Tony Award; film, 1954). He is best remembered for his role as Sgt. Bilko in the television series The Phil Silvers Show (1955–59; originally known as You'll Never Get Rich ), for which he won several Emmy Awards. He appeared in the film version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and its Broadway revival (1972, Tony Award). His popularity stemmed in part from his highly recognizable grin, horn-rimmed glasses, and catchphrases.