BERLE, MILTON

born July 12, 1908, New York City original name Milton Berlinger comedian who, as a highly popular entertainer in the early days of television in the United States, came to be known as Mr. Television. Berle first appeared on the vaudeville stage at the age of 10. With his mother's encouragement, he continued in vaudeville throughout his youth, and also acted in more than 50 silent films. He attended a school for professional children and soon began to perform as a master of ceremonies, and in the legitimate theatre as a comedian. He was known for blatantly borrowing jokes and comic routines from other comedians. For a decade after 1939 Berle worked chiefly in nightclubs, at the same time vainly attempting to gain a radio audience. None of his radio programs lasted more than a year. He continued to appear in motion pictures, making 19 between 1937 and 1968. His type of comedyrapid delivery accompanied by slapstick and facial contortionsand his willingness to elicit laughter at any cost seemed to suit a visual medium. Eventually he achieved national recognition and great popularity when he entered television. He worked regularly on television from the late 1940s until 1966. Berle wrote Out of My Trunk (1945), Milton Berle: An Autobiography (1974), and B.S. I Love You: Sixty Funny Years with the Famous and the Infamous (1988).