Our Inductees: Jack Benny

Biography

Jack Benny was the 14th Comedian inducted into the Official National Comedy Hall of Fame®. He was an American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor, and violinist.

Recognized as a leading American entertainer of the 20th century, Benny portrayed his character as a miser, playing his violin badly. In character, he would claim to be 39 years of age, regardless of his actual age.

Benny was known for comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a pregnant pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated “Well!” His radio and television programs, popular from 1932 until his death in 1974, were a major influence on the sitcom genre.

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