Joey Bishop

1918–2007 · American comedian, talk show host and actor

Biography

Joey Bishop (New York, 1918 - Newport Beach, California, 2007) was an American comedian who rose to prominence in the 1960s through nightclubs, theatre and, above all, television. He is best remembered as a member of the Rat Pack, the circle of friends around Frank Sinatra, although his screen career was shorter than his early success might suggest.

Born in the Bronx to a family of Eastern European Jewish immigrants, he grew up in Philadelphia, where his father ran a bicycle business. As a boy he was already doing impressions of performers such as Edward G. Robinson and Jimmy Durante. After leaving high school early, he formed a comedy trio with two friends that worked clubs along the East Coast until the Second World War broke it up. Bishop served in the army as a sergeant, stationed in Texas, and after the war he returned to solo work in New York nightclubs.

His big break came in the mid-1950s, when Frank Sinatra hired him as an opening act at the Riviera in Fort Lee and other venues, earning him the nickname "Sinatra's comic". That association took him to Las Vegas and to films such as Ocean's 11 and Sergeants 3, and he took part in the party marking John F. Kennedy's 1960 election victory. Yet he often felt more like a guest than a full member of the group. In 1964 his friendship with Sinatra broke down over a favour at Lake Tahoe.

On television he starred in the sitcom The Joey Bishop Show, which premiered in 1961, and in 1967 hosted a late-night talk show on ABC with Regis Philbin as his sidekick. The show failed to challenge Johnny Carson's audience, and it was cancelled in 1969. He then concentrated on clubs and occasional TV work, though he became a frequent guest host of The Tonight Show. His legacy is tied to the Rat Pack and to his place among its most recognisable comics, and in 1990 he still appeared in Betsy's Wedding alongside a younger generation of actors.

Key films

Pepe (1960), in a cameo as himself.
Ocean's 11 (1960), as Mushy O'Connors.
Sergeants 3 (1962), alongside Sinatra, Martin, Davis and Lawford.
Texas Across the River (1966), a comic Western with Dean Martin in which he plays an American Indian.
A Guide for the Married Man (1967), as a technical adviser.
Betsy's Wedding (1990), in which he appears as a ghost.