Trivia

Despite his apparent fluency in many languages, in reality he only spoke English and Yiddish.

He gave up alcohol "cold turkey". His autobiography, "Where Have I Been", published in 1983 and his second book, "Caesar's Hours", both chronicle his struggle to overcome alcoholism and barbiturates.

He was the son of Jewish immigrants, Ida (née Raphael), from Russia, and Max Caesar, from Poland. The two ran a 24-hour luncheonette. Sid would help his parents by waiting on tables, and it was during this time that he learned to mimic many of the accents he would use throughout his long career.

Studied saxophone at the Julliard School of Music before becoming an actor.

Caesar's appearance in his first series The Admiral Broadway Revue (1949) with Imogene Coca was a huge hit with television audiences. Simultaneously broadcast on NBC and the Dumont network, its sponsor, Admiral Corporation, an appliance company, could not keep up with the demand for its new television sets, so the show was canceled on account of its runaway success.

In his book "Caesar's Hours", he describes the essence of his comedy as "working both sides of the street", the deliberate blending of comedy and pathos. His idols were Charles Chaplin, Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Buster Keaton and W.C. Fields.

Made his Broadway debut performing in the 1948 revue "Make Mine Manhattan", which featured "The Five Dollar Date", one of Sid's first original pieces in which he sang, acted, double-talked, pantomimed and wrote the music.

Awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. on February 8, 1960.

Has played at the Vacationland Hotel in Swan Lake in the Catskills during his salad days. There, under the tutelage of Don Appel, the resort's social director, Caesar played in the band and learned to perform comedy, doing three shows a week.

Arrived in New York City penniless and tried to join the musician's union (later he audited classes at the famed Juilliard School of Music).

At age 14 he first went to the Catskills as a saxophonist with Mike Cifficello's Swingtime Six and would also occasionally perform in sketches.

His children are Michele ("Shelly"), Rick (born February 18, 1952) and Karen (born in 1956).

Inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1985.

Had a problem with heights.

Infamous in his earlier years for an explosive temper and being quick to anger, one possibly apocryphal story has Caesar arguing with a cab driver over the fare and getting angrier by the moment. When the cabbie said "I'll remember you, pal", Caesar exploded, yelling "I'll give you something to remember! Remember birth?" and then proceeded to reach into the cab, grab the cabbie by the neck and pull him out of the cab though the window of the driver's door.

Following his death, he was interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Best remembered on Your Show of Shows (1950) and the movies Grease (1978) and Grease 2 (1982).

Voted the United States' Best Comedian by Motion Picture Daily's TV poll in 1951 and 1952.

He was assigned as a musician in the Coast Guard, taking part in the service show "Tars and Spars", where producer Max Liebman overheard him improvising comedy routines among the band members, and switched him over to comedy. Sid later made his film debut in the adaptation of his stage hit, Tars and Spars (1946).

Won Best Comedy Team (with Imogene Coca) in 1953.

Biography in: "Who's Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith. Pg. 84-86. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387

Was nominated for Broadway's 1963 Tony Award as Best Actor (Musical) for "Little Me".

Received the Sylvania Award in 1958 for his work in television.

His son Rick Caesar attended Yale University.

In 1951 after his mother died he bought a home in Kings Point, Great Neck, Long Island, New York.

In 1949 he moved his family into the apartment complex Walden Terrace at 98-100 64th Ave in Rego Park, Queens, New York.

Has two older brothers.

Sid Caesar was famously possessed of tremendous physical strength.