WHAT A CHARACTER: SHELDON LEONARD

Sheldon Leonard said in an interview that he only agreed to play Nick the bartender in "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946) so he would have money to buy baseball tickets.

Leonard was born in New York City's lower Manhattan, studied acting at Syracuse University and, after graduating, landed a job on Wall Street. Following the Wall Street crash of 1929, he found himself unemployed and resolved to become a professional actor on the stage. The road was hard, since it took him five years to first appear on Broadway in "Hotel Alimony" (1934). While this production was universally slammed by the critics, the next plays he appeared in, "Having Wonderful Time" (1937) and "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" (1938), were unqualified successes, the former running for 372 performances.

Movie offers followed, and from 1939 he became one of Hollywood's most recognizable screen tough guys, the names of his characters evocative of the roles he played: Pretty Willie in "Tall, Dark and Handsome" (1941), Slip Moran in "Lucky Jordan" (1942), Lippy Harris in "Jinx Money" (1948), Jumbo Schneider in "Money from Home" (1953) and, famously, Harry the Horse in "Guys and Dolls"(1955).

Having had his fill of acting in those kinds of parts, Leonard began a new career as a television producer in the 1950s and went on to become one of the most successful TV producer/directors of the 1950s and 1960s. Four of his productions (all on CBS)--"Make Room for Daddy," "Gomer Pyle: USMC," "The Dick Van Dyke Show") (which won 21 Emmy Awards during its run) and "The Andy Griffith Show"--were rated in the Top Ten. He had a further success with "I Spy," championing the cause of racial equality over the (initial) objections of the network by being the first series to have an African-American (Bill Cosby) in an equal co-starring dramatic role with a white actor.

 
In 1992 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame, after receiving five Emmy awards for his producing/directing efforts. In 1995 he received a lifetime membership into the Director's Guild of America. Accepting the honor, he quipped, "Giving a lifetime membership to a guy 88 years old--big f***ing deal!"

Leonard also has the distinction (along with author Mickey Spillane) of being one of the first two Miller Lite spokesmen. Using his trademark accent, he told the audience, "I was at first reluctant to try Miller Lite, but then I was persuaded to do so by my friend, Large Louis." One of his last acting roles was a guest appearance on the TV series Cheers, in which he played Sid Nelson, the proprietor of "The Hungry Heifer", Norm Peterson's favorite eating establishment.

Leonard died at his home in Beverly Hills, California, on January 11, 1997, at age 89...