Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little
(born November 26, 1938 in Ottawa, Ontario) is a Canadian impressionist and voice actor. Little has long been known as a top impersonator of famous people throughout the world, which has earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Voices," a name which notable voice actor Mel Blanc once held.
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RICH LITTLE TICKETS
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Early life
Born in
Ottawa,
Ontario,
Canada, Little was the middle of three sons. His father was a doctor. In his early teens, he formed a partnership with
Geoff Scott, another budding impressionist, concentrating on reproducing the voices of Canadian politicians such as then-
Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Ottawa mayor
Charlotte Whitton (Geoff went on to become a politician.) They were performing professionally in night clubs by age 17. Rich acted in Ottawa's Little Theatre and became a successful
disc jockey, frequently incorporating impersonations into his show. In 1963, he was asked to audition by
Mel Tormé, who was producing a new variety show for
Judy Garland. The audition won him the job and in 1964, Little made his American television debut on CBS-TV's The Judy Garland Show, where he astounded Garland with his imitations of various male celebrities. His impression of James Mason in
A Star Is Born absolutely thrilled her, and with that memorable appearance, he broke into show business.
Career
In 1966 and 1967, Little appeared in
ABC-TV's
Judy Carne sitcom Love on a Rooftop
as the Willises' eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker.
Little was a frequent guest on variety and
talk shows. He cracked up
Johnny Carson by capturing the
Tonight Show
host's voice and many on-stage mannerisms perfectly (he later played Carson in the
HBO TV-movie
The Late Shift
). One of his best known impressions is of U.S. President
Richard Nixon. During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon. He was a regular guest on
Dean Martin's Celebrity
Roasts in the 1970s and was also a semi-regular on the Emmy-winning ABC-TV variety series
The Julie Andrews Hour
in 1972-1973. This particular series proved to be a wonderful showcase for Little's talents as an impressionist. In fact, because of his uncanny yet brilliant imitation of Jack Benny, the legendary comedian sent Little an 18-carat gold money clip containing this message: "With Bob Hope doing my walk and you doing my voice, I can be a star and do nothing." He was named "Comedy Star of the Year" by the
American Guild of Variety Artists in 1974.
His best-known continuing TV series was
The Kopycats
, hour-long segments of
The ABC Comedy Hour
, first broadcast in 1972. Taped in England, these comedy-variety shows consisted entirely of celebrity impersonations, with the actors in full costume and makeup for every sketch. The cast included Rich Little,
Frank Gorshin,
Marilyn Michaels,
George Kirby,
Joe Baker,
Fred Travalena,
Charlie Callas, and
Peter Goodwright.
The Rich Little Show
(1976) and
The New You Asked for It
(1981) were attempts to present Little in his own person, away from his gallery of characterizations.
Little has starred in various
HBO specials including the 1978 one-man show,
Rich Little's Christmas Carol
. He has also appeared in several movies and released nine albums. When
David Niven proved too ill for his voice to be used in his appearances in
Trail of the Pink Panther
(1982) and
Curse of the Pink Panther
(1983), Little provided the overdub; he rendered similar assistance for the 1991 TV special
Christmas at the Movies
by providing an uncredited dub for the aging actor/dancer
Gene Kelly. As a native Canadian, he also lent his voice to the narration of two specials which were the forerunners for the animated series
The Raccoons, The Christmas Raccoons
, and
The Raccoons on Ice
. He was also briefly featured on
Futurama
, impersonating
Howard Cosell in the 2000 episode
Raging Bender
.
Little was the host for the 2007
White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Although President Bush was reported to have enjoyed Little's performance, it was panned by some reviewers for "his ancient jokes and impressions of dead people (Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and
Ronald Reagan)."
[1] [2] [3]
Other interests
Little has been active in several
charities including the
Juvenile Diabetes Fund and the
Children's Miracle Network. He has been named to
Miami Children's Hospital International Pediatrics Hall of Fame and been honored by the naming of the Rich Little Special Care Nursery at
Ottawa Civic Hospital.
Personal life
Little was married to Jeanne Worden from 1971 until their
divorce in 1989. The couple have a daughter, Bria. He married Jeannette Markey in 1994; they divorced in 1997. He married his current wife, Marie Marotta, in 2003.
Although Little is a Canadian citizen, he lives in
Las Vegas, where he often performs.
References
- Rich Little Bravely Answers Washington's Call, Mary Ann Akers, The Washington Post, April 23, 2007
- Every day is a whining Rove, Richard Adams, The Guardian, April 23, 2007
- Jokes leave Washington a Little cold, Tim Harper, The Toronto Star, Apr 23, 2007.