Leonard Barr
Leonard Barr (born Leonard Barra; September 27, 1903 – November 22, 1980) was an American stand-up comedian, film actor, and dancer.
| Leonard Barr | |
|---|---|
 Barr in Diamonds Are Forever, 1971 | |
| Birth name | Leonard Barra |
| Born | September 27, 1903 West Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | November 22, 1980 (aged 77) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, television, film |
| Years active | 1970–1980 |
| Genres | One-liners |
| Relative(s) | Dean Martin (nephew) |
| Notable works and roles | Diamonds Are Forever |
Barr appeared several times with Dean Martin (his nephew) and Jerry Lewis when they hosted the Colgate Comedy Hour. He had a brief role in The Sting, appropriately as a burlesque comic. That is also the way his character is listed in the credits—as an anonymous comedian. However, in the wings of the stage just before the comic's entrance, he has a brief conversation with Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford), who addresses him as "Leonard".
He is perhaps best remembered internationally for his appearance in the 1971 James Bond film Diamonds Are Forever in which he played Shady Tree, a stand-up comedian and smuggler in Las Vegas who was assassinated by henchmen Mr. Wint and Mr. Kidd. He also appeared in The Odd Couple usually in the non-dialogue New York street scenes in the first season or 5 episodes later in 1975 with dialogue and, albeit unnamed, on an episode of M*A*S*H as a USO comedian. He also made numerous guest appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. Cameron Crowe briefly depicted Barr as a foul-mouthed real-life character in Almost Famous, his semi-autobiographical film of 2000.[1]
Personal life
He was the uncle of Dean Martin (being the brother of Dean Martin's mother Angela).[2]
Death
The 77-year-old Leonard Barr suffered a stroke on October 28, 1980, in his hotel room in West Hollywood and died on November 22, 1980, in a hospital in Burbank, California.[3]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Love, American Style | Passing Buck | 1 episode, Love and the Longest Night |
| 1970-1975 | The Odd Couple | Numerous Roles | 5 episodes |
| 1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | Shady Tree | Film debut |
| 1972 | Evil Roy Slade | Crippled Man | TV Movie |
| 1973 | The Sting | Burlesque House Comedian | |
| 1975 | Little House on the Prairie | Proprietor | 1 episode, To See the World |
| 1976 | The Tony Randall Show | Bellhop | 1 episode, Case: His Honor vs. Her Honor |
| 1977 | Billy: Portrait of a Street Kid | Hospital Roommate | TV Movie |
| 1977-1978 | Szysznyk | Leonard Kriegler | TV Series |
| 1978 | Record City | Sickly Man | |
| Battered | Prof. Jeremiah Hayden | TV Movie | |
| 1979 | Skatetown, U.S.A. | ||
| 1980 | Tenspeed and Brown Shoe | Comic | 1 episode, Pilot: Part 1 |
| 1981 | Under the Rainbow | Pops | Final film |
References
- Almost Famous (director's cut) at IMDb
- "Famous Italian Americans" (PDF). Columbia News. 47 (1): 7. January 2013.
- Leszczak, Bob (2014). The Odd Couple on Stage and Screen. McFarland & Company. p. 25. ISBN 978-0786477906.