CINXE.COM
Ed McMahon
<html> <head> <title>Ed McMahon</title> <meta name="googlebot" content="noodp"> <meta name="robots" content="noodp"> <link rel="apple-touch-icon-precomposed" href="/silly-nndb-icon.png" /><style type="text/css"> <!-- .fotmbar { color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: none} .fotmbar:hover { color: #FFFFFF; text-decoration: underline} .newslink { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .newslink:hover { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .proflink { color: #000000; text-decoration: none} .proflink:hover { color: blue; text-decoration: underline} .b1f, .b2f, .b3f, .b4f {font-size:1px; overflow:hidden; display:block;} .b1f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 5px;} .b2f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 3px;} .b3f {height:1px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 2px;} .b4f {height:2px; background:#e6e6e6; margin:0 1px;} .contentf {background: #e6e6e6; padding: 2px; } .contentf div {margin-left: 5px;} --> </style></head> <body bgcolor=#ffffff> <center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr><td valign=top><table width=550 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0><tr><td bgcolor=white><table width="100%" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" background="/nndb.gif"> <tr> <td rowspan="2" align="left" valign="top"><a href="http://www.nndb.com/"><img src="/title.gif" width="260" height="50" border=0 alt="NNDB"></a></td> <td><table width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="6"> <tr align="center"> <td width="25%" nowrap><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">This is a beta version of NNDB</font></b></td> </tr> </table></td> </tr> <tr> <td align="right" valign="middle"><b><font size="-1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <form action="http://search.nndb.com/search/nndb.cgi" method="get"> <input type="hidden" name="nndb" value="1"></input> <nobr>Search: <select name="omenu"> <option value="unspecified" selected>All Names</option> <option value="living">Living people</option> <option value="dead">Dead people</option> <option value="bands">Band Names</option> <option value="books">Book Titles</option> <option value="movies">Movie Titles</option> <option value="fulltext">Full Text</option> </select> for <input name="query" value="" size=24 maxlength=96> <input type=submit value="Search"> </font></b></nobr></form></td> </tr> </table> <!-- COPYRIGHT (C) 2008 SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS --> <!-- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED --> <!-- NO PART OF THIS WEBSITE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION --> <!-- OF SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS (ON THE WEB, IN PRINT, OR OTHERWISE) --> <!-- --> <!-- SOYLENT COMMUNICATIONS --> <!-- PO BOX 4436, MOUNTAIN VIEW CA 94040 USA --> </td></tr><tr><td bgcolor=red height=2></td></tr><map name=fool><area coords="102,0,240,14" href="/people/419/000022353/bibliography/" alt="bibliography"></map><tr bgcolor=F0F0F0><td bgcolor=F0F0F0 style="padding: 0px 15px 15px 15px;"><img src="/red-profile-2.gif" align="right" height=15 width=240 border=0 usemap=#fool><br clear="all"><table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 width=100%><tr><td bgcolor=F0F0F0><font size=+3 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Ed McMahon</b></font><p><img src="42-3870-sm.jpg" height=350 width=244 align=right hspace=10 vspace=10 alt="Ed McMahon"><b>AKA</b> Edward Peter Leo McMahon Jr.<p><b>Born:</b> <a href="/lists/583/000106265/" class=proflink>6-Mar</a>-<a href="/lists/922/000105607/" class=proflink>1923</a><br><b>Birthplace:</b> <a href="/geo/481/000069274/" class=proflink>Detroit, MI</a><br><b>Died:</b> <a href="/lists/061/000106740/" class=proflink>23-Jun</a>-<a href="/lists/276/000179736/" class=proflink>2009</a><br><b>Location of death:</b> <a href="/geo/582/000069375/" class=proflink>Los Angeles, CA</a><br><b>Cause of death:</b> <a href="/lists/323/000069116/" class=proflink>Pneumonia</a><br><p><b>Gender:</b> Male<br><b>Religion:</b> <a href="/lists/758/000094476/" class=proflink>Roman Catholic</a><br><b>Race or Ethnicity:</b> White<br><b>Sexual orientation:</b> Straight<br><b>Occupation:</b> <a href="/lists/185/000068978/" class=proflink>Talk Show Host</a><p><b>Nationality:</b> United States<br><b>Executive summary:</b> <i>The Tonight Show</i><p><b>Military service:</b> USMC (pilot)<p>Ed McMahon was famous for being Ed McMahon. He was <a href="/people/396/000022330/">Johnny Carson</a>'s sidekick for decades, and he hosted blooper shows and <i>Star Search</i>. If you grew up in America after the 1950s, you have probably heard McMahon's booming voice and barking laugh more often than you know.<p> As soon as his voice changed at adolescence, McMahon got part-time work calling bingo games. He worked as a carnival barker and a street vendor, and was the unseen voice in countless radio and TV commercials. In the late 1950s, ABC had a daytime game show called <i>Who Do You Trust?</i>, hosted by ventriloquist <a href="/people/004/000023932/">Edgar Bergen</a> and his dummy sidekick, Charlie McCarthy. When the network decided to replace Bergen & McCarthy, they brought in Carson as host, and Ed McMahon got the dummy's job. He laughed extra loud at Carson's jokes, so when Carson was picked to take over <i>The Tonight Show</i> in 1962, McMahon went with him. For thirty years, McMahon's job was to laugh loudly at Carson's jokes and shout "Heeeere's Johnny!" When Carson left <I>Tonight</i> in 1992, McMahon left as well.<P> During and after his <I>Tonight</i> era, McMahon acted in cheesy movies and sitcoms, hosted "specials" on TV, was <a href="/people/408/000022342/">Jerry Lewis</a>'s long-time co-host on muscular dystrophy telethons, and was the perpetual pitchman for any product willing to make a check payable to Ed McMahon. Unable to do endorsement work after breaking his neck in a fall in 2006, he came close to foreclosure of his Beverly Hills mansion in 2008.<p><b>Father:</b> Edward Peter Leo McMahon Sr. (traveling salesman)<br><b>Mother:</b> Eleanor Russell McMahon<br><b>Wife:</b> Alyce Ferrill McMahon (m. 1949; div. 1976)<br><b>Wife:</b> Victoria Valentine McMahon (m. 1977; div. 1989)<br><b>Wife:</b> Pam Hurn McMahon (m. 1992)<br><p> High School: <a href="/edu/174/000166673/">Lowell High School, Lowell, MA</a><br> University: <a href="/edu/314/000082068/">Boston College</a><br> University: <a href="/edu/613/000082367/">BA, Catholic University of America (1949)</a><br><p> <a href="/org/478/000041355/">Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity</a> <br> <a href="/honors/312/000044180/">Hollywood Walk of Fame</a> 7000 Hollywood Blvd. (television)<br> Endorsement of <a href="/company/135/000055967/">Anheuser-Busch</a> Budweiser (1978)<br> Endorsement of <a href="/company/943/000059766/">DirecTV</a> 1998<br> <a href="/event/297/000113955/">Surgery</a> twice, to repair a broken neck (Mar-2007)<br> Risk Factors: <a href="/lists/779/000064587/">Obesity</a>, <a href="/lists/780/000064588/">Alcoholism</a><br> <p> <font size=-2 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">TELEVISION</font><br> <a href="/tv/001/000051845/">The Tom Show</a> Charlie Dickerson (1997-98)<br> <a href="/tv/314/000206693/">TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes</a> Co-Host (1984-88)<br> <a href="/tv/700/000044568/">The Tonight Show</a> Sidekick (1962-92)<br> <a href="/tv/911/000050761/">Star Search</a> Host (1983-95)<br><p> <font size=-2 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR</font><br> <a href="/films/781/000404566/">Robin Williams: Come Inside My Mind (Jan-2018)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/700/000274875/">Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (13-Oct-2007)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/514/000107193/">The Weather Man (20-Oct-2005)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/979/000092703/">Bewitched (24-Jun-2005)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/641/000088377/">Jerry Seinfeld: I'm Telling You for the Last Time (9-Aug-1998)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/227/000089957/">Safety Patrol (29-Mar-1998)</a> <br> <a href="/films/875/000250125/">Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's (Oct-1997)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/961/000042835/">Just Write (Mar-1997)</a> · Luncheon Chairman<br> <a href="/films/929/000037818/">Love Affair (21-Oct-1994)</a> · Himself<br> <a href="/films/620/000084368/">Butterfly (Feb-1982)</a> · Mr. Gillespie<br> <a href="/films/174/000033075/">Full Moon High (1981)</a> · Dad<br> <a href="/films/959/000255194/">The Great American Traffic Jam (2-Oct-1980)</a> <br> <a href="/films/272/000065077/">The Last Remake of Beau Geste (15-Jul-1977)</a> <br> <a href="/films/788/000033689/">Fun with Dick and Jane (9-Feb-1977)</a> <br> <a href="/films/943/000041820/">Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (31-Aug-1973)</a> <br> <a href="/films/034/000065836/">The Incident (5-Nov-1967)</a> <br> <a href="/films/823/000091550/">Dementia (22-Dec-1955)</a> · Narrator <font size=-2 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">[VOICE]</font><br><p> <b>Author of books:</b><br> <i>The Art of Public Speaking</i> (<tt>1986</tt>)<br><i>Selling</i> (<tt>1989</tt>)<br><i>Here's Johnny! My Memories of Johnny Carson, The Tonight Show, and 40 Years of Friendship</i> (<tt>2005</tt>, memoir)<br><p> <br> <p> <table> <tr> <td align=right valign=middle style="padding-right: 5px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 22px; font-style: italic; color: #ff3333;">New!</span><br> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/" class="fotmlink" style="font-family: Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; color: #dd0000;">NNDB MAPPER</a></td> <td valign=middle align=right style="border-left: 1px solid #bbb; padding-left: 5px;">Create a map starting with</td> <td valign=middle align=right><a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=22353"><img src="/man.gif" border=0 style="padding: 2px;"></a></td> <td align=left valign=middle> <a href="http://mapper.nndb.com/start/?id=22353">Ed McMahon</a></td> </tr> </table> <font face="Trebuchet MS, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="-2">Requires Flash 7+ and Javascript.</font> <br><br><p> <font size=-1>Do you know something we don't?</font><br> <font size=-1><a href="http://commentary.nndb.com/submit/feedback/?id=22353" rel="nofollow">Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile</a></font><br> <p> <br><br><p><font size=-1>Copyright ©2019 Soylent Communications</font><p> </td></tr></table> </td></tr> </table> </td> <td width=180 align="center" valign="top" style="padding: 0px 0px 8px 25px;"></td></tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>