Gerson Merton Friedman
(June 6, 1932 – November 12, 2022), known professionally as Budd Friedman, was an American actor and comedian, as well as the founder and original proprietor and
MC of the
Improvisation Comedy Club, which opened in 1963, on West 44th Street near the SE corner of 9th Avenue, in the
Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
. He was instrumental in launching the comedy careers of
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) was an American Stand-up comedy, stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-line joke, one-liner humor, his c ...
,
Richard Lewis,
Robert Klein,
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's '' The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 20 ...
,
Andy Kaufman
Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman ( ; January 17, 1949 – May 16, 1984) was an American entertainer and performance artist. While often called a "comedian", Kaufman preferred to describe himself instead as a "song and dance man". He has sometimes b ...
,
Freddie Prinze,
Steve Landesberg
Stephen Landesberg (November 23, 1936December 20, 2010) was an American actor and comedian known for his role as the erudite, unflappable police detective Arthur P. Dietrich on the ABC sitcom ''Barney Miller'', for which he was nominated for th ...
,
Jimmie Walker, and for a brief time, managed
Bette Midler
Bette Midler (;'' Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden ...
at the early stages of her career. It was with Friedman's help and guidance that Ms. Midler first appeared on ''
The Tonight Show
''The Tonight Show'' is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. The show has been hosted by six comedians: Steve Allen (1954–1957), Jack Paar (1957–1962), Johnny Carson (1962–1992), Jay Leno (1992–2009 and 201 ...
''.
He was also an actor and
producer. Friedman also opened Improv clubs at other locations including
Pechanga Resort and Casino
The Pechanga Resort Casino is a Native American casino on the Pechanga Indian Reservation adjacent to the city of Temecula, California. Pechanga Resort Casino is one of the largest casino/resorts in the United States, with more than 5,400 slot ...
in
Temecula, California
Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a ...
, on March 23, 2007, in Los Angeles in 1975, and in
Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino
Fantasy Springs Resort Casino is a casino and hotel located southeast of Palm Springs near I-10 in Indio, California. It is owned and operated by the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, a federally recognized tribe. The hotel has 250 rooms and th ...
in
Indio, California
Indio ( Spanish for "Indian") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley of Southern California's Colorado Desert region. It lies east of Palm Springs, east of Riverside, east of Los Angeles, 148 mil ...
.
[
]
Korean War
Friedman served in the infantry
Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...
in the U.S. Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
during the Korean War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Korean War
, partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict
, image = Korean War Montage 2.png
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Clockwise from top:{ ...
. He was wounded by an enemy grenade during his first day in action in the summer of 1953 while his unit was assaulting Pork Chop Hill. He was awarded the Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). The ceasefire went into effect while he was still recuperating in the hospital.
Personal life and death
Friedman married Alix Friedman (at the time name Alex Mark) in 1981 and remained with her for an unconfirmed number of years. They had 4 children named Zoe, Beth, Ross, and Dax. Friedman died in Los Angeles on November 12, 2022, at the age of 90 from heart failure.
Filmography
Actor
* ''National Lampoon's Funny Money
The following is a list of programs that are currently airing, upcoming, or were formerly broadcast by Game Show Network.
Current programs Original programs
Reruns of ended original programs
Acquired programs
Former programs Former original ...
'' (2003) ... as Announcer
* '' Man on the Moon'' (1999) ... as Himself
* ''Star 80
''Star 80'' is a 1983 American biographical drama film written and directed by Bob Fosse. It was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Village Voice'' article "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter and is based on Canadian ''Playboy'' mo ...
'' (1983) ... as Emcee
* ''An Evening at the Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a single venue founded in ...
'' (1982) ... as Host
Producer
* ''National Lampoon's Funny Money
The following is a list of programs that are currently airing, upcoming, or were formerly broadcast by Game Show Network.
Current programs Original programs
Reruns of ended original programs
Acquired programs
Former programs Former original ...
'' (2003) ... executive producer
Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...
* ''An Evening at the Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a single venue founded in ...
'' (1982) ... executive producer
Awards and recognition
* Norwich (Connecticut) Native Son Award (1980)
See also
*The Improv
The Improv is a comedy club franchise. It was founded as a single venue in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City in 1963, and expanded into a chain of venues in the late 1970s.
History
Originally, it was a single venue founded in 1 ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Budd
1932 births
2022 deaths
Male actors from Connecticut
Military personnel from Norwich, Connecticut
American male film actors
20th-century American male actors