Cantor, Eddie

Cantor, Eddie, 1892–1964, American entertainer, b. New York City, originally named Edward Israel Isskowitz. Cantor became one of the best-known theatrical figures of his day. His style was typified by lively footwork, rolling eyes, and an utterly individual singing voice. On stage from 1907 and a Ziegfeld star from 1916, Cantor had numerous movie successes and a series of his own radio and television shows.

Bibliography

See his autobiographical My Life Is in Your Hands (1928) and As I Remember Them (1963).

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Cantor, Eddie

 orig. Edward Israel Iskowitz

(born Jan. 31, 1892, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died Oct. 10, 1964, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. comedian and singer. As a child, Cantor clowned and sang for coins on street corners in his native New York City. He dropped out of elementary school, could not keep a job because of his irrepressible clowning, and soon went into vaudeville as a blackface song-and-dance man. He toured with Florenz Ziegfeld's Follies and the Shuberts. He appeared in several Broadway reviews, and from 1923 to 1926 he was a star in Kid Boots. From 1931 Cantor performed for 18 years on The Chase and Sanborn Hour as a standup comedian. His films include Roman Scandals (1933) and Strike Me Pink (1936). In the 1950s he hosted a television show.

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Cantor, Eddie (b. Isidore Itzkowitz) (1892–1964) singer; born in New York City. A rolling-eyed actor with a high-pitched singing voice, who often performed in black-face, Cantor appeared in Kid Cabaret (1912) with George Jessel. He worked for Florenz Ziegfeld (1916–28) where he sang his best known songs, including "Making Whoopee." A radio host and movie actor in the 1930s, he helped to found actors' unions and to promote the March of Dimes.