Photo: General Artists Corporation-GAC (management)/photographer-James Kriegsmann, New York — Public domainSource
George Kirby
- June 8, 1923
- September 30, 1995
- 72 years
- Parkinson's disease
About George Kirby
George Kirby, 72, American comedian, Parkinson's disease.
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Full Biography
|George Kirby (June 8, 1923 – September 30, 1995) was an American comedian, singer, and actor.
Career
Born in Chicago, Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa, a South Side establishment that employed a variety-show format and preferred to hire local singers, dancers, and comedians. His first recording was as a stand-up blues singer, performing "Ice Man Blues" on a Tom Archia session done in 1947 for Aristocrat Records.
He was one of the first African-American comedians to appeal to white as well as Black audiences during the height of the Civil Rights era, appearing between 1963 and 1972 on Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Dean Martin Show, The Jackie Gleason Show, The Temptations Show, Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. In the mid 1950s, Sammy Davis had broken ground doing impressions of White celebrities, leading the way for this to become more socially acceptable. As a gifted impressionist, Kirby didn't mimick solely contemporary Black stars like Bill Cosby and Pearl Bailey. He also did impressions of White celebrities such as John Wayne and Walter Brennan, something still ostensibly provocative in the 1960s. Kirby was also a bebop piano player and did song and vocal impressions of jazz greats Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Joe Williams. He did a profoundly believable female and child voice, as well as an array of military and airline sound effects.
In 1970, he was allowed to produce The George Kirby Show, a television special, to gauge whether he could attract an audience for a weekly series. It led to his hosting Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour, a sketch comedy and variety show, which lasted for 22 episodes in 1972; it was one of the actor-comedian Steve Martin's first credits in front of the camera. The series was in many ways an uneasy compromise between Kirby's natural gifts and what the public would accept of Black actors at the time; a regular feature was a shaggy dog story entitled the "Funky Fable". He was also a regular in the ABC series The Kopykats, with other impressionists such as Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels, and Frank Gorshin.
Following the demise of his show, Kirby's career declined, especially as audiences began to look for more cutting-edge comedy. HBO did include him in their On Location With comedian series in the late 1970s, filming one of his many appearances at Grossinger's in the NY Catskills, a club he had played regularly since 1961.
His career never again reached its former heights, but he did register featured guest appearances on Gimme a Break with Nell Carter, What's Happening Now!!, Crazy Like a Fox, and 227. In 1983 he did a USO tour with Bob Hope to entertain the troops in Beirut, Lebanon as part of the multinational peacekeeping force.
Imprisonment
Arrested in 1977 for selling cocaine and heroin to an undercover officer, Kirby served three and a half years in prison. After his release, he visited schools to tell students to stay off drugs.
Death
Diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his later years, Kirby made his last public appearance at an all-star benefit in May 1995 given by his friends for his mounting medical bills.
On September 30, 1995, Kirby died of Parkinson's disease at a nursing home in Las Vegas. He was survived by his wife, Rosemary.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Kirby_(comedian)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- November 2, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from George Kirby's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was George Kirby born?
- A.Las Vegas
- B.New York City
- C.Detroit
- D.Chicagocorrect
George Kirby was born in Chicago.
Source: Career section
2.On what date did George Kirby pass away?
- A.June 8, 1995
- B.September 30, 1995correct
- C.May 1, 1995
- D.December 25, 1995
George Kirby died on September 30, 1995.
Source: Death section
3.What was the name of the establishment where George Kirby first began his show business career in the 1940s?
- A.The Tonight Show
- B.The Kraft Music Hall
- C.Club DeLisacorrect
- D.Grossinger's
George Kirby broke into show business in the 1940s at the Club DeLisa in Chicago.
Source: Career section
4.Which song did George Kirby perform on his first recording in 1947?
- A.Chicago Nights
- B.Kopykats Rag
- C.Funky Fable
- D.Ice Man Bluescorrect
George Kirby's first recording was performing Ice Man Blues on a Tom Archia session in 1947.
Source: Career section
5.Who was one of the first African-American comedians to appeal to both white and Black audiences during the Civil Rights era?
- A.Sammy Davis
- B.Steve Martin
- C.George Kirbycorrect
- D.Bill Cosby
George Kirby was one of the first African-American comedians to appeal to white as well as Black audiences.
Source: Career section
6.Which white celebrity impression did George Kirby perform, noted as being provocative in the 1960s?
- A.Johnny Carson
- B.Bob Hope
- C.John Waynecorrect
- D.Frank Gorshin
George Kirby performed impressions of white celebrities such as John Wayne and Walter Brennan.
Source: Career section
7.What television series featured Steve Martin in one of his first roles, produced after The George Kirby Show special?
- A.The Kopykats
- B.Half the George Kirby Comedy Hourcorrect
- C.The Tonight Show
- D.Gimme a Break
The series Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour included one of Steve Martin's first credits in front of the camera.
Source: Career section
8.Which television show featured George Kirby alongside impressionists such as Rich Little and Marilyn Michaels?
- A.Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In
- B.The Kopykatscorrect
- C.The Ed Sullivan Show
- D.The Temptations Show
George Kirby was a regular in the ABC series The Kopykats, which featured Rich Little, Charlie Callas, Marilyn Michaels, and Frank Gorshin.
Source: Career section
9.In the late 1970s, which company filmed George Kirby at Grossinger's as part of their comedy series?
- A.NBC
- B.ABC
- C.CBS
- D.HBOcorrect
HBO included George Kirby in their On Location With series, filming him at Grossinger's in the late 1970s.
Source: Career section
10.What military entertainer did George Kirby join for a 1983 USO tour in Beirut, Lebanon?
- A.Jackie Gleason
- B.Perry Como
- C.Bob Hopecorrect
- D.Johnny Carson
In 1983, George Kirby went on a USO tour with Bob Hope to entertain troops in Beirut.
Source: Career section
11.What were the criminal charges that led to George Kirby's imprisonment in 1977?
- A.Public intoxication
- B.Selling cocaine and heroincorrect
- C.Assault
- D.Tax evasion
George Kirby was arrested in 1977 for selling cocaine and heroin to an undercover officer.
Source: Imprisonment section
12.How long was the prison sentence George Kirby served after his 1977 arrest?
- A.Two years
- B.One year
- C.Three and a half yearscorrect
- D.Five years
After his 1977 arrest, George Kirby served three and a half years in prison.
Source: Imprisonment section
13.What chronic condition was George Kirby diagnosed with in his later years?
- A.Diabetes
- B.Heart disease
- C.Parkinson's diseasecorrect
- D.Cancer
George Kirby was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his later years.
Source: Death section
14.Where was George Kirby living at the time of his death?
- A.Chicago
- B.Las Vegascorrect
- C.Beirut
- D.New York
George Kirby died at a nursing home in Las Vegas.
Source: Death section
15.Who survived George Kirby after his death in 1995?
- A.His brother
- B.His wife, Rosemarycorrect
- C.His manager
- D.His daughter
George Kirby was survived by his wife, Rosemary.
Source: Death section
16.What was the name of the recurring feature story performed by George Kirby on his variety show?
- A.The Beirut Report
- B.Ice Man Blues
- C.Kopykat Chronicles
- D.Funky Fablecorrect
A regular feature on Half the George Kirby Comedy Hour was a shaggy dog story entitled the Funky Fable.
Source: Career section
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