- Born
- Died
- Birth nameThomas Gordon Poston
- Height6′ 1″ (1.85 m)
- Veteran comedic actor Tom Poston, he with the bugged-out eyes that commonly accentuated a vague look of bewilderment, was born in Columbus, Ohio, on October 17, 1921. By age nine, the young boy was appearing with an acrobatic troupe.
Poston later attended Bethany College in West Virginia when World War II broke out and he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps. He won medals for his courage under fire, and rose to the rank of captain. While he never returned to Bethany College, he would later receive an honorary doctorate from the institution. Following his military service, Poston went to New York and studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA), training with acting guru Sanford Meisner, among others. Making his Broadway debut in 1947 in José Ferrer's production of "Cyrano de Bergerac", Poston had the makings of a serious dramatic actor, appearing in such classics as "The Barretts of Wimpole Street" and "King Lear".
Although he also appeared seriously in TV drama in the early stages, comedy would become his forte. Hosting the amusing daily TV show "Entertainment" led to his biggest break on The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956). He, Louis Nye, Don Knotts, and other members of Allen's stock company became famous for their hilarious characters in Allen's famed sketch sequences. Poston himself would be best remembered as the "Man on the Street" interviewee who could never remember his own name. Winning an Emmy during those four seasons (1956-60), Poston went on to host another program, this time a game show, entitled Split Personality (1959).
He developed an affinity for parlor games and appeared as a panelist on other quiz shows as well, notably To Tell the Truth (1956). Given a chance to star in his own comedy films by the early 1960s, Poston went completely unnoticed in such blah vehicles as Zotz! (1962) and The Old Dark House (1963), which failed to capitalize on his delightfully bungling, eccentric humor, although he did turn in a very funny supporting performance as a perpetually soused playboy in the Dick Van Dyke comedy Cold Turkey (1971).
After his movie career dried up, television again became the object of his affection, usually in service to other stars. Alongside such top comedians as Bob Newhart (Newhart (1982)) and Robin Williams (Mork & Mindy (1978)), Poston's absent-minded "second banana" foils found their engaging niche. The comedic actor also continued with light comedy theater vehicles such as "Forty Carats", "Come Blow Your Horn", "Plaza Suite", and "Mary, Mary", and even managed a few musicals ("A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof").
Poston had a pre-fame first marriage that ended in divorce. His second wife was film actress Jean Sullivan. Their daughter, Francesca Poston, also became an actress. He had two other children by third wife Kay, who was 22 years his junior: son Jason and daughter Hudson. They divorced in 1975, but remarried in 1980 and remained together until her death at age 54 in 1998 from ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). He and Kay appeared on many telethons to discuss the crippling disease. Three years later, Poston found happiness again when he married Suzanne Pleshette (they originally met while appearing in the 1959 Broadway comedy "Golden Fleecing", then worked again together on the old The Bob Newhart Show (1972)). He continued to provide glum, baggy-eyed comedy relief on TV as an octogenarian up until the end. Sadly, while wife Suzanne was battling cancer, Poston passed away unexpectedly of respiratory failure at his Los Angeles home on April 30, 2007, after a brief illness. Pleshette died on January 19, 2008.
The stalwart actor may not have nabbed top comic superstardom in his heyday, but he certainly enjoyed a long, durable career doing what he did best -- acting goofy and giving audiences a reason to smile.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
- SpousesSuzanne Pleshette(May 11, 2001 - April 30, 2007) (his death)Wilma Kay Hudson(December 30, 1980 - July 10, 1998) (her death)Wilma Kay Hudson(June 8, 1968 - October 5, 1976) (divorced, 2 children)Jean Sullivan(November 2, 1955 - 1961) (divorced, 1 child)Doris Sward(October 13, 1949 - ?) (divorced)
- ChildrenFrancesca PostonHudson PostonJason Poston
- ParentsGeorge PostonMargaret Poston
- His frequent collaborations with Bob Newhart
- Served in the U.S. Army Air Corps from 1941 to 1945, and flew over Europe on D-Day.
- Made money as a boxer during his teen years.
- Former acrobat with The Flying Zepleys.
- Was originally under contract to play Maxwell Smart ("Agent 86") in Get Smart (1965) when it was first shown to ABC. The network wanted to make changes to which Mel Brooks would not agree and the deal was scuttled. When NBC picked it up, Don Adams got the role of Maxwell Smart.
- Was friends with Bob Newhart, and Betty White.
- These guys [his TV characters] are about a half-step behind life's parade. The ink on their instruction sheets is beginning to fade. But they can function and cope, and don't realize they are driving people up the walls. (in a 1983 interview)
- In ways I don't like to admit, I'm a goof-up myself. It's an essential part of my character. When these guys [his TV characters] screw up, it reminds me of my own incompetence with the small frustrations of life. (in a 1983 interview)
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