Anthony Michael Hall

Hall writes and sings for his band, Hall of Mirrors. "You only live once, except for Shirley MacLaine." -King on life. He also stars in The Dead Zone, a television series based on the Stephen King novel. "Did you hear the one about the elderly Jew on his deathbed who sent for a priest, after declaring to his astonished relatives that 'I want to convert.' Asked why he would become a Catholic, after living all his life as a Jew, he answered: 'Better one of them should die than one of us.'" -King on religion. Hall continues to appear regularly in major films in a variety of roles such as nerd billionaire Bill Gates in Pirates of Silicon Valley and baseball player Whitey Ford in 61*. "There's gotta be a better way for a nice Jewish boy to make a living." -King on boxing. Hall starred in Hail Caesar, a film about a would-be rock star who works in a pencil eraser factory, which Hall also directed. Now that's better than sex, but only if the salami is thickly sliced." -King on sex and food.

After a string of bizarre behavior, a tour in rehabilitation for alcoholism, and late puberty, a far more athletic Hall appeared in Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, this time playing the part of the villain. Except for salami and eggs. He appeared as a regular on Saturday Night Live at the age of 17, the youngest cast member ever. "As life's pleasures go, food is second only to sex. After his success at playing a geek in Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club, Hall avoided similar roles for fear of being typecast. "It even cleared out your nostrils, your sinuses, and the wax in your ears." -King on his mother's enemas. Anthony Michael Hall (born April 14, 1968) is a US movie actor who became famous playing a nerd in several prominent Brat Pack films of the 1980s. Queen?" -King on royalty.

61* (2001) (television) - Whitey Ford. King?" Alan King: "How do you do, Mrs. Pirates of Silicon Valley (1999) (television) - Bill Gates. Queen Elizabeth II: "How do you do, Mr. Hail Caesar (1994) - Julius Caesar McMurty. "Modesty is not one of my virtues." - King on his ego. Edward Scissorhands (1990) - Jim, Kim's Boyfriend. "Because no one could make the announcement 'Miss Garland will not appear tonight' better than I could." -King on why he opened for Judy Garland.

Saturday Night Live (1985-1986) (television) - various. And I wouldn't let him cut my nails." -King on doctors. Weird Science (1985) - Garry Wallace. "My brother is the youngest member of the College of Physicians and Surgeons. The Breakfast Club (1985) - Brian Ralph Johnson. If the banks are so friendly, how come they chain down the pens?" -King on banks. Sixteen Candles (1984) - The Geek (Farmer Ted). Now you have 'a friend,' your friendly bank.

National Lampoon's Vacation (1983) - Russell 'Rusty' Griswold. "The banks have a new image. "Why is everybody carrying on about Woolworth's? Have you ever eaten at the counter at Woolworth's? If you wanted to sit in the Colony Club, I could understand." -King on lunch counter sit-ins during the 1960s. He was 76. King died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan on May 9th, 2004, after succumbing to lung cancer.

The cancer eventually returned. A life-long cigar smoker, King was forced to quit smoking in 1992 after cancer led to the removal of half his jaw. He also started the Toyota Comedy Festival. In the 1970s, King turned his passion for tennis into a pro tournament in Las Vegas called the Alan King Tennis Classic.

He also created the Laugh Well program, which sends comedians to hospitals to perform for patients. He founded the Alan King Medical Center in Jerusalem, raised funds for the Nassau Center for Emotionally Disturbed Children (near his home in Great Neck, New York), and established a chair in dramatic arts at Brandeis University. Throughout his life, King was deeply involved in charity work. King realized he had neglected his family and began spending more time at home.

In the 1970s, King discovered one son was addicted to drugs and turned him in to police. In the 1960s, King's performances in Las Vegas led him to face up to a gambling addiction that made him limit his performances in Las Vegas. King was also the long-standing host of the New York Friar's Club celebrity roasts. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.

He became a regular guest host for the Tonight Show, hosted the Oscars in 1972, and was the emcee for President John F. His career took off after appearances on the Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, and Garry Moore Shows. King also became a popular television host. Like many other Jewish comics, King worked the Catskill circuit known as the Borscht Belt. King played small roles in movies in the 1950s, but disliked playing stereotypical roles that he described as "always the sergeant from Brooklyn named Kowalski." [1] (http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/05/09/obit.king.ap/index.html) King eventually expanded his range and made a name for himself playing gangsters in five movies, including Cats Eye and The Anderson Tapes.

When Martin was cast in the movie Hit the Deck, he suggested King for a part, which gave King his first movie role. King began opening for many celebrities including Judy Garland, Patti Page, Nat King Cole, Billy Eckstine, Lena Horne and Tony Martin. With America moving to suburbs, King's humor took off. The focus of his routines became life in the suburbs.

There, he developed comedy revolving around life in suburbia. His wife persuaded him to move to Forest Hills, Queens for their children. He had three children, Andrew, Robert, and Elaine Ray. King married Jeanette Sprung in 1947.

His comedy inspired other comedians like Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational style that used everyday life for humor. King realized that Thomas was talking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better response. King's style of comedy changed when he saw Danny Thomas performing in the early 1950s.

King started out with the usual routines of one-liners about mother-in-laws and Jews. King began working as a doorman at the popular nightclub Leon and Eddie's while performing comedy under the last name of the boxer who beat him, "King.". He won twenty straight fights before losing. Nursing a broken nose, King decided to quit boxing and focus on his comedy career. He worked in Canada in a burlesque house while also fighting as a professional boxer.

After one joke that made fun of the hotel's owner, King was fired. At fifteen, King dropped out of high school to perform comedy at the Hotel Gradus in the Catskill Mountains. He lost first prize, but was invited to join a nationwide tour. When he was fourteen, King performed "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime" on the radio program Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour.

As a child, King performed impersonations on street corners for pennies. King used humor to survive in the tough neighborhoods. The youngest of several children, King spent his first years on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Later, King's family moved to Brooklyn. King was born Irwin Alan Kniberg.

He died of lung cancer. In later years, he helped many philanthropic causes. King wrote several books, produced films, and appeared in plays. He appeared in a number of movies and television shows.

King became well-known as a Jewish comedian and satirist. Alan King (December 26, 1927 - May 9, 2004), born Irwin Alan Kniberg, was an American comedian known for his biting wit and often angry humorous rants. Matzoh Balls for Breakfast and Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish (2005). Is Salami and Eggs Better Than Sex? Memoirs of a Happy Eater.

Name Dropping: The Life and Lies of Alan King. Help! I'm a Prisoner in a Chinese Bakery (1964). Anyone Who Owns His Own Home, Deserves One (1962). Goldwyn (actor).

Mr. Something Different (producer). The Lion in Winter (producer). The Impossible Years (actor) (1956).