Marty Feldman

Marty Feldman was a comedy writer, comedian and actor. Feldman was born in the East End of London in 1934. By the age of 20 he had decided to pursue a career as a comedian. In 1954, Feldman formed a writing partnership with Barry Took. They wrote a few episodes of The Army Game and the bulk of Bootsie and Snudge, both comedies for ITV, and the BBC radio show Round the Horne, which starred Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams. The sketch comedy series At Last the 1948 Show featured Feldman’s first screen performances. The other three performers — future Pythons Graham Chapman and John Cleese, and future Goodie Tim Brooke-Taylor needed a fourth and had Feldman in mind. Marty was co-author the famous Monty Python ‘Four Yorkshiremen’ sketch and was also script editor on The Frost Report with future members of Monty Python. In 1968 Marty was given his own series by the BBC called Marty, it featured Brooke-Taylor, John Junkin and Roland MacLeod with John Cleese as one of the writers. Feldman won two BAFTA awards. The Marty series proved popular enough with an international audience to launch a film career. His first feature role was inEvery Home Should Have One. Feldman’s performances on American television included The Dean Martin Show and Marty Feldman’s Comedy Machine. Marty Feldman was married to Lauretta Sullivan from January 1959 until his death in 1982. Feldman died from a heart attack in December 1982 at the age of 42. He is buried in the Hollywood Hills Cemetary near his idol, Buster Keaton.