01 September, 2017
According to a statement from his publicist, Berman died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Berman has passed away at the age of 92.
Berman is credited with helping create the "modern" stand-up comedy routine, as his performances in the 1960s and 70s were far more cerebral and personal than the slapstick gags of comics before him, per the New York Times. It featured his trademark style of an improvised, harried phone call, which Berman delivered while seated on a stool.
Popular Video This young teenage singer was shocked when Keith Urban invited her on stage at his concert. (Newhart has long admitted that Berman did the routine before him, but points out that the "telephone monologue" has been around almost since its invention.) And while Berman somewhat bitterly noted that it made Newhart a star, he certainly did all right for himself too: The success of Inside Shelley Berman blazed a trail for comedy albums to follow, and it landed him on the era's biggest variety shows and inside huge venues like Carnegie Hall-the first comic to headline there. The public reception to Berman's album helped comedians like Steve Martin and Bill Cosby produce their own successful comedy albums. In 1959, he released the live record Inside Shelley Berman, which subsequently became the first non-musical recording to win a Grammy Award and the first comedy record to go gold. "I told my wife, 'I can buy two suits now'".
Berman, a Chicago native, got his start in the local theatre, training at Goodman Theatre in dramatic acting. While there, he met a fellow actor Sarah Herman, and the two were Wednesday in 1947.
The actor and comedian famously played Larry David's dad on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, which is returning to the network this fall. He reprised the role 12 more times over the following four seasons, earning an Emmy nomination for his part in Season 6's "The Rat Dog" episode. He is survived by his wife 70 years, Sarah.
