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Edgar Bergen performed with dummy Charlie McCarthy on radio from 1937 to 1956 and in films like Fun and Fancy Free 1947 and The Muppet Movie 1979. He received an Academy Honorary Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Bergen died of kidney disease in Las Vegas in 1978.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Edgar Bergen — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Edgar Bergen by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Edgar Bergen — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Berggren built his first dummy, Charlie McCarthy, named after sculptor Charlie Mack, while a student at Lake View High School. He changed his surname to Bergen in 1922 and studied at Northwestern University School of Communication. Born in Chicago on February 16, 1903 to Swedish parents, his interest in ventriloquism drove his early work.
The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show aired on radio from 1937 to 1956, earning induction into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990. Bergen appeared in films such as Letter of Introduction 1938, Fun and Fancy Free 1947, and The Muppet Movie 1979. He never hid his imperfect ventriloquism; Charlie McCarthy would rib him about his moving lips, turning it into comedy. Bergen also served as the first president of the Television Academy.
Bergen married Frances Bergen on June 23, 1945, and they had two children: actress Candice Bergen and film editor Kris Bergen. He and Candice are the only parent-child pair to each make a guest appearance on The Muppet Show. Bergen died only weeks after his retirement in 1978.
Bergen earned three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for radio, television, and motion pictures. One of his Charlie McCarthy dummies is in the Smithsonian Institution; another is owned by magician David Copperfield. A 1991 US postage stamp, designed by Al Hirschfeld, featured Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. He is remembered as a pioneer of ventriloquism on radio and film.
The complete filmography of Edgar Bergen — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
Every award, honor, and recognition received by Edgar Bergen — Grammys, hall-of-fame inductions, civic honors, lifetime achievements.
A wall of memorable lines from Edgar Bergen — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
Show Me Where Stalin Is Buried and I’ll Show You a Communist Plot.
Little-known facts about Edgar Bergen — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
In his will, Bergen left $10,000 to his dummy Charlie McCarthy through The Actors Fund to preserve and maintain him. Charlie’s original name was Charlie Mack, named after the man who originally sculpted him.
Bergen was never a flawless ventriloquist, but he worked the fact that his lips moved into routines; Charlie McCarthy in particular would rib him about it. Nonetheless, when Bergen appeared in person, everyone reacted to his characters as though they did the talking.
The Muppet Movie 1979 was dedicated in his memory.
He and his daughter Candice Bergen are the only parent and child to each make guest appearances on The Muppet Show 1976.
Bergen is pictured on one of five 29-cent US commemorative postage stamps celebrating famous comedians, issued in booklet form on August 29, 1991. He is shown with alter ego Charlie McCarthy. The stamp designs were drawn by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
The Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy Show 1937-1956 was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.
Bergen is father, with wife Frances Bergen, of actress Candice Bergen and film/TV editor Kris Bergen.
There were three versions of Charlie McCarthy, Bergen’s most famous character. One of the wooden dummies is in the Smithsonian Institution; the second occupies a place of honor at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. The third is owned by magician David Copperfield, who purchased it at an auction for $110,000.
Bergen died only weeks after his retirement, in the fall of 1978.
He attended Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.
Bergen served as the first president of the Television Academy.
In 1922, Edgar Berggren changed his last name to Bergen.
He was awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for Television at 6425 Hollywood Boulevard, Motion Pictures at 6766 Hollywood Boulevard, and Radio at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
Bergen was profiled in Old Time Radio Memories by Mel Simons BearManor Media.
Born Edgar John Berggren of Swedish parentage.
Bergen’s biography appears in Who’s Who in Comedy by Ronald S. Smith 1992, pages 45-46.
Following his death, his casket was buried inside a lawn crypt at Inglewood Park Cemetery.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Edgar Bergen.
Celebrities similar to Edgar Bergen — same craft, ranked by reach.
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