Phil Silvers Biography

Fast Facts

• Was voted one of the top 50 comedy acts of all time by fellow comedians and comedy insiders in a 2005 poll seeking "The Comedian's Comedian․"
• When he was 11, he would sing in theaters when the projector broke down, and he quickly went on to work as a singer in the Gus Edwards Revue, a vaudeville performer and a burlesque comic
• Quote: "I'm an impatient comedian․ And I feel that the audience is impatient with me․"
• His starring role as Sergeant Ernest G․ Bilko on "You'll Never Get Rich" propelled him to household name status
• His trademark greeting was "Glad to see you," all run together into "Gladaseeya!"
• Even after cataract surgery corrected his vision to the point that he didn't need eyeglasses, he continued to wear empty glasses frames to keep up his trademark appearance
• Wrote the lyrics for "Nancy (With the Laughing Face)" for a friend's wife's birthday, and later Frank Sinatra popularized the song