Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney

 Arthur William Matthew “Art” Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003)

He is best known for playing Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden in the situation comedy The Honeymooners, and for winning the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Harry and Tonto. One of his radio roles during the 1940s was the fish Red Lantern on Land of the Lost. In 1943 he played Billy Oldham on Joe and Ethel Turp, based on Damon Runyon stories. He appeared on The Henry Morgan Show in 1946–47. He impersonated FDR on The March of Time and Dwight D. Eisenhower on Living 1948. In 1950–51 he played Montague's father on The Magnificent Montague. He was a supporting player on Casey, Crime Photographer and Gang Busters. In 1950, Jackie Gleason was starring in a New York–based comedy-variety series, Cavalcade of Stars, and played many different characters. Gleason's regular characters included Charlie Bratten, a lunchroom loudmouth who insisted on spoiling a neighboring patron's meal. Carney, established in New York as a reliable actor, played Bratten's mild-mannered victim, Clem Finch. Gleason and Carney developed a good working chemistry, and Gleason recruited Carney to appear in other sketches, including the domestic-comedy skits featuring The Honeymooners. Carney gained lifelong fame for his portrayal of sewer worker Ed Norton, opposite Jackie Gleason's Ralph Kramden. The success of these skits resulted in the famous filmed situation comedy The Honeymooners, and the Honeymooners revivals that followed. He was nominated for seven Emmy Awards and won six. He guest starred on NBC's Henry Morgan's Great Talent Hunt (1951), The Martha Raye Show (1955–56), The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and many others, including as a mystery guest on What's My Line? which he attended dressed as Ed Norton. Carney also had his own NBC television variety show from 1959 to 1960. In the season two opening episodes 35 and 36 of the Batman television series, titled "Shoot a Crooked Arrow" (1966), Carney gave a memorable performance as the newly introduced villain "The Archer".

In the early 1970s, Carney sang and danced on several episodes of The Dean Martin Show, and also took part in the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast of his old co-star Jackie Gleason. According to Carney, he was an alcoholic by his late teens. His first stage partner, comedian Ollie O'Toole, "would order gin and grapefruit juice for us in the morning and, gee, it was great." Carney would later use barbiturates and amphetamines as well alcohol substitutes, and also tried psychotherapy and Alcoholics Anonymous to battle his addiction, which he said ran in the family. He finally found success with Antabuse, and quit drinking during the filming of Harry and Tonto. Art Carney died in his sleep on November 9, 2003, 5 days after his 85th birthday, of natural causes near his home in Westbrook, Connecticut. He is buried at Riverside Cemetery in Old Saybrook, Connecticut.