Edgar John Bergen

 Edgar John Bergen, born Edgar John Berggren (February 16, 1903 – September 30, 1978)

He was best known for his proficiency in ventriloquism and his characters Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. He was also the father of actress Candice Bergen. Born in Chicago, Illinois, he attended Northwestern University, where he developed his acting ability and practiced ventriloquism. His early movie roles were so popular that in 1937, he starred in his own radio show, "The Edgar Bergen / Charlie McCarthy Show" which ran until 1956, when the growing popularity of television took away his radio audience. From 1937 until 1959, and again in the early 1980s, he played in many films, including such hits as "Hollywood Handicap" (1938), "The Goldwyn Follies" (1938), "Stage Door Canteen" (1943), "Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd in Sweden" (1950), and "The Muppet Movie" (1979; which came out after his death, and is dedicated to him). In most films, he plays himself. After 1956, he made guest appearances on such television shows as the Jack Benny Show, the (Johnny Carson's) Tonight Show, the Ed Sullivan Show, and numerous cameo roles (usually without Charlie McCarthy). In mid-September 1978 he announced that he was retiring after over 50 years in show business and sending his monocled, top-hatted partner, Charlie McCarthy, to the National Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. He opened at Caesar's Palace Hotel Las Vegas on September 27, for a two-week "Farewell to show business" engagement. He died three days later on September 30, 1978. Bergen is buried at Inglewood Memorial Park in Inglewood, California.