Jack Sheldon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Jack Sheldon |
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Sheldon at the Palo Alto Jazz Festival, September 26, 1987
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr. |
| Born | November 30, 1931 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. |
| Died | December 27, 2019 (aged 88) Los Angeles, California |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer, comedian, actor |
| Instruments | Trumpet, vocals |
| Associated acts | Merv Griffin |
Jack Sheldon (born Beryl Cyril Sheldon Jr., November 30, 1931 – December 27, 2019) was a talented American musician, singer, and actor. He was famous for his amazing trumpet playing and his unique voice. Many people knew him from The Merv Griffin Show and especially from the fun and educational Schoolhouse Rock! cartoons.
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About Jack Sheldon
Jack Sheldon was born in Jacksonville, Florida, USA. In the 1950s, he became well-known in the West Coast jazz music scene. He played and recorded with famous jazz artists like Stan Kenton and Gerry Mulligan.
Music and TV Shows
Jack was a regular on The Merv Griffin Show for many years. He played the trumpet, sang, and was Merv Griffin's funny sidekick. Before that, he led the band for a show called The Las Vegas Show.
His voice became super famous from the Schoolhouse Rock! cartoons in the 1970s. He sang classic songs like "Conjunction Junction" and "I'm Just a Bill". He even returned to Schoolhouse Rock! in 2002 for a new episode. This episode, called "I'm Gonna Send Your Vote to College," explained how the electoral college works.
Jack also voiced "Louie the Lightning Bug" in a series of animated public service announcements. These cartoons taught kids about electricity safety. He sang and played trumpet for these videos, which started in 1984.
He sang the song "King Putt" for a parade at Disneyland in 1992. You can also hear his trumpet solo in the movie One from the Heart (1982). He played trumpet on several songs for Tom Waits' 1977 album Foreign Affairs.
Jack Sheldon also acted in several TV shows. In the 1960s, he starred in The Cara Williams Show. He played a jazz trumpeter who was a neighbor and friend. From 1966 to 1967, he had his own show, Run, Buddy, Run. In this show, he played Buddy Overstreet, an accountant who accidentally heard a secret and had to go on the run. He also appeared many times on the TV show Dragnet.
Movies and Documentaries
Jack Sheldon appeared in an Oscar-nominated documentary called Let's Get Lost. This film was about another jazz trumpeter, Chet Baker. In the 1994 movie Radioland Murders, he played a trumpet player named Ruffles Reedy.
His beautiful trumpet solo on "The Shadow of Your Smile" helped the song win a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and an Academy Award for Best Original Song. This song was introduced in the 1965 film The Sandpiper.
Jack sang one of the versions of the title song for Robert Altman's 1973 movie The Long Goodbye.
There's also a documentary about Jack Sheldon called Trying to Get Good: the Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon (2008). It includes interviews with famous people like Clint Eastwood and Billy Crystal. The film shows Jack playing music, singing, and telling jokes. It won awards at several film festivals.
Fun Parodies
Jack Sheldon even made fun of his own famous roles! He parodied his "I'm Just a Bill" performance in an episode of The Simpsons. In that episode, he was an "amendment to be." He also played the Bill and the Conductor from "Conjunction Junction" again in two episodes of Family Guy.
His Final Years
Jack Sheldon passed away peacefully on December 27, 2019, when he was 88 years old.
Filmography Highlights
- 1966-1967: Run, Buddy, Run (TV series) – Buddy Overstreet
- 1973-2009: Schoolhouse Rock! (TV series) – Conductor/The Bill/Additional Voices (voice)
- 1973-1974: The Girl with Something Extra (TV series) – Jerry Burton
- 1976: Freaky Friday – Lloyd
- 1988: Let's Get Lost – Himself
- 1996: The Simpsons (TV series) – The Amendment (voice)
- 1997: Johnny Bravo (TV series) (voice)
- 2000-2001: Family Guy (TV series) – Conductor/The Bill (voice)
- 2004: Teacher's Pet – Vocals on Song- "Take the Money and Run"
