Rich Little facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rich Little |
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Little performing as Jack Benny in 2015
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| Birth name | Richard Caruthers Little |
| Born | November 26, 1938 Ottawa, Ontario, Canada |
| Medium |
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| Years active | 1956–present |
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| Spouse |
Jeanne Worden
(m. 1971; div. 1989)Jeannette Markey
(m. 1994; div. 1997)Marie Marotta
(m. 2003; died 2010)Catherine Brown
(m. 2012; div. 2012) |
| Children | 2 |
Richard Caruthers Little (born November 26, 1938) is a Canadian-American comedian. He is famous for being an impressionist and voice actor. People sometimes call him the "Man of a Thousand Voices." Rich Little has made many comedy albums and appeared on TV shows.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Comedy
Rich Little was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He was the middle of three sons. His father was a surgeon, and his mother was a housewife.
He went to Lisgar Collegiate Institute for school. When he was a teenager, he teamed up with his friend Geoff Scott. They practiced doing voices of Canadian politicians.
Discovering His Talent
Rich Little started acting in documentary movies at age 11. He also worked as an usher at the Elgin Theatre. There, he practiced his voices while watching movies.
He began his acting career at the Ottawa Little Theatre. At 17, he and Geoff Scott won a talent contest. This was the first time he was paid for his impressions. They later appeared on a national TV show called Pick the Stars.
Little also worked as a disc jockey at a radio station. This job let him use his impressions on the air. By the 1960s, he was performing his act in Toronto.
First Albums
In 1963, Rich Little released two comedy albums. One album, My Fellow Canadians, featured him doing impressions of Canadian politicians. The other album, Scrooge and the Stars, was unique. He played all 22 characters in A Christmas Carol using different celebrity voices.
Breaking into American Television
Rich Little's first show in the United States was in December 1963. His career in the U.S. got a big boost from Canadian writers. They helped him get an audition for The Judy Garland Show.
In January 1964, he made his American TV debut on that show. He impressed Judy Garland by imitating many famous men. After this, he appeared on many other popular variety shows. These included shows hosted by Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason.
In 1965, Little provided the voice for the Pink Panther in two cartoons. This was an experiment to give the Panther a voice. He also appeared in TV shows like Love on a Rooftop and That Girl. He even played a character on The Flying Nun.
Famous Impressions: Richard Nixon
Rich Little became very well known for his impression of U.S. President Richard Nixon. He often appeared on TV as Nixon in the 1970s. He even performed his impression for President Nixon himself!
In 1992, Little was part of an April Fool's Day joke. He pretended to be Nixon on a radio show. He announced Nixon was running for president again. Many listeners believed it was real at first!
In 2020, Little created a one-man show about Nixon. It was called Trial on the Potomac: The Impeachment of Richard Nixon.
TV Appearances and Roasts
Little was a regular on The Julie Andrews Hour in 1972–73. He also starred in The Kopykats, a TV show where actors dressed up as celebrities.
He was a frequent guest on The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. He appeared in 24 of these specials. He would "roast" famous people like Johnny Carson and Frank Sinatra.
In 1978, he had his first HBO special. It was called Rich Little's Christmas Carol. In this show, he played all the characters from A Christmas Carol. He used the voices of famous comedians for each role.
Voice Work and Historical Figures
In 1981, Little was part of a comedy album called The First Family Rides Again. It made fun of U.S. President Ronald Reagan's early time in office.
He had another HBO special in 1983, Rich Little's Robin Hood. He played characters like Robin Hood and Prince John using voices of stars like Groucho Marx and Humphrey Bogart.
Rich Little has also used his voice talent in movies. He helped actors whose voices were hard to understand. For example, he provided the voice for David Niven in two Pink Panther movies. He also helped James Cagney and Gene Kelly in TV projects.
He narrated three animated specials that led to The Raccoons cartoon series.
In 1987, Little performed at a TV special about the U.S. Constitution. He impersonated many historical figures. These included Franklin D. Roosevelt and Martin Luther King Jr..
=The Tonight Show and Las Vegas Career
Rich Little was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He even guest-hosted the show many times. He developed a great impression of Johnny Carson himself.
Little has been performing in Las Vegas since the mid-1960s. He has played at many famous hotels and casinos there. As TV and movie opportunities became fewer, Las Vegas became his main focus. He moved to Las Vegas in 1990.
He performed a one-man show called Jimmy Stewart and Friends. It was based on the life of his friend, actor Jimmy Stewart. After Stewart passed away, Rich Little even recorded crosswalk messages in Stewart's hometown. He used his impression of Stewart's voice for these messages.
From 2015 to 2024, Little was a regular performer at the Laugh Factory in Las Vegas. His show, Rich Little Live!, looked back at his career. He also showed his charcoal sketches of the celebrities he impersonates. The Tropicana hotel, where he performed, closed in April 2024. Little plans to move to a new location with the Laugh Factory.
In 2017, Little released his memoir (a book about his life). It was called Little by Little: People I Have Known and Been.
Honours and Awards
Rich Little has received many awards for his talent:
- He was named "Comedy Star of the Year" in 1974.
- He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1983.
- He was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998.
- He also has a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars (2005) and the Palm Springs Walk of Stars (1998).
- In 2001, he was inducted into the Canadian Comedy Hall of Fame.
- In 2022, he was appointed to the Order of Canada. This is one of Canada's highest honours.
Other Interests
Rich Little cares about helping others. He has been involved with several charities. These include groups that help children with diabetes. He has also supported organizations that help veterans.
Personal Life
Rich Little has been married four times and has two daughters. In 2010, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He describes himself as a conservative politically.
His older brother, Fred, was also an impressionist and voice actor. His younger brother, Chris, was an artist who designed Rich Little's album covers.
Images for kids
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Little in a publicity photo for Hawaii Five-O, 1976
