Marty Feldman

Martin Alan Feldman (8 July 1934 – 2 December 1982) was a British actor, comedian and writer. He was known for his prominent, misaligned eyes.

He initially gained prominence as a writer with Barry Took on the ITV sitcom Bootsie and Snudge and the BBC Radio comedy programme Round the Horne. He became known as a performer on At Last the 1948 Show (co-writing the Four Yorkshiremen sketch, which Monty Python would later perform) and Marty, the latter winning him two British Academy Television Awards, including Best Entertainment Performance in 1969.

Feldman went on to appear in films such as The Bed Sitting Room and Every Home Should Have One, the latter being one of the most popular comedies at the British box office in 1970. In 1971, he starred in the comedy-variety sketch series for ATV called The Marty Feldman Comedy Machine. In 1974, he appeared as Igor in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, for which he received the first Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. He died in 1982 of a heart attack while filming Yellowbeard in Mexico City.

Early life

Feldman was born on 8 July 1934 in Canning Town, east London, the son of Cecilia (née Crook) and Myer Feldman, a gown manufacturer. His parents were Ukrainian Jewish immigrants from Kyiv. He recalled his childhood as "solitary" especially during his years of evacuation to the countryside during the Second World War.