Television legend Sid Caesar dead at 91

Sid Caesar, a television icon whose influential variety programs included Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour, died on Wednesday. He was 91.

The news was broken by Larry King, who used Twitter to pay tribute to his friend:

Caesar's variety program Your Show of Shows, which debuted in 1950, set the template for the genre and spawned legions of imitators. Over the years, numerous comedy icons cut their teeth writing for Caesar, including Neil Simon, Woody Allen, Carl Reiner, and Mel Brooks. The 90-minute program, which aired live, was a showcase for the versatile talents of many young comic geniuses — but none more than Caesar himself. Take this sketch, which parodied the then-popular This is Your Life:

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Or this masterpiece of physical comedy, in which Caesar pantomimed half of an argument to the tune of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony:

Though he's best remembered for his variety shows, Caesar also left his indelible stamp on a number of movies. His most memorable film role came in 1963, where he co-starred alongside other comedy icons like Buddy Hackett and Mickey Rooney in the madcap comedy It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. But later in his career, Caesar played small roles in a number of movies, including Airport 1975, Silent Movie, Grease, and Vegas Vacation, and received a wide range of honors and accolades.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Rob Reiner paid tribute to Caesar by calling him "the greatest single monologuist and skit comedian we ever had." Reiner also called on his legions of fans to pay tribute: "Render unto Caesar what is his due."