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Harvey Korman Dies
Harvey Korman, the versatile comedian who won four Emmys for his outrageously funny contributions to "The Carol Burnett Show" and on the big screen in "Blazing Saddles," has died. He was 81. Korman died at UCLA Medical Center after suffering complicati
ons from the rupture of an abdominal aortic aneurysm four months ago, his family said in a statement released by the hospital. His daughter, Kate Korman, said in the statement that it was a "miracle" that her father had survived the aneurysm at all. "Tragically, after such a hard fought battle he passed away," she said. A natural second banana, Korman gained attention on "The Danny Kaye Show." He joined the show in 1964 and continued until it was canceled in 1967. That same year he became a cast member in the first season of "The Carol Burnett Show." Carol Burnett was devastated by the news, said her assistant, Angie Horejsi. "She loved Harvey very much," Horejsi said. His most memorable film role was as the outlandish Hedley Lamarr in Mel Brooks' classic 1974 Western satire, "Blazing Saddles." He also appeared in the Brooks' comedies "High Anxiety," "The History of the World Part I" and "Dracula: Dead and Loving It," as well as two "Pink Panther" movies. In television, Korman guest-starred in dozens of series over the years. While they were in their '70s, he and Tim Conway, his Burnett show co-stars, toured the country with their show "Tim Conway and Harvey Korman: Together Again." They did 120 shows a year. Harvey Korman was born Feb. 15, 1927, in Chicago, Illnois. He left college for service in the U.S. Navy, resuming his studies afterward at the Goodman School of Drama at the Chicago Art Institute. After four years, he decided to try New York."For the next 13 years I tried to get on Broadway, on off-Broadway, under or beside Broadway," he told an interviewer in 1971.Finally, in desperation, he and a friend formed a nightclub comedy act. "We were fired our first night in a club, between the first and second shows," he recalled. After returning to Chicago, Korman decided to try Hollywood, reasoning that "at least I'd feel warm and comfortable while I failed."
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