Jack Carter was one of television’s earliest stars, a rapid-fire comedian whose timing and sharp wit made him a natural fit for The Ed Sullivan Show. Born on June 24, 1922, in Brooklyn’s Brighton Beach neighborhood to Russian Jewish immigrants, Carter grew up around laughter and performance. His parents ran a candy store, and young Jack would hop on the counter to sing and dance, charming customers with his impromptu shows. That early knack for entertaining would carry him to nightclubs, Broadway, Hollywood, and most memorably, the Sullivan stage.
After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, Carter returned to civilian life ready to chase his passion for comedy. Television was still in its early days, but his quick humor and command of an audience made him a perfect fit for the new medium. He landed the hosting job on DuMont Network’s Cavalcade of Stars, a program that along with Ed Sullivan’s Toast of The Town (1948), helped introduce America to the variety television format. Carter stayed with the show until he was lured to NBC to headline his own series, The Jack Carter Show.
His growing television fame soon opened doors on Broadway, where he showcased his versatility. He stepped into the lead role of Top Banana after Phil Silvers, and in 1956, co-starred opposite Sammy Davis Jr. in Mr. Wonderful. Still it was television that made him a household name. Through the 1960’s and 1970’s Carter was a regular guest on The Ed Sullivan Show appearing an astonishing 49 times. He would often bring down the house with his monologues and affectionate, but hilariously accurate impersonations of Ed Sullivan. His ability to honor and poke fun at Ed became the highlight of his many appearances.
Carter’s career stretched across nearly every corner of American entertainment. After making his mark on the variety stage, he went on to become a familiar presence in some of television’s most beloved series, popping up in everything from The Dick Van Dyke Show, I Dream of Jeannie, Combat!, The Rockford Files, and Sandford and Son. He became a recognizable face on popular game shows like Match Game and The $10,000 Pyramid, and audiences tuned in to see him spar and joke on more than a dozen Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts. On the big screen he wasn’t afraid to poke fun at himself, taking on offbeat character roles, including the doomed mayor in the cult classic Alligator (1980). And even as the industry shifted in later years, he embraced voice acting, lending his talents to animated favorites like King of the Hill and Nickelodeon’s The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Carter never stopped performing. He continued working on stage, including a 1981 turn as Fagin in Oliver! at the Birmingham Theatre in Michigan, and appeared in television series well into the 2000s, from Living Single and Desperate Housewives to Shameless. In 2014, just a year before his passing he joined Norm Macdonald for a lively conversation on NormMacdonald Live, proving his comedic spark never dimmed.
Jack Carter passed away in 2015 at his home in Beverly Hills leaving behind a career that spanned more than seven decades. To Ed Sullivan show audiences, he was a fixture, brash, fast-talking and endlessly funny. His comedy bridged the early days of television variety and the modern entertainment era, solidifying his place as one of the great American comics of the 20th Century.