| Rotund
comedian-actor Jackie Gleason (born Herbert John Gleason)
broke into show business at age 15 by winning an amateur-night
contest and went on to perform in vaudeville, carnivals,
nightclubs, and roadhouses. In 1940 he was signed to
a film contract by Warner Bros., and he debuted onscreen
in Navy Blues (1941). His career was interrupted by
World War II, but at the war's end, Gleason returned
to Hollywood, this time playing character roles in a
number of films. |
