Richard Caruthers "Rich" Little (born
November 26,
1938) is a
Canadian comedian best known for his celebrity
impersonations.
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Born in
Ottawa,
Ontario,
Canada, Little was one of three sons of a
physician. He had a gift for impersonations since his school days and began performing professionally in night clubs at 17. He acted in Ottawa's Little Theatre and became a successful
disc jockey who frequently incorporated impersonations into his show. In 1963, he was asked to audition by
Mel Tormé, who was producing a new variety show for
Judy Garland. The audition won him the job and he broke into
American show business. From 1966-1967, Little appeared in
ABC-TV's
sitcom ''
Love on a Rooftop'' as the Willises' eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker.
Little was a frequent guest on variety and
talk shows. He cracked up
Johnny Carson by capturing the ''
Tonight Show'' host's voice and many on-stage mannerisms perfectly (he later played Carson in the
HBO TV-movie ''
The Late Shift''). One of his best known impressions is of U.S. President
Richard Nixon. During the 1970s, Little made many television appearances portraying Nixon. He was a regular guest on
Dean Martin's Celebrity
Roasts in the 1970s and was also a regular on ''
The Julie Andrews Hour'' in 1973. He was named Comedy Star of the Year by the
American Guild of Variety Artists in 1974. He hosted ''
The ABC Comedy Hour'' (also known as ''KopyKats'') in 1972, ''
The Rich Little Show'' in 1976, and ''
The New You Asked For It'' in 1981. Little has had various
HBO specials including the 1978 one man show, ''
Rich Little's Christmas Carol''. He has also appeared in several movies and released nine albums. When
David Niven proved too ill for his voice to be used in his appearance in ''
Trail of the Pink Panther'', Little provided the overdub; he rendered similar assistance for the 1991 TV special ''
Christmas at the Movies'' by providing an uncredited dub for the aging actor/dancer
Gene Kelly.
Little was the host for the 2007
White House Correspondents' Association dinner. His performance was largely panned "with his ancient jokes and impressions of dead people (Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and
Ronald Reagan)."
[Rich Little Bravely Answers Washington's Call , Mary Ann Akers, The Washington Post, April 23, 2007][Every day is a whining Rove , Richard Adams, The Guardian, April 23, 2007][Jokes leave Washington a Little cold , Tim Harper, The Toronto Star, Apr 23, 2007.]
Personal life
Little was married to Jeanne Worden from 1971 until their divorce in 1989. The couple have a daughter, Bria. He married Jeannette Markey in 1994; they divorced in 1997. He married his current wife, Marie Marotta, in 2003.
Although Little is a Canadian citizen, he resides in
Las Vegas,
Nevada, where he performs regularly.