King began his comedy career with one-liner routines and other material concerning mothers-in-law and Jews. His style of comedy changed when he saw
Danny Thomas in the early 1950s. King realized that Thomas was speaking to his audience, not at them, and was getting a better response. King changed his own style from one-liners to a more conversational style that used everyday life for humor. His wife had persuaded the New Yorker to forsake Manhattan for suburban Forest Hills, Queens. In the 1950s, his family and he lived in
Rockville Centre, New York, and later in
Kings Point,
Long Island, where he lived for the rest of his life. There, he developed comedy revolving around life in suburbia. With many Americans moving to the suburbs, King's humor took hold. Like many other Jewish comics, King worked the
Catskill circuit known as the
Borscht Belt. He was soon opening for
Judy Garland,
Patti Page,
Nat King Cole,
Billy Eckstine,
Lena Horne, and
Tony Martin. When Martin was cast in the movie
Hit the Deck, he got King his first movie role. He played small roles in movies in the 1950s, but disliked stereotypical roles that he described as "always the sergeant from Brooklyn named Kowalski." Typical of this was his role as Sgt Buzzer in the WW2 film
On the Fiddle (1961). His career took off after appearances on
The Ed Sullivan Show,
The Perry Como Show, and
The Garry Moore Show. He performed at President
John F. Kennedy's inaugural ball in 1961. Living just outside New York City, King was frequently available when
Ed Sullivan needed a short-notice fill-in. He became a regular guest host for
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. and
Johnny Carson in 1968 He hosted the Oscars in 1972. He headlined two unsold television pilots on CBS, both titled
The Alan King Show. The first aired on September 8, 1961; the second aired on July 12, 1986. King eventually expanded his range and made a name for himself in a wide variety of films. He frequently worked for director
Sidney Lumet, beginning with
Bye Bye Braverman (1968) and
The Anderson Tapes (1971). Lumet later cast him in a starring role in
Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), a provocative comedy about a ruthless business mogul and his TV-producer mistress (
Ali MacGraw). He also played in an uncredited cameo in Lumet's
Prince of the City (1981). He often portrayed gangsters, as in
I, the Jury (1982) and ''
Cat's Eye (1985). He had another major role in Memories of Me'' (1988) as the so-called "king of the Hollywood extras", portraying
Billy Crystal's terminally ill father. King played the role of corrupt union official Andy Stone in
Martin Scorsese's 1995 film
Casino. He appeared in
Night and the City (1992), also starring
Robert De Niro. King was the long-standing host of the
New York Friars Club celebrity roasts and served as the club's historian. King was the first recipient (1988) of the award for American Jewish humor from the
National Foundation for Jewish Culture. The award was ultimately named in his honor. He inspired other comedians, including
Joan Rivers,
Jerry Seinfeld,
Larry David,
Billy Crystal,
Robert Klein, and
Bill Cosby. == Personal life ==