Born in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Forman appeared on the late 1940s local radio show the Magic Lady Supper Club along with his school friend, singer
Eddie Fisher. The pair travelled to upstate New York to the
Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel in the
Catskill Mountains. Forman was originally an athletic director, but his funny remarks led the management to place him on the stage as a comedian, though Forman wished to become a serious actor. Forman broke into show business after winning an ''
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts'' program. He first attracted attention in Las Vegas as the opening act for
Mickey Rooney and also Rooney's
straight man. He also co-starred in Mickey Rooney's 1954–1955
NBC sitcom The Mickey Rooney Show, as Mickey's best friend, Freddy, and appeared with him in the films
Andy Hardy Comes Home (1958) and
The Big Operator (1959). He guest-starred in an unaired 1963 episode of the situation comedy ''
Don't Call Me Charlie!''. Forman was considered a standard
Borscht Belt comic, and he performed standup comedy both live and on television (including shows like
The Hollywood Palace). He also took on comedic roles in films and on television. Forman appeared in two episodes of
The Monkees, first as jealous
kids show host "Captain Crocodile" in an eponymous episode, then as
Asian criminal "Dragonman" in "Monkees Chow Mein". He also appeared in three
Get Smart episodes, including two episodes as "Harry Who" (as per the credits), a parody of
Charlie Chan. He also appeared in the final episode of the first season of
M*A*S*H as a touring comedian performing for U.S. troops in the
Korean War as well as in Episode #18 during the third season of
Bewitched as Ho Ho the Clown. He also had roles in films such as the Jerry Lewis film
The Errand Boy (1961) as an audio director,
The Wheeler Dealers (1963) starring
James Garner and
Lee Remick,
The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968), the cult film
Candy (1968) as a tough New York cop, and
Linda Lovelace for President (1975). Forman distinguished himself from the field by inventing a character called "The Mashuganishi Yogi", a parody of the
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 1968, working with
Bill Dana, he produced a comedy album consisting of a faux press conference, in which he responded to mostly-straight questions with funny answers, speaking in a stereotyped Indian accent. He was accompanied with a
sitarist, "Harvey Shankar", a parody of
Ravi Shankar (played by Dana). ==Later years/death==