Ken Berry

Berry was born in Moline, Illinois in 1933 of Swedish and English descent, one of two children of an accountant, Darrell Berry, and his wife, Bernice (née Larson). He realized he wanted to be a dancer and singer at age 12, as he watched a children's dance performance during a school assembly. He then dreamed of starring in musicals and went to movie theaters to watch Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in some of his favorite films such as Easter Parade, Royal Wedding, On the Town, and Summer Stock. Berry soon began attending tap dance classes, and by age 15 he won a local talent competition sponsored by radio and television big band leader Horace Heidt. Impressed by the young dancer's talent, Heidt asked him to join his popular traveling performance ensemble, "The Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program". Berry accepted and toured the United States and Europe for 15 months, dancing and singing for the public and at post-World War II United States Air Force bases overseas. Berry during those months made lasting relationships with several ensemble members, including Heidt's son, Horace Jr., who later launched a big band and radio career. Army service Following his graduation from Moline High School, Berry volunteered for the United States Army, and was assigned to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His first year in the Army was spent in the artillery, where he entered a post talent contest; the winner would go on Arlene Francis's Soldier Parade in New York City. Berry, who always carried his tap shoes with him, worked out a routine and a few hours later won the contest. He headed to New York for his television debut. Berry's second and final year in the Army was with Special Services, under Sergeant Leonard Nimoy, who encouraged Berry to go to Hollywood and pursue acting. As a part of Special Services, he toured Army posts and officers' clubs, entertaining the troops as well as visiting colleges for recruiting purposes. Soon, another talent competition was held, the All Army Talent Competition, to find service personnel to appear on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town. Berry placed third in the "Specialty Act" category with the song "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and returned to New York City and television. ==Career==

Film work The Sullivan appearance was to take place shortly before Berry would muster out of the Army. Nimoy sent telegrams to several studios and talent agents asking them to watch Berry on the show. The performance led to an offer from 20th Century Fox and a screen test at Universal Studios. Berry signed with an agent as soon as he arrived in Hollywood. He accepted Universal's offer and began as a contract player. Soon he was being groomed to take over for Donald O'Connor in the Francis the Talking Mule movie series; however, Mickey Rooney became available and got the part. At Universal, Berry took full advantage of the studio's talent development program, and later, under the G.I. Bill, he took jazz dance, ballet, vocal, and additional acting classes. The movie musicals Berry admired had already seen their heyday; however, acting, which he once thought of as "something I would do between song and dance routines", became the basis of his career. and with Denver Pyle in 1976's Guardian of the Wilderness, the story of Galen Clark, the man who created Yosemite National Park. Berry also earned broader success as a Disney star in the films Herbie Rides Again in 1974, with Helen Hayes and Stefanie Powers, and The Cat from Outer Space in 1978, with Sandy Duncan and McLean Stevenson. Las Vegas In 1956, after being released from Universal, Berry ventured to Las Vegas, where he opened for and joined Abbott and Costello in their stage act, performing sketches and song and dance routines at the Sahara Hotel and Casino. While working with Abbott and Costello, he met Dee Arlen, an actress whom he credited with getting him his first big break. A notable dramatic performance by Berry was 1982's television movie Eunice, which was based on The Carol Burnett Show sketch, The Family. The Family was something of a pilot for ''Mama's Family''. Berry played Phillip, Eunice's brother, in the special; however he went on to play Vinton, a different brother, on ''Mama's Family''. His collaboration with Carol Burnett continued with the 1993 theatrical production of From the Top in Long Beach, California. which meant he had to take leave from Desilu. After returning from New York in 1960, Berry was brought back to Desilu to play Woody, a bell hop, in 10 episodes of CBS's The Ann Sothern Show, which was set in a New York hotel called the Bartley House. The character Woody served as a "Greek chorus of one" on the series. In 1968, Ball asked Berry to guest star on The Lucy Show, where he played a bank client needing a loan to start a dance studio. He performed a tribute to the Fred Astaire number "Steppin' Out with My Baby" and a duet with Ball for a rendition of "Lucy's Back in Town". After numerous smaller roles, Berry was cast as one of three comic relief characters on Dr. Kildare from 1961 to 1966. A regular on the series, Berry played Dr. Kapish. He also played a dance instructor several times on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Berry continued doing guest roles, but while performing a small part on the short-lived George Burns-Connie Stevens sitcom Wendy and Me, both Burns and Stevens recommended him for the pilot of F Troop for ABC, a western spoof where he played the accident-prone Captain Parmenter—his first starring role in a weekly sitcom. Berry's co-stars were Forrest Tucker and Larry Storch. Berry called his time on F-Troop "two years of recess" In September 1968, Berry led the cast of Mayberry R.F.D. as Griffith's character receded. Most of the regular characters stayed with the show. Andy and wife Helen left after a few episodes in season two. Series writers used Berry's "trouper" talents in stories about church revues and talent contests. On the 1970 Mayberry R.F.D. episode "The Charity", he and co-star Paul Hartman performed a soft-shoe routine. Berry sometimes ended a show on the porch at dusk, serenading others with such songs as "Carolina Moon". In spite of finishing 15th place for season three, Mayberry R.F.D. was canceled in 1971 in what was called "the rural purge", where shows set in a bucolic locale (The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction) were replaced with the more "hip" fare of Norman Lear (All in the Family) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. After Mayberry R.F.D., Berry starred in several TV movies and his own summer replacement variety show on ABC titled ''The Ken Berry 'Wow' Show'' in 1972, which ran for five episodes. This show was a launching pad for future stars Steve Martin, Cheryl Ladd, and Teri Garr. In 1973 Sherwood Schwartz wrote a spin-off of The Brady Bunch, titled ''Kelly's Kids'', which featured Berry as the adoptive father of three diverse boys (black, white, and Asian). The pilot failed to interest ABC. Over the next two decades Berry guest starred on many shows, including The Bob Newhart Show, The Julie Andrews Hour, several Mitzi Gaynor specials, The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, The Donny & Marie Show, The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, Grizzly Adams, CHiPs, The Golden Girls, and Little House on the Prairie. In 1983, Berry was cast as Vinton Harper in ''Mama's Family, a spin-off from The Carol Burnett Show with comic actors including Vicki Lawrence, Dorothy Lyman, and Rue McClanahan. Betty White and Carol Burnett appeared as guest stars. The first two seasons aired on NBC and then the show was cancelled in 1984. In 1986, it was picked-up for first run syndication. Lawrence, Berry, and Lyman all returned. McClanahan and White were already taping The Golden Girls'' so were no longer available. White did make one guest appearance. Burnett did not appear due to her recent divorce from long-time husband Joe Hamilton, the show's producer. Beverly Archer and Allan Kayser joined the cast as neighbor Iola Boylen and Mama's grandson (Eunice's son) Bubba Higgins, respectively. The reboot of ''Mama's Family'' was successful, airing until 1990 with a total of 130 episodes produced. During and after ''Mama's Family, Berry toured the United States in various theatrical performances, including multiple performances of Sugar'' with co-stars such as Donald O'Connor, Mickey Rooney, Soupy Sales, and Bobby Morse, The Music Man with Susan Watson (Patrick Swayze and Lisa Niemi were in the chorus), I Do! I Do! with Loretta Swit, and Gene Kelly's A Salute to Broadway with Howard Keel and Mimi Hines. Kelly, who was Berry's idol, was set to direct the production, but fell ill. Discography Berry's first recording experience came with the Billy Barnes cast albums: one from the Broadway performance of The Billy Barnes Review and the second in ''Billy Barnes' L.A''. After an appearance on The Andy Williams Show, Williams asked Berry to record a solo album on his new Barnaby label. Backed by a full orchestra, Ken Berry RFD was released in 1970. ==Personal life==

Berry married Jackie Joseph, a Billy Barnes castmate, on May 29, 1960. On November 29, 1962, their son Joseph Larson Berry was born but died 6 days later on December 5, 1962. They then adopted two children together, John (1964–2016) and Jennifer (1965–2020). They divorced in 1977. His son John, who later became a co-founder of the Indie rock band Idaho, died in 2016 of brain cancer at the age of 51. His daughter Jennifer died in 2020 of natural causes at the age of 55. Berry's longtime partner and companion, Susie Walsh, a stage manager, was with him for the last 24 years. Berry "loved cars and anything with wheels" from the time he was a young child, particularly smaller cars, and maintained a 1966 Mini Moke. An avid motorcyclist, he camped and rode the local Los Angeles mountain ranges. ==Death==

Berry died of heart complications in Burbank, California, on December 1, 2018, at the age of 85. ==Credits==