DeLuise's paid stage debut, at age 18, of
Bernie the dog was in the drama
Bernies Christmas Wish. In 1961, DeLuise played in the
off-Broadway musical revue
Another Evening with Harry Stoons, which lasted nine previews and one performance. Another member of the cast was 19-year-old
Barbra Streisand. He was also in the off-Broadway play
All in Love, which opened on November 10, 1961, at the Martinique Theatre and ran for 141 performances. Other New York theater performances included
Half-Past Wednesday (off-Broadway) (1962);
Around the World in 80 Days (off-Broadway) (1963);
The Student Gypsy (Broadway) (1963); ''Here's Love
(Broadway) (1963); and Last of the Red Hot Lovers'' (Broadway) (1969). DeLuise generally appeared in comedic parts, although an early appearance in the movie
Fail-Safe as a nervous
USAF technical sergeant showed a broader range. His first acting credit was as a regular performer in the television show
The Entertainers in 1964. He gained early notice for his supporting turn in the
Doris Day film
The Glass Bottom Boat (1966). In his review in
The New York Times,
Vincent Canby panned the film but singled out the actor, stating, "[T]he best of the lot, however, is a newcomer, Dom DeLuise, as a portly, bird-brained spy." In the 1970s and 1980s, he often co-starred with his real-life friend
Burt Reynolds. Together they appeared in the films
The Cannonball Run and
Cannonball Run II,
Smokey and the Bandit II,
The End, and
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. DeLuise was the
host of the television show
Candid Camera from 1991 to 1992. He was a mainstay of ''
Burke's Law'', an American television series that aired on CBS during the 1993–1994 and 1994–1995 television seasons. DeLuise also lent his distinctive voice to various
animated films and was a particular staple of
Don Bluth's features, playing major roles in
The Secret of NIMH,
An American Tail,
A Troll in Central Park and
All Dogs Go to Heaven (also with Reynolds).
All Dogs Go to Heaven also featured Reynolds' voice as Charlie B. Barkin and DeLuise voiced Itchy Itchiford, Charlie's best friend, wing-man and later partner in business. Unlike DeLuise, however, Reynolds did not contribute a voiceover to any of the eventual film or television series or sequels. DeLuise also voiced the incarnation of
Charles Dickens'
Fagin in the
Walt Disney film
Oliver & Company and made voice guest appearances on several animated television series. Television producer
Greg Garrison hired DeLuise to appear as a specialty act on
The Dean Martin Show. DeLuise ran through his "Dominick the Great" routine, a riotous example of a magic act gone wrong, with host Martin as a bemused volunteer from the audience. Dom's catchphrase, with an Italian accent, was "No Applause Please, Save-a to the End". The show went so well that DeLuise was soon a regular on Martin's program, participating in both songs and sketches. Garrison also featured DeLuise in his own hour-long comedy specials for
ABC. (Martin was often off-camera when these were taped, and his distinctive laugh can be heard.) In 1968, DeLuise hosted his own hour-long comedy variety series for CBS,
The Dom DeLuise Show. Taped in Miami at The
Jackie Gleason Theater, it featured many regular Gleason show cast members including The
June Taylor Dancers and The Sammy Spear Orchestra. DeLuise's wife Carol Arthur also regularly appeared. The 16-week run was the summer replacement for
The Jonathan Winters Show. He later starred in his own
sitcom,
Lotsa Luck (1973–1974). DeLuise was probably best known as a regular in
Mel Brooks's films. He appeared in
The Twelve Chairs,
Blazing Saddles,
Silent Movie,
History of the World, Part I,
Spaceballs, and
Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Brooks' wife, actress
Anne Bancroft, directed Dom in
Fatso (1980). DeLuise exhibited his comedic talents while playing the speaking part of the jailer Frosch in the comedic
operetta Die Fledermaus at the
Metropolitan Opera, playing the role in four separate revivals of the work at the Met between December 1989 and January 1996. In the production, while the singing was in German, the spoken parts were in English. A lifelong opera fan, he also portrayed the role of L'Opinion Publique in drag for the
Los Angeles Opera's production of
Offenbach's
Orpheus in the Underworld. An avid cook and author of several books on cooking, he appeared as a regular contributor to a syndicated
home improvement radio show,
On The House with The Carey Brothers, giving listeners tips on culinary topics. He was also a friend and self-proclaimed "look-alike" of famous Cajun chef
Paul Prudhomme and author of seven children's books. ==Personal life==