BEVERLY HILLS—Comedian and Broadway actor Jack Carter died on Sunday, June 28, at the age of 93. Jeff Sanderson, a family friend, stated that the cause was due to respiratory failure. Carter was in his home in Beverly Hills at the time of his passing.
In 1948, Carter got his big break in television as a guest-host on “Texaco Star Theater,” in place of Milton Berle. While working on the show and discussing what he wanted from his career, Carter stated “I’d like to last,” with respect to his future as an entertainer. Carter spent the next 50 years building a personal legacy in the entertainment industry and a career spanning over seven decades into the 1990s, with television appearances on shows like “New Girl,””Go On,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Parks and Recreation” and “Shameless.”
He was well-known for his fearless artillery of one-liners and whimsical impersonations, as well as his boldness and confident stage presence. Carter hosted a variety show in the 1950s on NBC, two ABC sitcoms “American Minstrels” and “Cavalcade of the Stars,” as well as the first-ever televised Tony Awards in 1956. He also appeared on Broadway, directed “Here’s Lucy” alongside actress Lucillle Ball, and made numerous guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Andy Williams Show, and The Jackie Gleason Show.
Carter starred in feature movie productions and worked alongside Hollywood legends—Cary Grant, Peter Lorre, Elvis Presley, Burt Reynolds, Humphrey Bogart, as well as political leaders—Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.
He was born as Jack Chagrin on June 24, 1922, in New York City. He grew up in Brighton Beach, residing in Brooklyn with his family. Carter had two siblings: Harry Chagrin, and Anna Borofsky. His parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia, and owned a restaurant and candy shop on Coney Island. He is survived by his wife Roxanne Carter, his sons Michael and Chase, his daughter Wendy, and his two grandchildren.
