Voting Station

Will Jordan

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Comedian

The Resume

    (July 27, 1927-September 6, 2018)
    Born in Bronx, New York, New York
    Birth name is Wilbur Rauch
    Celebrity Impersonator
    Known for impersonating Ed Sullivan
    Appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show 11 times (1954-68)
    Appeared on The Arthur Murray Party and The Merv Griffin Show
    Portrayed Ed Sullivan in 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978),' 'The Buddy Holly Story (1978),' 'Elvis (1979),' 'The Doors (1991),' 'Mr. Saturday Night (1992),' and 'Down with Love (2003)'

Why he might be annoying:

    His only acting jobs ever came in the form of portraying Ed Sullivan in celebrity biopics.
    He incorporated the phrases 'Welcome to our Toast of the Town Shoooo' and 'Really Big Shew' into his Sullivan impersonation - which Sullivan never actually said.
    The phrases have become so associated with him that nearly every Sullivan Impersonator has incorporated the lines into their acts.
    He accused Lenny Bruce, Jackie Mason, Jack Carter and Mel Brooks of lifting his material.
    He explained saying: 'They weren’t stealing Ed Sullivan. They were stealing my IMPRESSION of Ed Sullivan.'
    As the demand for Ed Sullivan impersonations began to wane, he started to take gigs impersonating George C. Scott as General Patton for corporate sales conferences and motivational retreats (complete with a helmet and full military gear).

Why he might not be annoying:

    His parents were Jewish immigrants from Romania and Poland.
    He was one of an elite group of impressionists who performed regularly on television in the postwar decades.
    He wasn't limited to doing Ed Sullivan and could also do Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx and Jack Benny.
    He imitated Peter Lorre and James Mason as one of the actors in 'Psycho Drama' on Rupert Holmes' 1974 debut album Widescreen.
    He performed in the original Broadway production of 'Bye, Bye Birdie' as Ed Sullivan (1960-61).
    He appeared as Sullivan in Billy Joel's 1960s-TV-style music video 'Tell Her About It.'
    He mastered the difficult art of impersonating Ed Sullivan (who famously had few known mannerisms, thereby making it difficult).
    His invented funny mannerisms that Sullivan never had (like cracking his knuckles, spinning, and shaking back and forth) even made their way into Robin Williams's impersonation of the host as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 3 Votes: 0% Annoying