Cliff Norton

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Cliff Norton
Norton on The Monkees (1967)
Born	Clifford Charles Nathan (1918-03-21)March 21, 1918 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	January 25, 2003(2003-01-25) (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations	Actor radio announcer
Years active	1949–1994

Clifford Charles Norton (born Clifford Charles Nathan;^[1] March 21, 1918^[2] – January 25, 2003) was an American character actor and radio announcer who appeared in various movies and television series over a career spanning four decades.

Born and raised in Chicago,^[3] Norton was one of three children born to Benjamin W. Nathan and Sophia Sholdar.^[1][4] He attended Sullivan High School, and graduated in 1935.^[5][6] His early jobs included selling shoes and working as a floorwalker.^[7] His first broadcasting experience came as a disc jockey on Chicago's WAAF-AM.^[6] During World War II he was a bombardier in the U.S. Army Air Corps.^[3]

On old-time radio, Norton was probably best known as the announcer for Dave Garroway's radio program; Norton was also a member of the cast of Terry and the Pirates.^[8]

Norton started working on television in the 1950s. He was a regular on Your Show of Shows,^[9]: 1209 Sid Caesar Presents Comedy Preview,^{[9]: 966-967}Garroway at Large,^[9]: 379 Caesar's Hour^[9] and The Dave Garroway Show.^[9]: 239 He performed standup comedy on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show.^[10] He was a regular panelist and presenter on the 1954 ABC game show What's Going On. He also had guest roles in series such as Studio One, The United States Steel Hour, The Alcoa Hour, and Kraft Television Theater.^[10] In 1952, he starred in the short-lived NBC comedy series The Public Life of Cliff Norton. ^[9]: 863

He was the star and announcer for the 1960s syndicated program The Funny Manns,^[9]: 372 which involved silent film footage used for broad comedic effect.^[11]

Throughout the 1960s, Norton guest starred on programs such as The Cara Williams Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Hogan's Heroes, The Munsters, The Monkees, The Lucy Show, and Bewitched. He also created and starred in a spoofing weather spot called Your Weather and Mine, which aired on KTLA in Los Angeles^[3] in 1963.

He had a regular role in the 1966–1967 sitcom It's About Time as "Boss", the chief of a prehistoric caveman tribe.^[9]: 516 He also provided the voice for the lead character, Ed Huddles, in Hanna-Barbera's 1970 animated prime-time series Where's Huddles?

In 1971, he appeared in the final episode of Green Acres; this episode was a backdoor pilot for another sitcom that CBS later rejected.^[12]

Norton appeared in several films in the 1960s and 1970s, including Kiss Me, Stupid (1964); Harlow (1965); Munster, Go Home! (1966); The Ghost and Mr. Chicken; The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966); Suppose They Gave a War and Nobody Came (1970); Harry and Tonto (1974); Funny Lady (1975); and all-star comedy films such as It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976).

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Norton guest starred in shows such as The Feather & Father Gang, The San Pedro Beach Bums, and Remington Steele.

On January 25, 2003, Norton died of lung cancer at his home in Studio City, California at age 84.^[6] He was survived by three children and four grandchildren.^[3]

• Cliff Norton at IMDb