Actor
Bert Lahr
Born 13 August 1895 · New York City, New York, USA — died 4 December 1967
Bert Lahr (born Irving Lahrheim) was an American comedian and actor who rose through burlesque, vaudeville and Broadway. He is best remembered as the Cowardly Lion, and also Zeke, in The Wizard of Oz (1939), a performance that remains one of Hollywood's most beloved comic turns.
Key films
The Wizard of Oz (1939)On Cinespective
His signature role as the Cowardly Lion, and farmhand Zeke, made him a permanent fixture of film history.
Flying High (1931)
Screen adaptation of a Broadway musical comedy in which he brought his stage clowning to film.
Ship Ahoy (1942)
A wartime MGM musical comedy that put his vaudeville-style humour in a Hollywood studio setting.
Merry Go Round of 1938 (1937)
A vaudeville-themed film showing his comic style in the Hollywood years before Oz.
The Night They Raided Minsky's (1968)
A late-career film about burlesque, his home territory, released after his death.
Key awards
- 1964 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical (Foxy)
On Cinespective
Full filmography · 35
- 1929Faint Heart · as RudolfActor
- 1931Flying High · as Emil 'Rusty' KrouseActor
- 1933Hizzoner · as Bert Lahr, CopActor
- 1933Mr. Broadway · as Bert LahrActor
- 1934Henry the Ache · as King Henry VIIIActor
- 1934No More West · as Gunpowder BertActor
- 1936Boy, Oh Boy · as The ButlerActor
- 1936Whose Baby Are You? · as Bert HalibutActor
- 1937Merry Go Round of 1938 · as BertActor
- 1937Love and Hisses · as Sugar BolesActor
- 1938Just Around the Corner · as GusActor
- 1938Josette · as Barney BarnabyActor
- 1939The Wizard of Oz · as Cowardly Lion / ZekeActor
- 1939Zaza · as CascartActor
- 1942Ship Ahoy · as Skip OwensActor
- 1942Sing Your Worries Away · as Clarence 'Chow' BrewsterActor
- 1944Meet the People · as CommanderActor
- 1949Always Leave Them Laughing · as Eddie EagenActor
- 1951Mister Universe · as Joe PulaskiActor
- 1954Rose Marie · as Barney McCorkleActor
- 1954Anything Goes · as MoonfaceActor
- 1955The Second Greatest Sex · as Job McClureActor
- 1955The Great Waltz · as Hans EbestederActor
- 1960A Tale of Old Whiff · as voiceActor
- 1963The Sound of Laughter · as Egbert Bunting / Roland MontagueActor
- 1964The Big Parade of Comedy · as The Commander (archive footage)Actor
- 1964The Fantasticks · as Ben HucklebeeActor
- 1968The Night They Raided Minsky's · as Professor SpatsActor
- 1974That's Entertainment! · as (archive footage) (uncredited)Actor
- 1990The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: 50 Years of Magic · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 1997Hidden Hollywood: Treasures from the 20th Century Fox Film Vaults · as Self (Archival Footage)Actor
- 2000The Dark Side of the Rainbow · as 'Zeke' (archive footage)Actor
- 2008Shemp Cocktail: A Toast to the Original Stooge · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2009Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History - The 1930s: Dancing Away the Great Depression · as Self (archive footage)Actor
- 2009To Oz! The Making of a Classic · as SelfActor
Filmography data from TMDB. The profile text is a draft written for Cinespective.