Biography
Johnny Silver (born John Silverman) was an American actor and singer. Born on 16 April 1918 in East Chicago, Indiana, he began performing as a youth and served in the US Army during the Second World War, where he appeared in variety acts alongside Mario Lanza.
Silver’s breakthrough came on Broadway when he was cast as Benny Southstreet in Frank Loesser’s Guys and Dolls (1950). He reprised the role in the 1955 film adaptation. Over the following decades he worked extensively as a character actor in film and on television, appearing in titles such as The Great Race (1965), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), History of the World: Part I (1981), Spaceballs (1987) and Seinfeld (1995).
Silver was married to actress Gloria Manos from 1954 until her death in 1993. He died on 1 February 2003 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
