Bert Lahr (1895–1967) was an American stage and screen actor, most famous for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Dropping out of school after the eighth grade, Lahr entered burlesque in 1910 and honed his comedic skills on the vaudeville circuit. His Broadway debut was in Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), but Hold Everything (1928) made him a star. After appearing in a film adaptation of Flying High (1931), Lahr focused on film, landing his role in The Wizard of Oz (1939). After being typecast, Lahr returned to the stage in DuBarry Was a Lady (1939). Later in life, he starred in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and won an award for his Shakespearean performance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960).

What is Bert Lahr best known for?

Bert Lahr (1895-1967) was an American actor, celebrated for his energetic comedic performances on stage and screen. His career spanned burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway, film, and television. Lahr is best known for his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Despite the cumbersome costume, his performance was widely praised. Though frustrated that The Wizard of Oz didn’t lead to more film roles, Lahr returned to the stage, later starring in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot . He continued acting in various media, gaining renewed fame when The Wizard of Oz aired on television in 1956. In 1960, he won an award for his Shakespearean performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream .

What famous role did Bert Lahr play in 'The Wizard of Oz'?

Bert Lahr is most famous for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz . Despite the heavy lion skin costume and facial attachments that made eating difficult, Lahr delivered a memorable comic performance as the "king of the forrest" who admits to being a "dandy-lion." Many reviewers at the time considered Lahr's performance to be the best in the film. Before his role in The Wizard of Oz , Lahr had a successful career in burlesque, vaudeville, and Broadway. After The Wizard of Oz , Lahr continued to work in theater, television, and film.

How did Bert Lahr begin his acting career?

Bert Lahr's acting career began after he left school, having failed eighth grade. In 1910, he joined a friend’s burlesque act. He developed his comedic approach while working on the burlesque and vaudeville circuits. Lahr debuted on Broadway in Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), but his role in Hold Everything (1928) made him a star. He appeared in motion pictures, including an adaptation of Flying High in 1931, and in 1938, he focused on film. In 1939, Lahr was cast as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz .

What impact did Bert Lahr have on American entertainment and comedy?

Bert Lahr significantly impacted American entertainment through his energetic comedy across various media. Starting in burlesque and vaudeville, he transitioned to Broadway, becoming a star in Hold Everything (1928). Despite early film roles, his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939) remains his most iconic role, celebrated for its broad comic richness. Lahr returned to the stage, starring in DuBarry Was a Lady (1939) and Waiting for Godot (1956). His career spanned television, Shakespearean roles, and commercials, demonstrating his versatility and solidifying his legacy in American comedy.

Bert Lahr

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Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Judy Garland as Dorothy, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch in a stone-walled room from The Wizard of Oz.

Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Judy Garland as Dorothy, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, and Jack Haley as the Tin Man stand together on the Yellow Brick Road in a forest scene from The Wizard of Oz.

Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Jack Haley as the Tin Man, Judy Garland as Dorothy, and Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion run arm in arm through a field of poppies in The Wizard of Oz.

Quick Facts

Original name:: Irving Lahrheim

Born:: August 13, 1895, New York, New York, U.S.

Died:: December 4, 1967, New York City (aged 72)

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Bert Lahr

American actor

Also known as: Irving Lahrheim

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John Vincent Brennan

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Who was Bert Lahr?
Bert Lahr (1895–1967) was an American stage and screen actor, most famous for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Dropping out of school after the eighth grade, Lahr entered burlesque in 1910 and honed his comedic skills on the vaudeville circuit. His Broadway debut was in Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), but Hold Everything (1928) made him a star. After appearing in a film adaptation of Flying High (1931), Lahr focused on film, landing his role in The Wizard of Oz (1939).

After being typecast, Lahr returned to the stage in DuBarry Was a Lady (1939). Later in life, he starred in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot and won an award for his Shakespearean performance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960).
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1. Bert Lahr
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What is Bert Lahr best known for?
Bert Lahr (1895-1967) was an American actor, celebrated for his energetic comedic performances on stage and screen. His career spanned burlesque, vaudeville, Broadway, film, and television. Lahr is best known for his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the classic film The Wizard of Oz (1939). Despite the cumbersome costume, his performance was widely praised.

Though frustrated that The Wizard of Oz didn’t lead to more film roles, Lahr returned to the stage, later starring in Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot. He continued acting in various media, gaining renewed fame when The Wizard of Oz aired on television in 1956. In 1960, he won an award for his Shakespearean performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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1. Bert Lahr
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What famous role did Bert Lahr play in 'The Wizard of Oz'?
Bert Lahr is most famous for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Despite the heavy lion skin costume and facial attachments that made eating difficult, Lahr delivered a memorable comic performance as the "king of the forrest" who admits to being a "dandy-lion." Many reviewers at the time considered Lahr's performance to be the best in the film.

Before his role in The Wizard of Oz, Lahr had a successful career in burlesque, vaudeville, and Broadway. After The Wizard of Oz, Lahr continued to work in theater, television, and film.
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2. the Tin Man: In The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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What other types of performances did Bert Lahr do besides movies?
Besides his film work, Bert Lahr had a rich performance history that spanned multiple entertainment mediums. Lahr began his career in burlesque and vaudeville, honing his comedic skills before transitioning to Broadway. His Broadway debut was in Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), with a breakout role in Hold Everything (1928). He starred in other stage shows, including Flying High (1930), Hot-Cha! (1932), Life Begins at 8:40 (1934), and The Show Is On (1936). Later, Lahr returned to the stage in DuBarry Was a Lady (1939) and had a personal triumph in Burlesque (1946). He also starred in the Broadway premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot (1956) and won an award for his Shakespearean performance in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1960). In the 1960s, he gained recognition and financial success in potato chip commercials. Lahr also appeared on television.
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1. Bert Lahr
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How did Bert Lahr begin his acting career?
Bert Lahr's acting career began after he left school, having failed eighth grade. In 1910, he joined a friend’s burlesque act. He developed his comedic approach while working on the burlesque and vaudeville circuits. Lahr debuted on Broadway in Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), but his role in Hold Everything (1928) made him a star. He appeared in motion pictures, including an adaptation of Flying High in 1931, and in 1938, he focused on film. In 1939, Lahr was cast as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz.
1 Britannica Source
1. Bert Lahr
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What impact did Bert Lahr have on American entertainment and comedy?
Bert Lahr significantly impacted American entertainment through his energetic comedy across various media. Starting in burlesque and vaudeville, he transitioned to Broadway, becoming a star in Hold Everything (1928). Despite early film roles, his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz (1939) remains his most iconic role, celebrated for its broad comic richness.

Lahr returned to the stage, starring in DuBarry Was a Lady (1939) and Waiting for Godot (1956). His career spanned television, Shakespearean roles, and commercials, demonstrating his versatility and solidifying his legacy in American comedy.
1 Britannica Source
1. Bert Lahr
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Bert Lahr (born August 13, 1895, New York, New York, U.S.—died December 4, 1967, New York City) was an American stage and screen actor who was best known for his dynamic portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).

Lahr was a lackadaisical student who left school after failing eighth grade. In 1910 he joined a friend’s burlesque act, and he honed his energetic and instinctive approach to comedy while working his way up the bill on the burlesque and vaudeville circuits. Lahr made his debut in legitimate Broadway theatre in the revue Harry Delmar’s Revels (1927), but it was Hold Everything (1928), a show tailored specifically to the comedian, that turned him into a star. Other stage shows followed, including Flying High (1930), Hot-Cha! (1932), Life Begins at 8:40 (1934), and The Show Is On (1936).

Lahr had appeared in some motion pictures, including an adaptation of Flying High in 1931, and in 1938 he abandoned Broadway to fully concentrate on a film career. In 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cast Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, a musical adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s classic children’s tale. Labouring under a weighty costume made of real lion skins and hampered by facial attachments that made it impossible to eat solid food, Lahr still managed a broad and rich comic performance as the erstwhile “king of the forrest,” who confesses to being “just a dandy-lion.” Many reviewers singled out Lahr’s performance as the best in the film. As his son, writer John Lahr, later theorized: “He was a very raucous, loud, energetic low comic…the only way he could make it in Hollywood, given that energy, was as an animal.” Frustrated that The Wizard of Oz did not lead to more choice parts (“How many lion parts are there in pictures?” he once quipped), Lahr returned to the stage in the successful comedy DuBarry Was a Lady later in 1939.

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He continued acting wherever he could—on television, onstage, or in motion pictures—for the remainder of his life. The seriocomic Burlesque (1946) was a personal triumph for Lahr, who had much creative input on the casting and directed the play’s comedy sketches. In 1956 he starred in the Broadway premiere of Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, a play that bewildered Lahr but that he nevertheless greatly admired. That same year, the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) aired The Wizard of Oz on television for the first time, bringing Lahr renewed fame, this time with a new generation. In 1960 he won the best Shakespearean actor award from the American Shakespeare Festival for his performance as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the 1960s he achieved recognition and great financial reward starring in a series of potato chip commercials. Lahr died in 1967 while filming The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968), in which he played a burlesque veteran.

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Bert Lahr

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