Comedian. Born Barney Gorodetsky, he debuted on the vaudeville stage in 1914 carving a niche for himself as a dialect comic, and adopting the stage name Bert Gordon. He made the transition to radio in the 1930s, and was heard in episodes of "The Jack Benny Show," "Texaco Town," "The Camel Caravan," and "The Eddie Cantor Show" where his signature character, The Mad Russian, was established and polished. The character never failed to gain a laugh; his catch phase, "How do you do" became part of the vernacular. Gordon also appeared in several low-budget comedies over the course of his career, including "New Faces of 1937," "Sing For Your Supper" (1941), "Laugh Your Blues Away" (1942) and "Let's Have Fun" (1943). He appeared on Broadway for "Hold on to Your Hats", a satirical musical that spoofed radio. His star faded rapidly after the Second World War. He appeared sporadically on the radio show "Duffy's Tavern," but his career was effectively over by 1950. His last filmed appearance, however, was in a 1964 episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in which he played himself. He succumbed to cancer at home in California at age 79.
Comedian. Born Barney Gorodetsky, he debuted on the vaudeville stage in 1914 carving a niche for himself as a dialect comic, and adopting the stage name Bert Gordon. He made the transition to radio in the 1930s, and was heard in episodes of "The Jack Benny Show," "Texaco Town," "The Camel Caravan," and "The Eddie Cantor Show" where his signature character, The Mad Russian, was established and polished. The character never failed to gain a laugh; his catch phase, "How do you do" became part of the vernacular. Gordon also appeared in several low-budget comedies over the course of his career, including "New Faces of 1937," "Sing For Your Supper" (1941), "Laugh Your Blues Away" (1942) and "Let's Have Fun" (1943). He appeared on Broadway for "Hold on to Your Hats", a satirical musical that spoofed radio. His star faded rapidly after the Second World War. He appeared sporadically on the radio show "Duffy's Tavern," but his career was effectively over by 1950. His last filmed appearance, however, was in a 1964 episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in which he played himself. He succumbed to cancer at home in California at age 79.
Bio by: Iola
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"The Mad Russian"
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