Rich Little Biography

(American-Canadian impressionist)

Birthday: November 26, 1938 (Sagittarius)

Born In: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Advanced SearchRich Little, nicknamed, ‘the man of a thousand voices’, is a Canadian–American impressionist and voice actor. Widely known as one of the icon of impressions, he carved a niche for himself, ruling the industry for over four decades. Born to a doctor father, he started performing at a professional level, only when he was a teenager. He exuded raw charisma everywhere he went and was quite popular in the nightclubs circuit, where his career, initially kicked-off. Monitoring and studying the voice of stars like James Stewart, Johnny Carson, Don Rickles, Dean Martin, Truman Capote and George Burns, Little soon grew to earn the title of one of the "the best impressionists in the world”. The fierce competition he faced from fellow impressionist, Frank Gorshin enabled him to perfect his art even further, thus helping him overpower his competitors. Instead of restricting his talent to impressionism, he also made his mark in television as a narrator of stories and appeared as a host in several talk-shows. His sheer talent was widely acknowledged and he was asked to host the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner, which earned him praise from the-then American president, George W. Bush. Scroll further to learn more about this intriguing personality. Quick Facts

Canadian Celebrities Born In November

Also Known As: Richard Caruthers Little

Age: 85 Years, 85 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Catherine Brown (m. 2012), Jeanne Worden (m. 1971–1989), Jeannette Markey (m. 1994–1997), Marie Marotta (m. 2003–2010)

father: Lawrence Peniston Little

mother: Elizabeth Maud

children: Bria Little

Born Country: Canada

American Men Canadian Men

Height: 1.72 m

City: Ottawa, Canada

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American PeopleCanadian PeopleSagittarius Men Childhood & Early LifeRich Little was the second of the three children born to Elizabeth Maud and Lawrence Peniston Little. As a teenager, he formed a partnership with Geoff Scott, an impressionist and reproduced the voices of Canadian politicians including Prime Minister John Diefenbaker and Ottawa mayor, Charlotte Whitton.By the time they were 17, they started performing professionally at various nightclubs, which earned them ample recognition.Continue Reading BelowCareerIt was while working as an attendant at the Elgin Movie Theatre in Ottawa that he perfected his voice. There, he started his acting career and won his first acting award at the Eastern Ontario Drama Festival in Deep River, Ontario.In 1963, he auditioned for a show for July Garland by Mel Torme. He cleared the audition and in 1964, he debuted on American television on CBS’s, ‘The Judy Garland Show’, where he imitated various celebrities such as James Mason.In 1966 and 1967, he appeared on ABC TV’s, Judy Cane sitcom, ‘Love on a Rooftop’ as the eccentric neighbor, Stan Parker. One of his most popular impressions was of the American president, Richard Nixon, which earned him a number of roles on television as the former president.He was also a regular guest at the show, ‘The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts’ in the 70s and was also a semi-regular on the ABC-TV variety series, ‘The Julie Andrews Hour’ from 1972–1973.Among his TV shows, the most popular one was ‘The Kopycats’ which was first broadcast in 1972. He also became a part of the shows, ‘The Rich Little Show’ and ‘The New You Asked for It’. Apart from this, he also appeared on the second season of ‘The Muppet Show’.In 1981, he appeared in the comedy LP, ‘The First Family Rides Again’ by Bob Booker and Earle Doud, in which he starred alongside Melanie Chartoff, Micheal Richards, Shelly Black, Jenilee Harrison and so on.He has also starred in various HBO episodes including the one-man show, ‘Rich Little's Christmas Carol’. In addition to this, he starred in plenty of movies and nine albums.Furthermore, he also provided the voice for David Niven in his films, ‘Trail of the Pink Panther’ and ‘Curse of the Pink Panther’ (1983). He lent his voice to the actor/dancer, Gene Kelly in the 1991 TV special, ‘Christmas at the Movies’. Apart from films, he lent his voice to the animated series, ‘The Raccoons: The Christmas Raccoons’ and ‘The Raccoons on Ice’.He was the host of the 2007 White House Correspondents' Association dinner. Though President George W. Bush enjoyed his performance, some of the reviewers criticized the show for his ‘his ancient jokes and impersonations of dead people’ including Johnny Carson, Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan.Continue Reading BelowMajor Works‘Rich Little’s Christmas Carol’, a show in which he starred, premiered on December 16, 1979. It was a one-man performance with him impersonating various famous personalities, which received great critical acclaim.Awards & AchievementsHe was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame in 1998.He received the Cleveland Amory Award as Best Guest on a Television Talk Show.Personal Life & LegacyHe married Jeanne Worden in 1971, whom he divorced in 1989. They have a daughter, Bria.He married Jeannette Markey in 1994 and they got divorced in 1997.He married Marie Marotta in 2003 and the couple remained together till her death in 2010.He married his fourth wife, Catherine Browne in in 2012.Apart from his profession, he has been actively involved in numerous charitable works including the Juvenile Diabetes Fund and the Children's Miracle Network.TriviaThis famous impressionist portrayed Richard Nixon more than any other famous personality in live shows.