Jack Benny was an American entertainer who evolved from a modest success as a violinist on the vaudeville circuit to one of the leading entertainers of the twentieth century with a highly popular comedic career in radio, television, and film.
His radio and television programs, popular from 1932 until his death in 1974, were a major influence on the sitcom genre. Benny, with self-deprecating humor, portrayed himself as a miser who obliviously played his violin badly and perpetually claimed to be 39 years of age. He was known for his comic timing and the ability to cause laughter with a long pause or a single expression, such as his signature exasperated summation "Well! "
Benny's most successful show The Jack Benny Program started in 1932 as a radio program and ended in 1965 as a television show, often regarded as a high-water mark in 20th-century American comedy. He also played many leading roles in films, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s, including Charley's Aunt, George Washington Slept Here and the film classic To Be or Not to Be.