Milton Berle

Milton Berle was born into a Jewish family in Harlem, New York in 1908. After winning a talent contest at age 5, he appeared as a child actor in several silent films. At age 12, Berle starred in the musical comedy Florodora in Atlantic City, and by 16, he was working as a Master of Ceremonies in vaudeville. In the 1930s, Berle worked as a standup comedian, film star, and radio star, and in the late ‘40s, Berle starred in the comedy-variety TV show Texaco Star Theater. Through this show, Milton Berle would become one of TV’s first stars. After a long career on television, film, and stage, Berle died of colon cancer in 2002, at age 93.