Arte Johnson

Arte Johnson essentially appeared in every major TV comedy of the 1960s but was best-known for playing "Very interesting" chain-smoking German soldier Wolfgang and lecherous old man Tyrone in iconic sketch show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" (NBC, 1968-1973). Born in Benton Harbor, MI, Arte Johnson studied radio journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before relocating to New York where he worked as a calendar company writer and publicist for Viking Press. He stumbled into the showbiz world almost by accident, landing the role of an aging Frenchman in a production of "Gentleman Prefer Blondes" during a spontaneous lunch break audition. Johnson went on to appear in several other stage productions on and off Broadway and showcase his improv talents on the Big Apple's comedy circuit. After making his screen debut in anthology "Max Liebman Spectaculars" (NBC, 1954-56), Johnson enjoyed multiple appearances as delivery boy Stanley in sitcom "It's Always Jan" (CBS, 1955-56), a feature film debut in WWII tale "Miracle in the Rain" (1956) and a recurring role as Gale Gordon's son in the short-lived "Sally" (NBC, 1957-58). Johnson went on to rack up dozens of TV guest spots in the following decade, most memorably as a frustrated car salesman in "The Twilight Zone" (CBS, 1959-1964) episode "The Whole Truth," Samantha's cousin Edgar in "Bewitched" (ABC, 1964-1972) and a double-crossing pirate in "Lost in Space" (CBS, 1965-68). He also enjoyed recurring roles as a seaman in "Hennessey" (CBS, 1959-1962) and corporal in "Don't Call Me Charlie" (NBC, 1962-63) and appeared on the big screen as writer Ariel Lavalerra in Jack Kerouac adaptation "The Subterraneans" (1960), murderer Lester Aldrich in thriller "The Third Day" (1965) and ruthless federal agent Sullivan in satire "The President's Analyst" (1967). However, Johnson's true big break occurred when he joined the cast of sketch show "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" (NBC, 1968-1973). Arte originated numerous characters during his Emmy-winning four-year stint but his most popular by far were Tyrone, a dirty old man who would constantly pester Ruth Buzzi's benchwarmer Gladys, and Wolfgang, a German cigarette-smoking soldier convinced that World War II hadn't ended who became renowned for his catchphrase, "Very interesting." Johnson continued his prolific streak into the 1970s, landing his own NBC special, guesting on hugely popular shows "The Partridge Family" (ABC, 1970-74), "Kojak" (CBS, 1973-78) and "The Dukes of Hazzard" (CBS, 1979-1985) and starring as Dracula's sidekick Renfield in vampire spoof "Love at First Bite" (1979). He also hosted game show "Knockout" (NBC, 1977-78), became a regular on "Match Game" (CBS, 1973-79) and "Hollywood Squares" (Syndication, 1972-1981), and provided voiceovers for animated shows "The Houndcats" (NBC, 1972) and "Baggy Pants & the Nitwits" (NBC, 1977), the latter a spin-off from his "Laugh-In" days. Johnson subsequently became an in-demand voiceover artist in the 1980s, adding the likes of "The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo" (ABC, 1985), "The Flintstone Kids" (ABC, 1986-88) and "The Smurfs" (NBC, 1981-89) to his list of credits. He also appeared in front of cameras as a pilot in "Cannonball Run II" (1983), The Dormouse in "Alice in Wonderland" (1985) and a magazine publisher in Aaron Spelling's "Glitter" (CBS, 1984-85) as well as portraying Harry Houdini in kids adventure "A Night at the Magic Castle" (1988). After appearing in horrors "Evil Spirits" (1990) and "Evil Toons" (1992), Johnson showed up in family movie "Captiva Island" (1995), took top billing as Dr. Josef Stiggens in sci-fi comedy "Second Chance" (1996). His last on-screen role was Grumpy Old Man in "The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer" (1998), while he officially retired from the industry following his final voiceover credit, Virmin Vundabar in "Justice League Unlimited" (Cartoon Network, 2004-06). Following a lengthy battle with prostate and bladder cancer, Johnson died of heart failure in Los Angeles in 2019 aged 90.