Charlie Callas | Rubber-faced comic, 83

Charlie Callas, 83, a versatile comedian whose zany faces and antics made him a regular for more than four decades on television, in films, and on casino stages, has died in Las Vegas.

Mr. Callas died Thursday at a hospice, according to sons Mark Callas and Larry Callas.

With a rapid-fire delivery, Mr. Callas, a rubber-faced, wiry-framed comic, was a frequent guest on variety and comedy shows. "Everybody that met him, he left them with a smile," Mark Callas said.

For years, Charlie Callas made Johnny Carson laugh on The Tonight Show. But Carson banned him from returning after Mr. Callas shoved Carson off his chair in a bid for laughs in 1982.

Mr. Callas toured with Frank Sinatra and Tom Jones, had a role with Jerry Lewis in the movie The Big Mouth in 1967, and was a guest on TV variety shows hosted by Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, Merv Griffin, Andy Williams, and Flip Wilson. Mr. Callas also guest-hosted The Joey Bishop Show. He had roles in Mel Brooks' films History of the World: Part I and High Anxiety.

Mr. Callas grew up in Brooklyn and served in the U.S. Army in Germany during World War II before beginning a career as a drummer with big bands starring Tommy Dorsey and Buddy Rich.

He was a natural comic, and it wasn't long before he gave up drumming for standup routines. He dropped a vowel from his legal name, Callias, when he took to the stage. - AP