orig. Philip Silversmith born May 11, 1912, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S. died Nov. 1, 1985, Los Angeles, Calif. U.S. actor and comedian. He began his career as a boy singer in vaudeville and a comedian in burlesque. After making his film debut in 1940, he appeared as comic relief in many feature films. He acted on Broadway in High Button Shoes (1947-50) and starred in Top Banana (1951-52, Tony Award; film, 1954). He is best remembered for his role as Sgt. Bilko in the television series The Phil Silvers Show (1955-59; originally known as You'll Never Get Rich), for which he won several Emmy Awards. He appeared in the film version of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) and its Broadway revival (1972, Tony Award). His popularity stemmed in part from his highly recognizable grin, horn-rimmed glasses, and catchphrases
a US record producer and songwriter, who had an important influence on pop music in the 1960s. He developed a style called the "wall of sound", which was used as a background for groups such as The Crystals and The Ronettes (1940- )