Joey Bishop Biography 

American actor and comedian Joey Bishop is best known as a member of the original “Rat Pack.” His time as an actor was highlighted by appearances in Ocean’s Eleven and The Joey Bishop Show.

Joseph Abraham Gottlieb, known popularly as Joey Bishop, was born February 3, 1918 in the Bronx, New York. Bishop was born into a family of five children, of which he was the youngest. His parents were Jewish immigrants Anna Gottlieb and Jacob Gottlieb.

Bishop was subsequently raised in South Philadelphia. Knowing he wanted to entertain, Bishop dropped out of school when he was eighteen and entered the world of vaudeville. To that end, his first foray into entertainment came when he teamed up with his brother, Maury Gottlieb. Together they formed a two-man standup comedy routine.

Transitioning into film, Bishop made his onscreen debut in 1958 with The Deep Six. He shared the screen with Alan Ladd, Dianne Foster, and Efram Zimbalist Jr.

He next appeared in The Naked and the Dead with Aldo Ray and Cliff Robertson.

But it was 1960 that offered Bishop his greatest career boost. In that year, he played Mushy OConnors in the original Ocean’s Eleven. Solidifying himself as a member of the “Rat Pack,” Bishop shared the screen with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Peter Lawford, Angie Dickinson, and Cesar Romero.

From 1961 to 1965, Bishop had enough star status to earn his own sitcom. The Joey Bishop Show ran to popular reviews with costar Abby Dalton. In 1967, he had a talk show of the same title. Regis Philbin, who was just getting his start in television, served as co-host.

Bishop had another notable role in 1967’s Mark Robson film Valley of the Dolls. Bishop shared the screen with Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, and Sharon Tate.

More recently, Bishop took roles in 1987’s Glory Years and 1990’s Betsy’s Wedding with Alan Alda, Madeline Kahn, Anthony LaPaglia, Catherine O Hara, Joe Pesci, Molly Ringwald, Ally Sheedy, and others.

His last movie came in 1996 with Mad Dog Time. Drawing another all-star cast, the film starred Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Richard Dreyfuss, Jeff Goldblum, Diane Lane, Burt Reynolds, Kyle MacLachlan, and many others.

Bishop is also noted for temporarily serving as the co-host on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.

In his personal life, Bishop married Sylvia Ruzga in January of 1941. They had one child, occasional actor and director Larry Bishop. Ruzga and Bishop were together until her death on September 20, 1999.

Bishop passed away on October 17, 2007 from multiple organ failure.