Jackie Mason

The prototypical borscht belt comedian, Jackie Mason deftly blended self-deprecating humility with abrasive arrogance to acutely dissect the differences between Jewish and Gentile culture. After finding initial success in the 1960s as a frequent guest on The Ed Sullivan Show, he spent the next two decades in obscurity, blackballed by the show biz powers-that-be before re-emerging in the late '80s even more successful than before. Mason was born Jacob Maza on June 9, 1931, in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The son of a rabbi, he soon moved with his family to New York's Lower East Side,...