Louis Nye

Acting

Louis Nye

Born 1913-05-01 · Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Louis Nye, born Louis Neistat, was an American comedic actor. He was an entertainer to the troops during World War II and is best known for his work on countless television, film and radio programs. Nye decided to go to New York City, where he worked in radio, playing various roles on soap operas. He recalled "I still think of myself as an actor. In the radio days, I was busy playing rotten Nazis, rich uncles and emotional juveniles -- the whole span -- and the only time I tried to be funny was at parties." Nye served in the United States Army during World War II, and because he earned laughs by mimicking other soldiers, he was assigned to run the recreation hall. Following his discharge, he returned to New York and began working in live television. He also appeared in several plays on Broadway, and made many appearances on television variety shows such as The Jack Benny Program (including one memorable turn as a crying cab driver), The Jimmy Durante Show, The Pat Boone Chevy Showroom and The Victor Borge Show. He earned his greatest fame as a regular on The Steve Allen Show, performing with Allen, Don Knotts, Tom Poston, Pat Harrington Jr., Dayton Allen, Gabriel Dell and Bill Dana. He primarily played urbane, wealthy, and often fey bon vivants; as part of the weekly "Man on the Street" sketches, his characterization of the pretentious country-club braggart Gordon Hathaway, with his catchphrase, "Hi-ho, Steverino," plus Allen's inability to resist bursting into hysterical laughter at his ad-libs, made Nye one of the favorites on Allen's show. When production moved to Los Angeles, Nye went too and became a character actor in Hollywood. Nye was cast as a guest star on many television series, including Make Room for Daddy; Guestward, Ho!; Burke's Law; The Munsters; Love, American Style; Laverne & Shirley; Starsky and Hutch; Police Woman; Fantasy Island; St. Elsewhere; and The Cosby Show. Nye played dentist Delbert Gray on several episodes of The Ann Sothern Show from 1960 to 1961, the romantic interest of Olive Smith, played by Ann Tyrrell. Nye also played Sonny Drysdale, the spoiled rich stepson of Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies during the 1962 season. He did six episodes, and received more mail than from anything else he had ever done on television, but the character was dropped. It was rumored that someone in the CBS network, or a sponsor, thought Sonny was too "sissified". However, Nye revived the character briefly during the 1966 season. During this period, Nye appeared in several television commercials for various products, including Rath brand lunch meats and the Better Business Bureau. Nye appeared as a celebrity judge on The Gong Show during the late 1970s. He also recorded a few comedy LPs, doing a variety of characterizations. Unfortunately, he never had the opportunity to reach his potential in movies. Many of his character roles were little more than cameos. Nevertheless, he performed with Lucille Ball, Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin, Walter Matthau, Robert Mitchum, Jack Webb and Joanne Woodward, and others. Nye also appeared on the lecture circuit, in concerts and in nightclubs, and did voice work in animation, such as Inspector Gadget with Don Adams.

Acting credits

Cannonball Run II poster
5.4

When a wealthy sheikh puts up $1 million in prize money for a cross-country car race, there is one person crazy enough to hit the road hard with wheels spinning fast. Legendary driver J.J. McClure enters the competition along with his friend Victor and together they set off across the American landscape in a madcap action-adventure destined to test their wits and automobile skills.

Cannonball Run II

1984

Mitzi & 100 Guys poster
2.0

Mitzi Gaynor in a song and dance hour with an all-male, star-studded ensemble featuring her main guests Michael Landon (Little House on the Prairie) and Jack Albertson (Chico and the Man), plus 28 celebrities as her "Million Dollar Chorus." Songs performed include: "I Got the Music in Me," "The Most Beautiful Guy in the World," and "You Are the Sunshine of My Life."

Mitzi & 100 Guys

1975

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood poster
4.4

A would-be filmmaker and actress shake up the industry with a trick dog who gets discovered by a studio bus driver in the 1920s.

Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood

1976

A Guide for the Married Man poster
5.9

A man gives his friend a series of lessons on how to cheat on one's wife without being caught.

A Guide for the Married Man

1967

Full Moon High poster
4.4

After a trip to Romania, popular high school quarterback Tony Walker becomes a werewolf, and struggles to come to terms with his hirsute situation.

Full Moon High

1981

Good Neighbor Sam poster
6.6

To help his divorced neighbor claim a substantial inheritance, a family man poses as her husband. The ruse spills over into his career in advertising, and his recent promotion relies on his wholesome and moral appearance.

Good Neighbor Sam

1964

The Wheeler Dealers poster
6.3

Henry J. Tyroon leaves Texas, where his oil wells are drying up, and arrives in New York with a lot of oil money to play with in the stock market. He meets stock analyst Molly Thatcher, who tries to ignore the lavish attention he spends on her but, in the end, she falls for his charm.

The Wheeler Dealers

1963

Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years poster
7.2

A 50th anniversary tribute to Bugs Bunny

Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years

1990

O.C. and Stiggs poster
4.5

O.C. and Stiggs aren't your average unhappy teenagers. They not only despise their suburban surroundings, but they also plot against it. They seek revenge against the upper-middle-class Schwab family, who embody all they detest: excess.

O.C. and Stiggs

1987

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed? poster
6.1

TV star Jason Steel reluctantly becomes the sounding board for his best friends' bored wives, and must fend off their advances while managing his own fragile relationship.

Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?

1963

The Adventures of Errol Flynn poster
7.7

A documentary about the life of Errol Flynn, with recollections from friends and family.

The Adventures of Errol Flynn

2005

Zotz! poster
5.6

Jonathan Jones, a professor of ancient languages, comes into possession of an ancient coin. He translates its inscription, which gives him three powers: to inflict pain, slow down time or kill. Soon, he's pursued by enemy spies who have learned about the magic coin.

Zotz!

1962

Sex Kittens Go to College poster
3.3

Collins College needs a new department head for their science department, so Doctors Carter and Zorch consult Thinko, the campus computer, and come up with Dr. Mathilda West, who has degrees in lots of things, but turns out to be disruptively attractive as well.

Sex Kittens Go to College

1960

All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special poster
6.0

Steve Martin's third NBC special serves as a salute to 1970s television commercials. Taking shots at everything from "Suzy Chapstick" to Palmolive to advertising agencies, this special showcased Martin's genius for physical comedy.

All Commercials... A Steve Martin Special

1980

The Last Time I Saw Archie poster
6.0

Two Air Force friends have fun during their enlistment.

The Last Time I Saw Archie

1961

Harper Valley P.T.A. poster
7.1

Stella Johnson is a single mother living in the town of Harper Valley. Most of the townsfolk, particularly those on the school PTA, think she is a little too liberal so they're making things tough for her and her daughter. So she runs for the position of PTA President, which infuriates them. Stella decides to get revenge with the help of her friends.

Harper Valley P.T.A.

1978

The Facts of Life poster
5.3

Middle-class suburbanites Larry and Kitty grow bored with their lives and respective marriages. Although each always found the other's manner grating, they fall in love when thrown together--without their spouses--on vacation. On returning home they try to break things off, only to grow closer. A holiday together will finally settle whether they should end their marriages.

The Facts of Life

1960

No artwork available
NR

The characters from the comic strip come alive with comedy and music.

Li'l Abner in the Dogpatch Today

1978

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus poster
7.0

Partly based on a true story, a little girl writes to the editor of a newspaper concerning the existence of Santa Claus.

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus

1974

The Stripper poster
4.6

An aging former movie starlet whose Hollywood career went nowhere, now reduced to dancing with a third-rate touring show, finds herself stranded in a small town where she's courted by an infatuated and naive local teenager.

The Stripper

1963

No artwork available
8.0

A program featuring original comedy skits written as a tribute to Stan Laurel.

Salute to Stan Laurel

1965

Charge of the Model T's poster
10.0

During WWI, the Germans try to encourages and hires a band of certain Mexican guerrillas and bandits to make trouble on the Texas border and attack the Stonewall Farm. He plans this so the Americans will have no choice but to send more troops to Texas instead of Europe. Masterminding the plot is a German spy who has, at his disposal, the RX4, a specially equipped weapon-bearing automobile of awesome speed, but a U.S. Army lieutenant carries the day with his own fleet of Model T racers.

Charge of the Model T's

1977

One Touch of Venus poster
7.3

While touring a museum, Rodney Hatch, an unremarkable barber, places an engagement ring intended for his girlfriend on the hand of a statue of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. From Mount Olympus, Venus witnesses the event and decides to visit Rodney on Earth by magically inhabiting the statue. Hilarity ensues when she starts to fall in love with Rodney and competes with his girlfriend for his attentions. This television version of Kurt Weill's successful Broadway musical is much more faithful to the stage version than the 1948 Ava Gardner film, which changed the story considerably and cut most of the songs.

One Touch of Venus

1955

Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty poster
7.0

Steve Martin's second NBC special was made up entirely of sketches. Highlights include: Marty Robbins' "El Paso" with monkeys; "The Death Of Socrates"; and "Bizarre Oddities Of The World."

Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty

1980