Alan Sues

Alan Grigsby Sues (March 7, 1926 – December 1, 2011) was an American actor and comedian born in Ross, California, to Alice (née Murray) and Melvyn Sues, a racehorse breeder whose profession required the family to relocate frequently. Sues served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II, and upon returning home used his G.I. Bill benefits to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse.

Sues made his Broadway debut in 1953 in Tea and Sympathy, directed by Elia Kazan, playing the role of Ralph during the production's successful New York run. While working in New York during that period, he met and married Phyllis Gehrig, a dancer and actress, and the two developed a vaudevillian nightclub act that they toured across North America before divorcing in 1958. Following the tour, Sues pursued stand-up comedy at Manhattan clubs including Reuben Bleu and The Blue Angel, collaborated with Julius Monk, and joined the sketch and improv group associated with The Mad Show, which ran Off-Broadway from 1966 to 1967.

His work in The Mad Show contributed to his being cast as a regular performer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the television comedy series that ran from 1968 to 1972. On the program, Sues developed recurring characters including Big Al the Sportscaster, Uncle Al the Kiddies' Pal, and a version of Jo Anne Worley's character after Worley departed the show. His comedic persona on the series was campy and outrageous, exemplified by sketches such as one in which he followed whiskey-drinking cowboys into a Wild West bar and ordered a frozen daiquiri.

Outside of Laugh-In, Sues appeared in the 1964 Twilight Zone episode "The Masks," playing Wilfred Harper, Jr. in a non-comedic role, and had supporting parts in the films Move Over, Darling (1963) and The Americanization of Emily (1964). During the 1970s he appeared as a celebrity guest on game shows including The Movie Game, Celebrity Sweepstakes, The Cross-Wits, and Liar's Club, and was featured in television commercials for Peter Pan Peanut Butter, portraying a tongue-in-cheek, klutzy version of Peter Pan.

On Broadway, Sues portrayed Professor Moriarty in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from 1974 to 1976, appearing opposite John Wood and later Leonard Nimoy. He described the role as one of his favorites, noting that it ran against type and that he particularly enjoyed the makeup, which was subsequently cited in several books on makeup technique as an example of shadowing and application. His Broadway activity spanned from 1953 to 1985, and he also toured nationally with Singin' in the Rain from 1995 to 1999, playing the role of the elocution instructor.

Sues provided voice work for several animated productions, including Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977), Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979), and The Reluctant Dragon (1981). He continued performing in later years, appearing in the short films Lord of the Road (1999) and Artificially Speaking (2009), the latter premiering at the 2009 Dances With Films festival in Los Angeles. He also developed a one-man stage show, Two for the Show, which he performed from 1998 to 2000.

Sues died on December 1, 2011, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after suffering an apparent heart attack while watching television at home. He was survived by his partner and accountant, Michael Michaud.