Avery Schreiber

Avery Lawrence Schreiber (April 9, 1935 – January 7, 2002) was an American actor, comedian, and Broadway performer born in Chicago, Illinois, to Minnie (née Shear) and George Schreiber. His career spanned stage, television, and film across several decades, and he appeared on Broadway between 1970 and 1989.

Schreiber began his professional life in Chicago, where he trained at the Goodman Theatre before joining The Second City. It was there that he developed the improvisational skills that would define his career. He subsequently partnered with Jack Burns to form the comedy duo Burns and Schreiber, with whom he recorded multiple comedy albums and made appearances on numerous television programs. The pair co-hosted the ABC series The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour during the summer of 1973.

His Broadway work included starring roles in Welcome to the Club and Can-Can, as well as appearances in Dreyfus in Rehearsal, Ovid's Metamorphoses, and Paul Sills' Story Theatre. Beyond the stage, Schreiber became a recognizable television presence, playing Captain Manzini on My Mother the Car in 1965, appearing as a regular guest on Chico and the Man, and serving as a frequent panelist on Match Game. He also guest starred in a first-season episode of The Muppet Show, written by his former partner Jack Burns, and appeared on The Love Boat in a Christmas episode that aired on December 15, 1984. He participated in the 1980 Tournament of Celebrities on the Jim Perry-hosted version of Card Sharks.

Among his film credits are The Monitors (1969), Don't Drink the Water (1969), Deadhead Miles (1972), Swashbuckler (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), The Concorde... Airport '79, Silent Scream (1979), Scavenger Hunt (1979), Caveman (1981), Jimmy the Kid (1983), and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993). He was also widely recognized for his television advertisements for Doritos tortilla chips, which ran throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and was known for his distinctive bushy handlebar moustache and curly hair.

In addition to performing, Schreiber taught improvisational theater technique, leading master classes at The Second City in both Chicago and Los Angeles. He was married to Rochelle, with whom he had two children. In 1994, he suffered a heart attack stemming from complications of diabetes and underwent triple coronary artery bypass surgery, from which he never fully recovered. He died of a subsequent heart attack on January 7, 2002, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. In 2003, the Avery Schreiber Theatre was founded in North Hollywood, California, later renamed The Avery Schreiber Playhouse in 2013 with the approval of his widow, Rochelle Isaacs Schreiber. The venue is located at 4934 Lankershim Boulevard in the NoHo Arts District.