Ronny Graham

Ronny Graham (August 26, 1919 – July 4, 1999) was an American actor, writer, composer, lyricist, and theater director born Ronald Montcrief Stringer in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The second of five children, he was the son of vaudeville performers Florence (née Sweeney) and Thomas Graham Stringer, also known as Steve Graham. A self-taught jazz pianist, Graham built his early career as a nightclub comic whose act centered on wry character monologues delivered with his own musical accompaniment, in the manner of Dwight Fiske. During World War II he served in the Army, entertaining fellow soldiers as part of a piano trio.

Graham made his Broadway debut in New Faces of 1952, a revue to which he contributed both sketches and lyrics in addition to performing. The work earned him a Theatre World Award in 1952. He went on to make comparable contributions as a writer and performer to New Faces of 1956 and New Faces of 1962, and later appeared in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968. His Broadway career also included starring in The Tender Trap and appearing in Bravo Giovanni and Something More!, with his Broadway work spanning from 1952 to 1988. For Bravo Giovanni he wrote the lyrics, a contribution that brought him a Tony Award nomination. During the mid-1960s through the early 1970s he directed a series of plays, two of which closed on their opening nights.

Beyond the stage, Graham contributed substantially to film and television. He co-wrote the screenplays for two Mel Brooks comedies, To Be or Not to Be (1983) and Spaceballs (1987), and appeared onscreen in both — as Sondheim in the former and as the Minister in the latter. His other film appearances included Dirty Little Billy (1972), Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976), The World's Greatest Lover (1977), History of the World, Part I (1981), Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and The Substance of Fire (1996), in which he played Louis Foukold. He also provided a voice role in Life Stinks (1991).

On television, Graham wrote seven episodes of M*A*S*H and guest starred in the episode "Your Hit Parade" as Sergeant Gribble, a production on which he also served as program consultant. He wrote nine episodes of The Brady Bunch Hour and co-wrote the Paul Lynde Halloween Special in 1976 with Bruce Vilanch. During the 1975–76 season of the NBC sitcom Chico and the Man he held the recurring role of Reverend Bemis. He made guest appearances on Murder She Wrote, Picket Fences, and Chicago Hope, and was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He is also recognized for playing the character who repeatedly dropped the clapperboard in a 1969 Alka-Seltzer "Spicy Meatball" advertisement and for portraying "Mr. Dirt" in a series of Mobil Oil commercials during the 1970s.

Graham was married four times. His first marriage, to Jean Spitzbarth, lasted from 1947 to 1950 and produced one child. His second marriage, to actress Ellen Hanley, lasted from 1951 to 1963 and produced two children. He was married to Sigyn Lund from 1965 to 1973, with whom he had two children, and to Pamela Gill from 1974 until his death. Graham died of liver disease in Los Angeles on July 4, 1999.