Ernie Kovacs

Ernest Edward Kovacs, born on January 23, 1919, and passing away on January 13, 1962, was an American comedian, actor, and writer. Known for his visually experimental and spontaneously comedic style, Kovacs left a lasting influence on television comedy programs long after his death.

Kovacs’s impact extended to various individuals and shows, including Johnny Carson, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, Saturday Night Live, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Jim Henson, Max Headroom, Chevy Chase, Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel, Captain Kangaroo, Sesame Street, The Electric Company, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, The Muppet Show, Dave Garroway, Andy Kaufman, You Can’t Do That on Television, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Uncle Floyd, and others. Chevy Chase even expressed his gratitude to Kovacs during his Emmy award acceptance speech for Saturday Night Live.

Despite Kovacs and his wife Edie Adams receiving Emmy nominations for best performances in a comedy series in 1957, formal recognition of his talent came posthumously. The 1962 Emmy for Outstanding Electronic Camera Work and the Directors’ Guild award were bestowed shortly after his fatal accident. A quarter century later, Kovacs was posthumously inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame. He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contributions to television.

In 1986, the Museum of Broadcasting (later the Museum of Television & Radio, now the Paley Center for Media) curated an exhibit titled “The Vision of Ernie Kovacs,” showcasing his work. William Henry III, a Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic, described Kovacs as “more than another wide-eyed, self-ingratiating clown” and credited him as “television’s first significant video artist.”