Actor edd byrnes biography
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Edd Byrnes, Kookie on ’77 Sunset Strip,’ Dies at 87
Edd Byrnes, who gained fleeting fame as Kookie, the ultra-hip, wisecracking parking attendant on the jazzy 1950s-’60s ABC detective series 77 solnedgång Strip, has died. He was 87.
Byrnes, who years later played the smooth-talking Vince Fontaine, a Dick Clark-like dance contest host, in Grease (1978), died unexpectedly onsdag på engelska of natural causes at his home in Santa Monica, his son, San Diego TV news anchor Logan Byrnes, said on Twitter.
“It is with profound sadness and grief that inom share with you the passing of my father Edd Byrnes. He was an fantastisk man and one of my best friends,” he wrote.
On 77 Sunset Strip, Kookie parked cars at Dino’s stuga, a Hollywood nightclub that was owned by Dean Martin and served as a backdrop on the show. The club was next door to the private detective agency run by the suave duo of Stuart Bailey (EfremZimbalistJr.) and Jeff Spencer (Roger Smith).
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Edd Byrnes
American actor and singer (1932–2020)
For other people with similar names, see Edward Burns (disambiguation) and Edward Byrne.
Edd Byrnes | |
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Byrnes in 1973 in a guest appearance on The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour | |
| Born | Edward Byrne Breitenberger (1932-07-30)July 30, 1932 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | January 8, 2020(2020-01-08) (aged 87) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1956–1999 |
| Spouse | Asa Maynor (m. 1962; div. 1971) |
| Children | 1 |
Edward Byrne Breitenberger (July 30, 1932 – January 8, 2020), known professionally as Edd Byrnes, was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the television series 77 Sunset Strip. He also was featured in the 1978 film Grease as television teen-dance show host Vince Fontaine, and was a charting recording artist with "Kookie, Kookie (Lend Me Your Comb)" (with Connie Stevens).
Early lif
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Edd Byrnes (born Edward Byrne Breitenberger; July 30, 1932 - January 8, 2020) was an actor best known for his role as Gerald Lloyd "Kookie" Kookson III on the 1958-64 series 77 Sunset Strip. Byrnes was the second host of Wheel of Fortune, taping the second and third pilots for NBC on August 28, 1974, and the first host under its more familiar title (Chuck Woolery hosted the 1973 pilot, Shopper's Bazaar).
His autobiography, Kookie No More, was published in 1996. Part of the book details his bout with alcoholism, which had lasted from about 1959-82.
Early Career[]
Byrnes' childhood was generally impoverished and unhappy, a time shared with brother Vincent and sister Jo-Ann. Their mother worked various jobs to keep the family together, primarily because her alcoholic husband was often absent. In 1946 or 1947, when Edd was 13, his father was found dead in a basement.
After this large loss, Byrnes dropped his last name and adopted "Byrnes", based on the name of his m