Norm Crosby

Norman Lawrence Crosby (September 15, 1927 – November 7, 2020) was an American comedian born in Boston, Massachusetts. He was often referred to as "The Master of Malaprop".

Norm Crosby
Crosby in 1965
Born	Norman Lawrence Crosby[1] (1927-09-15)September 15, 1927 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	November 7, 2020(2020-11-07) (aged 93) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Comedian
Spouse	Joan Crane Foley ​ (m. 1966)​
Children	2

Early and personal life

Crosby was born and was raised in Dorchester, Boston^[2] on September 15, 1927, to his Jewish family.^[3] He is the son of Ann (née Lansky) and John Crosby.^[1]

During World War II, Crosby served aboard a U. S. Coast Guard Submarine Chaser in the North Atlantic. He suffered permanent damage of his hearing from a concussion he received from the depth charges that exploded while he was on anti-submarine patrol. He did not notice hearing problems until long after he had returned home and wore a hearing aid onstage.^{[citation needed]}

In 1966, Crosby married Joan Crane Foley. They had two children. He became a Freemason in 1956, and served as Master of at least one lodge and participated in many charitable activities. He was a member of Ionic Composite Lodge #520 in Los Angeles, California.^[4][5]

Career

Crosby went solo as a stand-up comedian, adopting a friendly, blue collar, guy-next-door persona in the 1950s. Crosby refined his standup monologues by interpolating malapropisms. He first appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in December 1964. In late-1968, he co-starred on The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show, an NBC twelve-week series.^[6] In 1972 he was a guest star on an episode of Adam-12, "Eyewitness". In 1974, he co-hosted a Canadian variety television series, Everything Goes.^[7] From 1974 through 1984 he was on over half a dozen Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts including one of George Burns and two separate ones of Redd Foxx. From 1978 through 1981, he hosted a nationally syndicated series, The Comedy Shop, in which a mix of up-and-coming stand-up comics and vaudeville legends presented their material.^[8]

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Crosby became a commercial pitchman for Anheuser-Busch Natural Light beer. During this time, he also appeared as a celebrity guest on a number of game shows, including Celebrity Bowling, Liar's Club, Tattletales, and Hollywood Squares.

From 1983 until the program's dissociation from Jerry Lewis in 2010, Crosby co-hosted and contributed to the annual Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6560 Hollywood Boulevard.^[9]

He appeared in two films with Adam Sandler – Eight Crazy Nights (2002) and Grown Ups 2 (2013)

Death

Crosby died of heart failure at his home in Los Angeles, California, on November 7, 2020, at the age of 93.^[10][11]