Biography
Henny Youngman — comedian with roots in the Russian Empire
Henny Youngman was a British-American comedian and violinist known as the King of the One-Liners. His most famous joke — Take my wife... please! — became one of the most quoted lines in comedy history. He performed live shows well into his 80s and remained a fixture of American entertainment for six decades.
Russian Connection
Tracing the roots — Rus parents
Born in Liverpool in 1906 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents who later moved to New York, Youngman grew up in Brooklyn's Jewish immigrant community. His machine-gun delivery of rapid-fire one-liners was the ultimate evolution of the Jewish storytelling tradition filtered through vaudeville.
Family Tree
Subject
Henny Youngman🇺🇸 USA
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Self
Liverpool (Rus parents)
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Origin
Rus parents🇷🇺
Key Achievements
A career defined by ambition
01
Known as the King of the One-Liners
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Over 10,000 jokes in his documented repertoire
03
Regular on The Ed Sullivan Show — over 50 appearances
04
Performed live shows into his 80s
05
Take my wife... please! — one of the most quoted jokes in comedy history
"Take my wife... please!"
Henny Youngman
Sources