Will Jordan: Movies & Box Office

Will Jordan, born Wilbur Rauch on July 27, 1927 in the Bronx, New York, emerged from a modest family—his father a pharmacist and his mother a hat‑store owner—to become one of America’s most recognizable character actors and stand‑up comedians. After growing up in Flushing, Queens, he honed his craft at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, where his talent for mimicry began to flourish. Jordan’s career officially launched in 1949, but it was his uncanny resemblance to television legend Ed Sullivan that defined his public persona; he pioneered the catch‑phrase “Welcome to our Toast of the Town ‘Shoooo’” which soon became a staple of Sullivan impersonations nationwide. He first brought this impersonation to Broadway in the original 1960‑61 production of Bye Bye Birdie, and revisited the role in the 2009‑10 revival, delighting audiences with the same dead‑pan delivery that had made him a television favorite. Throughout the 1970s and beyond, Jordan’s likeness appeared in numerous film and TV projects that required a Sullivan cameo, including I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978), The Buddy Holly Story (1978), and Oliver Stone’s The Doors (1991). In 1983 he even starred as Sullivan in Billy Joel’s nostalgic music video for “Tell Her About It.” Beyond Sullivan, Jordan showcased a versatile repertoire, impersonating icons such as Bing Crosby, Groucho Marx, and Jack Benny, and lending his voice to comedic recordings like the 1974 “Psycho Drama” on Rupert Holmes’s Widescreen album and the P.D.Q. Bach novelty The Stoned Guest. He also partnered with Sandy Baron on the comedic single “The Presidential Press Conference,” a modest 1961 hit. Jordan’s personal life remained relatively private; he fathered a son, Lonnie Saunders, and lived the latter years of his life in Manhattan, where he passed away on September 6 2018 at the age of 91. His legacy endures through the countless performances that captured the spirit of a bygone era of television variety.