Shelley Berman

Biography: A trained dramatic actor, Shelley Berman rose to fame in the 1950s by becoming the first "sit-down" comedian. Berman's calculatedly self-pitying nightclub monologues concerned his tiltings with the minor frustrations of everyday life. His specialty was the "telephone" monologue; seated on a stool and holding an imaginary receiver, Berman invariably cast himself as the victim of Ma Bell bureaucracy and thick-headed unseen "second parties." He tended to wear his neuroses on his sleeve, and was well-known for his unpredictable temperament; in one notorious TV-special appearance of the 1960s, Berman was interrupted in mid-monologue by a ringing offstage pay phone, whereupon he stomped backstage and tore the offending phone off the wall. A busy TV guest-star, Berman showed up frequently on the Paar/Sullivan/Allen variety show circuit of the 1950s and 1960s, and played seriocomic roles on such TV series as Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone and The Girl From UNCLE. He also played aA trained dramatic actor, Shelley Berman rose to fame in the 1950s by becoming the first "sit-down" comedian. Berman's calculatedly self-pitying nightclub monologues concerned his tiltings with the minor frustrations of everyday life. His specialty was the "telephone" monologue; seated on a stool and holding an imaginary receiver, Berman invariably cast himself as the victim of Ma Bell bureaucracy and thick-headed unseen "second parties." He tended to wear his neuroses on his sleeve, and was well-known for his unpredictable temperament; in one notorious TV-special appearance of the 1960s, Berman was interrupted in mid-monologue by a ringing offstage pay phone, whereupon he stomped backstage and tore the offending phone off the wall. A busy TV guest-star, Berman showed up frequently on the Paar/Sullivan/Allen variety show circuit of the 1950s and 1960s, and played seriocomic roles on such TV series as Peter Gunn, The Twilight Zone and The Girl From UNCLE. He also played a recurring role on the satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (1977), and was co-producer of the 1970 summer replacement series Comedy Tonight. Berman's film credits include The Best Man (1964), Divorce American Style (1967) and Son of the Blob (1970). Dropping out of public view due to profound personal problems (not least of which was the death of his son), Shelley Berman staged a comeback in the 1980s with appearances in such films as Teen Witch (1989) and Elliot Faumann MD (1990). Expand

Shelley Berman's Scores

Average career score: 81
Highest Metascore: 93 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 3
Lowest Metascore: 61 The Unusuals: Season 1
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
9 tv reviews
Title: Year: Credit: User score:
74 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 9 Oct 1, 2017 Shelley Berman 8.3
81 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 7 Sep 20, 2009 Nat David 8.6
tbd Raising the Bar: Season 2 Jun 8, 2009 Daniel Rose tbd
61 The Unusuals: Season 1 Apr 8, 2009 Tom Speigelman 7.6
tbd Hannah Montana: Season 3 Nov 2, 2008 Dentist 6.7
83 Pushing Daisies: Season 2 Oct 1, 2008 Gustav 8.8
tbd CSI: NY: Season 5 Sep 24, 2008 George Savar 0.5
tbd Boston Legal: Season 4 Sep 25, 2007 Judge Robert Sanders / Judge Robert Sanders 8.1
89 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 6 Sep 9, 2007 Nat David / Nat David 8.8
tbd Boston Legal: Season 3 Sep 19, 2006 Judge Robert Sanders / Judge Robert Sanders 7.9
73 Entourage: Season 3 Jun 11, 2006 Actor 8.6
tbd Boston Legal: Season 2 Sep 27, 2005 Judge Robert Sanders / Judge Robert Sanders 8.2
91 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 5 Sep 25, 2005 Nat David / Nat David 8.8
tbd Grey's Anatomy: Season 2 Sep 25, 2005 Jed 8.3
tbd The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Season 14 Sep 19, 2005 Guest tbd
tbd Dead Like Me: Season 2 Jul 25, 2004 Al 7.2
88 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 4 Jan 4, 2004 Nat David / Nat David 8.9
tbd The King of Queens: Season 5 Sep 23, 2002 Skitch 9.0
93 Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 3 Sep 15, 2002 Nat David / Nat David 8.8
tbd Lizzie McGuire: Season 2 Feb 8, 2002 Nobby Frostybump tbd
tbd Friends: Season 3 Sep 16, 1996 Mr. Kaplan Jr. / Mr. Kaplan Jr. / Shelley Berman 9.1
tbd Living Single: Season 3 Aug 31, 1995 Hyman tbd
tbd L.A. Law: Season 7 Oct 22, 1992 Ben Flicker tbd
tbd MacGyver: Season 7 Sep 16, 1991 Actor tbd
tbd Night Court: Season 5 Sep 17, 1987 Al tbd
tbd St. Elsewhere: Season 5 Sep 24, 1986 Bill tbd
tbd CHiPs: Season 2 Sep 16, 1978 Owner tbd
tbd Emergency!: Season 4 Sep 14, 1974 Screenwriter tbd
tbd Love, American Style: Season 3 Sep 17, 1971 Professor tbd
tbd The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Season 1 Sep 19, 1970 Dr. Udall tbd