Joey Bishop = Dead
Joey Bishop, actor-comedian, dead at 89 years old
Joey Bishop, the last surviving member of the “Rat Pack”, has died. He was 89.
The Rat Packers became a show biz phenomenon in the 1960’s when they appeared together at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. The members included Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop. Sinatra referred to Bishop as “the Hub of the Big Wheel,” because Bishop was most often times the creator of the group’s material.
Bishop was honored with a citation from Pope John XXIII for his assistance with the Boys’ Towns of Italy. He was a regular on the “Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts.” Bishop guest-hosted “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” 177 times, more than anyone else.
Bishop was born Joseph Abraham Gottlieb on Feb. 3, 1918 in the Bronx, New York.
In 1956, Bishop contracted with Warner Bros. and appeared the following year as an Army private in “The Naked and the Dead.” He also co-starred in the Jacqueline Susann potboiler “Valley of the Dolls” and “A Guide for the Married Man” as well as with his Rat Pack buddies in the original “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Sergeants 3.”
in 1998 Bishop said:
“Are we remembered as being drunk and chasing broads? I never saw Frank, Dean, Sammy or Peter drunk during performances. That was only a gag. And do you believe these guys had to chase broads? They had to chase ‘em away.”
“The Rat Pack” - Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Joey Bishop
Ed. Note - To read the last known interview with Joey, conducted by friend-of-blog Jonny T-Dawgins (aka Thibault) for the LA WEEKLY, click here.
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