Bob Carroll (singer/actor) explained

Bob Carroll
Birth Date:8 June 1918
Death Date:
Port Washington, New York
Occupation:Singer, actor
Past Member Of:Charlie Barnet, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Gordon Jenkins

Bob Carroll (June 8, 1918 – November 12, 1994) was an American big band singer and stage, film, and television actor.

Early years

Bob Carroll was born Mark Kaufman in New York, NY.[1] The son of a piano salesman, Carroll attended high school in Brooklyn.[2]

Singer

Carroll's singing career was interrupted by three years' service in the U.S. Army during World War II. When he returned to civilian life, he joined Jimmy Dorsey's orchestra.[3]

Carroll also sang with other orchestras, including Charlie Barnet and Glenn Miller in the 1940s and Gordon Jenkins (for whom he recorded the hit "Charmaine" in 1951) in the 1950s. He is heard on the soundtrack of The Prowler (1951) singing "Baby".[4] In 1957, his version of "Butterfly" on Bally Records[5] made the charts, peaking at No. 61 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In the mid-1960s, Carroll was host and singer on All Time Hits, a musical program on WGN-TV in Chicago.[6]

Actor

In the 1960s, he turned to acting and his stage career peaked in those years.

On television, he appeared both in soap operas and prime time series. He performed on Songs for Sale (1950-1952) and was a regular vocalist[7] on NBC's Judge for Yourself, starring Fred Allen, which aired in the 1953-1954 season.[8]

In the theater, he performed in various touring productions of Fiddler on the Roof, including in 1966 (playing Lazar) and 1968 (playing Tevye) as well as the 1989 pre-Broadway tour (playing Morcha). He played the title role in the first national tour of Fiorello![9] He also played 1984 touring production of La Cage aux Folles (playing Dindon).[10] Other touring productions in which he appeared included Guys and Dolls, The Pajama Game, and Say, Darling.

Death

Carroll died at the age of 76 in Port Washington, New York, where he resided.

References

  1. Web site: 24 Jan 1971, Page 58 - News-Press at Newspapers.com. 2020-12-05. Newspapers.com. en.
  2. News: Bob Carroll Has Lead in Fiorello . The Ottawa Journal . February 11, 1961 . Canada, Ottawa, Ontario . 40. Newspapers.com. September 17, 2018.
  3. Warbler Emphasis Seen in J. Dorsey's Pacting of Carroll . 18 September 2018 . Billboard . April 20, 1946 . 24.
  4. Web site: Internet Movie Database. imdb.com. February 19, 2018.
  5. Web site: 45cat.com. 45cat.com. February 19, 2018.
  6. News: Purcelli . Marion . Bob Carroll Is Natural TV Star . Chicago Tribune . December 12, 1965 . Illinois, Chicago . 70. Newspapers.com. September 17, 2018.
  7. Book: Terrace. Vincent. Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010. 2011. McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Jefferson, N.C.. 978-0-7864-6477-7. 546–547. 2nd.
  8. Book: Judge for Yourself in Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, A Complete Directory to Prime Time Cable and Network TV Shows, 1946 - Present, p. 622. New York: Random House Publishing, 2003. June 11, 2011. 9780307483157. 2010-05-19.
  9. Web site: Bob Carroll – Broadway Cast & Staff IBDB. 2021-04-07. www.ibdb.com.
  10. Stewart, John. Broadway Musicals, 1943-2004. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2006. Print.

Personal info also received from his children Melanie Dib, Laura Leigh Carroll, Jody Carroll and Keith Carroll as well as his grandchildren Luke and Alex El Dib.