Dick Martin

Dick Martin, the comedian and television director who achieved TV immortality as the co-host of Laugh-In (1967) as the comic foil to straight man Dan Rowan, was born on January 30, 1922 in Battle Creek, Michigan.

The Young Martin was a writer for the popular radio sit-com "Duffy's Tavern" before teaming up with Rowan in the 1950s.

As the success of their act increased, Rowan & Martin began making appearances on TV during the 1960s.

It was a smash hit, proving to be one of the top-rated shows of the late 1960s, and had a huge impact on American pop culture during the first years of its five-year run.

The duo achieved success playing the nightclub circuit and Las Vegas, leading to Martin's being cast in a recurring role on The Lucy Show (1962) as series start Lucille Ball's next door neighbor "Harry Conners" when Lucy's new series debuted in 1962, Martin remained as a regular on "Lucy" through the 1963-64 season.

In 1966, the duo were cast as the co-hosts for the The Dean Martin Summer Show (1966) on NBC. The following year, when NBC decided it wanted a new comic variety show that would have cross-generational appeal, producers Ed Friendly and George Schlatter hired Rowan & Martin to co-host a one-time special, "Laugh-In", that would serve as a pilot for the potential series.

The special was a success, and Laugh-In (1967) debuted the following year.

In 1969, Rowan & Martin made an attempt to recapture the small-screen magic of "Laugh-In" on the big screen, but The Maltese Bippy (1969) was a flop. After the cancellation of their series, Rowan & Martin generally parted ways, professionally, as Dan Rowan was a diabetic and limited his work.

The series was canceled in 1973.

Like Rowan, Martin became a frequent panelist on game shows such as Match Game (1973).

He also hosted the Mindreaders (1979) game show in 1979, but the show was not a success.

Martin eventually launched a new career as a TV director, serving as the chief director of the 1980s sitcom, Newhart (1982).