Hans Conried

Hans Conried was an American comedian, character actor and voice actor.

Conried was born Hans Georg Conried, Jr. in Baltimore, Maryland. His mother, Edith Beyr, was a descendant of Pilgrims, and his father, Hans Georg Conried, Sr., was a Jewish immigrant from Vienna, Austria. He was raised in Baltimore and in New York City. He studied acting at Columbia University and went on to play many major classical roles onstage. Conried worked in radio before breaking into movies in 1939, and was also a member of Orson Welles’ Mercury Theatre Company. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in September 1944 during World War II.

Conried appeared regularly on many radio shows during the 1940s and 1950s, notably the George Burns & Gracie Allen Show, on which he played a psychiatrist whom George regularly consulted for help in dealing with the dizzy Gracie.

Conried’s most important single year was 1953, in which he made his Broadway debut in Can-Can and received screen credit in six films. His other Broadway productions include 70, Girls, 70 and Irene.