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Madeline Gail Kahn (née Wolfson; September 29, 1942 – December 3, 1999) was an American actress, comedian, and singer. She is known for comedic roles in films directed by Peter Bogdanovich and Mel Brooks , including What's Up, Doc?
Dec 5, 1999 · Madeline Kahn, the comic actress whom Mel Brooks described as "one of the most talented people that ever lived," died in Manhattan on Friday, December 3, of ovarian cancer. She was 57. Winner of both the Tony and People's Choice awards, Kahn was noted for her lusty portrayals of off-center characters.
- Cleavon Little as Sheriff Bart
- Gene Wilder as Jim The Waco Kid
- Madeline Kahn as Lili Von Shtupp
- Harvey Korman as Hedley Lamarr
- Slim Pickens as Taggart
- Mel Brooks as Governor William J. Le Petomane
Cleavon Little got his start on stage, winning a Tony in 1970 for his starring role in the Broadway musical Purlie. Two years later, he starred in the ABC sitcom Temperatures Risingas the intelligent and mischievous Dr. Jerry Noland. The role of Sheriff Bart was originally meant for Brooks’ co-writer on the project, Richard Pryor, but the studio re...
Gene Wilder’s performance as Jim in Blazing Saddles is superb and a noticeable turn from his earlier part as Willie Wonka, but he wasn’t Brooks’ first choice for the role. The director wanted a real movie cowboy for his send-up of Western cinema and approached the legendary actor himself, John Wayne. Wayne turned down Blazing Saddles because the ma...
Madeline Kahn was a frequent Mel Brooks collaborator, having roles in not just Blazing Saddles but also Young Frankenstein, High Anxiety, and History of the World, Part I. Blazing Saddles won the actress her second Oscar nomination, the first being for her role in Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon. In between roles for Brooks, Kahn appeared in several...
It’s a running joke throughout Blazing Saddles that people can’t get the villain’s name right (“It’s Hedley!”), but that joke almost proved a problem for the movie. Harvey Korman’scharacter’s name is a play on Hollywood bombshell and certified genius Hedy Lamarr, but the actress apparently didn’t find the joke funny. She threatened to sue, but Broo...
Hedley Lamarr’s henchman Taggart was played by celebrated rodeo performer and cowboy actor Slim Pickens. After nearly 20 years of rodeo work, Pickens began his film career in the 1950 Errol Flynn Western Rocky Mountain. Unlike many of the Western actors of the time who relied on stunt performers, Pickens had the skill and look of a cowboy that tran...
To play the womanizing, idiotic governor in Blazing Saddles, who is better than the director himself? Mel Brooks plays William J. Le Petomane, who Hedley Lamarr uses to kickstart his scheme. In addition, Brooks also plays the Yiddish Native American Chief and an aviator applying to join Lamarr’s gang. Blazing Saddles was just one of the iconic Broo...
- Contributor
Dec 3, 2021 · Young Frankenstein actress Madeline Kahn lost her battle with ovarian cancer on this day in 1999 at 57 years old. One month before her death, the film star bravely informed the public that she was going through “aggressive treatment.”
- Marisa Sullivan
- Senior Reporter
Dec 4, 1999 · Actress Madeline Kahn has died of ovarian cancer. She was 57. Kahn made her mark as a comedic actor mostly in films by comedy giant Mel Brooks.
Reuters reports that Ms. Kahn died of ovarian cancer Dec. 3. According to Reuters, her husband, John Hansbury, said in a statement, "Madeline was a performer of brilliance and a loyal and...
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Dec 4, 1999 · Madeline Kahn, the Oscar-nominated comedian best known for her work in the films Paper Moon and Blazing Saddles and in the Broadway revival of Born Yesterday, died Friday in a Manhattan...
