- Calvert DeForest
Infobox actor
name = Calvert DeForest
imagesize = 200px
caption = Calvert DeForest at the 1990Emmy Awards .
birthname = Calvert DeForest
birthdate = Birth date|1921|7|23
birthplace =Brooklyn ,New York ,U.S.
deathdate = Death date and age|2007|3|19|1921|7|23
deathplace = West Islip,New York ,U.S. Calvert DeForest (
July 23 ,1921 –March 19 ,2007 ), also known by his character Larry "Bud" Melman, was an American actor andcomedian , best known for his appearances on "Late Night with David Letterman " and the "Late Show with David Letterman ".Little has been published about his early life. He was born to Calvert DeForest, M.D., a physician who died in 1949, and Mabelle Taylor. He attended
Poly Prep Country Day School inBrooklyn . He worked for many years for the large pharmaceutical company Parke Davis, which was later acquired by Pfizer. He had aspirations of acting but was discouraged by his mother, herself an actress briefly. After her death in 1961, DeForest did some part time backstage work which eventually led to some acting work.He is credited with four films from 1972 to 1982 and, after his first appearance with
David Letterman , appeared in fifteen other films or television shows. [imdb|0214531]The
Associated Press noted: "DeForest's gnomish face was the first to greet viewers when Letterman's NBC show debuted onFebruary 1 ,1982 , offering a parody of the prologue to theBoris Karloff film "Frankenstein". 'It was the greatest thing that had happened in my life,' he once said of his first Letterman appearance."cite news | publisher=AP | title= Letterman's Larry 'Bud' Melman actor dies | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/03/21/obit.melman.ap/ | date=2007-03-21 ]The Melman character also opened Letterman's first
CBS show under his own name, but as essentially the same character, when Letterman moved fromNBC to CBS in 1993. The name change was made because the character of "Larry 'Bud' Melman" was considered the intellectual property of NBC, even though David Letterman gave him the name. He continued to appear on Letterman's show until his 81st birthday in 2002 before retiring from acting. DeForest often "drew laughs by his bizarre juxtaposition as a "Late Show" correspondent at events such as the1994 Winter Olympics in Norway and the Woodstock anniversary concert that year."In 1994 he wrote a humor book called "Cheap Advice".
DeForest also appeared on the hit album "Ixnay On The Hombre" by
The Offspring , doing some of the voices that can be heard before and after certain tracks on the album begin playing. In late March 2007, The Offspring posted a 10-minute clip of DeForest recording the voices for their album, which can be found on their [http://www.offspring.com/ official website] . It was well known that Calvert lived in the same rent controlled Manhattan apartment for 47 years.Letterman noted: "Everyone always wondered if Calvert was an actor playing a character, but in reality he was just himself: a genuine, modest and nice man.""To our staff and to our viewers, he was a beloved and valued part of our show, and we will miss him." [ [http://newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/3/22/74128.shtml David Letterman Regular Larry 'Bud' Melman Dies] .
March 22 ,2007 .] When asked how he'd like to be remembered, DeForest responded "Just being able to make people laugh and knowing people enjoyed my humor. I also hope I haven't offended anyone through the years." [ [http://www.fadetoblack.com/interviews/larrybudmelman/page3.htm FADE TO BLACK PRESENTS - Calvert Deforest, a.k.a. Larry Bud Melman] . ]After years of poor health, DeForest died at a hospital in West Islip,
New York , onLong Island , onMarch 19 ,2007 .cite web|title=Letterman sidekick Calvert DeForest dead at 85|url=http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/celebrity/la-et-deforest22mar22,1,6979392.story?coll=la-celebrity-news&ctrack=1&cset=true|accessdate=2007-03-21| publisher ="Los Angeles Times "] As per his request, no funeral services were held, and press accounts indicate he left no surviving relatives.Filmography
* "While the Cat's Away" 1972 movie
* "Apple Pie" 1976 movie
* "Blond Poison" 1979 movie
* "Late Night with David Letterman ", 1982 TV series, as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
* "The First Time", 1982 movie
* "Nothing Lasts Forever", 1984
* "King of Rock", 1985Run DMC music video
* "Heaven Help Us", 1985 movie
* "Pee Wee's Playhouse " (Episode 12), 1986 TV series, as "Rusty" One episode
* "My Demon Lover", 1987 movie
* "Leader of the Band", 1987 movie
* "The Couch Potato Workout", 1988 video, as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
* "Late Show with David Letterman", 1993 TV series
* "Freaked ", 1993 movie, as "Larry 'Bud' Melman"
* "Mr. Write", 1994 movie
* "Vince Gill : What The Cowgirls Do", 1994 video
* "Brief cameo on "Wings" Television series episode", 1993
* "Encino Woman", 1996 TV movie
* "The Misfits: American Psycho", 1997 video
* "Nine Inch Nails : "Closure" 1997 videoReferences
External links
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* [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2905499183729430884&hl=en Honda Scooters Ad on Google]Persondata
NAME=DeForest, Calvert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=Melman, Larry "Bud"
SHORT DESCRIPTION=American comedian
DATE OF BIRTH=July 23 ,1921
PLACE OF BIRTH=Brooklyn ,New York ,United States
DATE OF DEATH=March 19 ,2007
PLACE OF DEATH=Babylon,New York ,United States
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