Marty Allen, Longtime Comedian And Pittsburgh Native, Dies At 95

PITTSBURGH, PA - Pittsburgh native Marty Allen, once described in a comedians’ biography as the “zany, plump pop-eyed, troll-haired funny man,” died Monday. He was 95.

Allen died in Las Vegas of complications from pneumonia, Allen's spokeswoman Candi Cazau told The Associated Press.

Allen was born in Pittsburgh as Morton David Alpern and graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School. He was a World War II veteran before embarking on his comedic career.

In his 1992 book, “Who’s Who In Comedy,” author Ronald L. Smith recounted how Allen was the funny half of the comedy duo of Allen & Rossi (Steve Rossi).

Smith recounted how after the pair were discovered by singer Nat King Cole, they made more than 700 TV appearances, 16 comedy albums and a movie spy spoof before splitting in 1969.

Afterward, Allen was a regular on game shows such as “The Hollywood Squares” and appeared in dramatic roles on daytime TV and made-for-TV movies. He also frequently performed on the Las Vegas Strip.

He was performing as recently as two years ago.

"It's unbelievable to be 94 years old," Allen told a New York audience then. "My wife says, 'What do you want for your birthday?' I told her, 'An antique.' So she framed my birth certificate."

Photo: Associated Press.