The late great Burgess Meredith is one of the most underrated actors to grace the big and small screens. Since studying at Amherst College in Massachusetts, the Ohio native became a lifetime member of NYC’s Actors Studio. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II, Burgess channeled his military experience into the role of Ernie Pyle in Story of G.I. Joe (1945). Mr. Meredith also co-starred with his then-wife Paulette Goddard in a few ’40s films (Second Chorus, Diary of a Chambermaid, On Our Merry Way) yet worked more with director Otto Preminger on ’60s flicks (Advise and Consent, The Cardinal, In Harm’s Way, Hurry Sundown, Skidoo). By 1971, the two collaborated on Such Good Friends. The R-rated dramedy features Dyan Cannon, Jennifer O’Neill, and Burgess’s bare booty! But the character actor is better known for his bespectacled turn as a book lover in the classic 1959 episode “Time Enough at Last” from The Twilight Zone and as the iconic, monocle-donning villain The Penguin of the cult comedy series Batman (1966-1968). Throughout his career, Burgess appeared on television (The Monkees, Night Gallery, Rawhide); film (Clash of the Titans, Burnt Offerings, Foul Play, Grumpy Old Men, Of Mice and Men); and stage (The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Ulysses in Nighttown, Winterset). He received a Special Tony for A Thurber Carnival (1960) and nabbed Academy Award noms for his performances in The Day of the Locust (1975) and the Oscar-winning Rocky (1976). As boxing coach Mickey, Burgess was a knockout!
