   henry "henny" youngman (original yiddish surname yungman; 16 march 1906&nbsp;â 24 february 1998) was a british-born american comedian and violinist famous for his mastery of the "one-liner". his best known one-liner was "take my wife...please". in a time when many comedians told elaborate anecdotes, youngman's routine consisted of telling simple one-liner jokes, occasionally with interludes of violin playing. these depicted simple, cartoon-like situations, eliminating lengthy build-ups and going straight to the punch line. he was known as "the king of the one liners", a title conferred to him by columnist walter winchell. a stage performance by youngman lasted only fifteen to twenty minutes but contained dozens of jokes in rapid-fire succession. ==early life== youngman was born to a jewish family in london, england. his family moved to brooklyn, new york, when he was a child. he grew up in new york city, and began as a comedian after he had worked for years at a print shop, where he wrote "comedy cards" containing one-line gags. the comedy cards were discovered by up-and-coming comedian milton berle, who encouraged youngman and formed a close friendship with him. berle said about him, "the only thing funnier than henny's jokes is his violin playing." ==career== encouraged by his family to study the violin, youngman began in show business as a musician. he led a small jazz band called the "swanee syncopaters", and during their performanc
1906_births 1998_deaths 20th-century_American_male_actors 20th-century_English_male_actors American_Jews American_male_film_actors American_people_of_English-Jewish_descent American_stand-up_comedians Comedians_from_Liverpool English_Jews English_emigrants_to_the_United_States English_male_comedians English_male_film_actors English_stand-up_comedians Jewish_comedians Jewish_comedy_and_humor People_from_Brooklyn Vaudeville_performers