Larry Wilde
Larry Wilde (born Herman Wildman 6 February 1928) is a standup comedian, television and stage actor, motivational speaker, university instructor and publisher. He is best known as the author of 53 published books of humor. Biography. Larry Wilde, born Herman Wildman, in Jersey City, New Jersey, was the fourth child of Jewish parents Gertrude and Selig Wildman. His siblings were Milton, Benjamin and Miriam. He chose Larry Wilde as a professional name when he began a career in show business. Wilde attended Lincoln High School where he was active in numerous extracurricular activities, including sports editor of the  school paper, the Drama Club, president of the Student Body and the swimming team where he became the Jersey City 100-yard Breaststroke Champion. He was in the Second Marine Division from 1946 to 1948. While stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, he wrote, produced, directed and performed in camp stage shows doing comedy routines. Promoted to corporal, he became the first official Marine Corps "non-commissioned comedian". Wilde graduated from the University of Miami in Florida where he worked his way through school performing at Miami Beach nightclubs and hotels. Works. He was the president of Poets, Essayists and  Novelists (PEN) Los Angeles 1981–1983. In 1976, he founded National Humor Month, celebrated annually in April. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life. National Humor Month has been recognized by comedians and institutions across the US including The Huffington Post, "Fox News" (when the comedian Crystal Powell hosted citywide events in Houston), "The Farmer's Almanac" and "USA Today". With book sales over 12 million copies, "The New York Times" has called him "America’s  Best Selling Humorist". Wilde's book "Great Comedians Talk About Comedy" contains inspirational interviews with seventeen great comedians of the 20th century, revealing their secrets on extracting laughter from audiences. The comedians interviewed are Woody Allen, Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Shelley Berman, Joey Bishop, George Burns, Johnny Carson, Maurice Chevalier, Phyllis Diller, Jimmy Durante, Dick Gregory, Bob Hope, George Jessel, Jerry Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Danny Thomas and Ed Wynn. The original tapes of these historical interviews are now part of The Larry Wilde Collection housed in the Library of Congress. Wilde's book "How The Great Comedy Writers Create Laughter