Harvey Korman was a lanky, popular TV comedy veteran with a flair for broad comic characterizations, who shone for a decade as leading man and second banana par excellence on _"The Carol Burnett Show" .
Children: first marriage, Maria and Christopher; second marriage, Katherine and Laura.
Son of Ellen (ne Belcher) and Cyril Raymond Korman. Harveys father was born in Russia, to Russian Jewish parents, Solomon Noah Korman and Clara Lederman. Harveys mother was born in France, also to Russian Jewish parents.
Following college he tried his luck on Broadway and in nightclubs (as half of a comedy duo) but failed and had to support himself as a restaurant cashier. He finally moved to Hollywood and found success.
In 1960 he married Donna Elhart and they had two children, Maria and Christopher. They divorced in 1977. Two more children, Katherine (Kate) and Laura were born of his 1982 marriage to Deborah Fritz.
Born in Chicago, he left college for service in the U.S. Navy during WWII and later studied at the Goodman School of Drama at the Chicago Art Institute.
He had an operation in late January 2008 on a non-cancerous brain tumor and pulled through. Less than a day after coming home, he was re-admitted because of a ruptured aneurysm and was given a few hours to live. He survived another four months.
Recreated his popular sketch role as aimless, philandering husband "Ed", the husband of "Eunice", in the Southern-fried series "Mamas Family" with Carol Burnett and starring Vicki Lawrence and Ken Berry. He made three guest appearances and helped direct the episodes in the first two seasons.
After ten successful seasons he left "The Carol Burnett Show" in 1977 to appear in his own series. Dick Van Dyke took his place on the popular variety show. "The Harvey Korman Show" failed to win an audience, as did other series starring or co-starring the comedian, including his regular stint on "The Tim Conway Show" in 1980.
He studied drama at HB Studio in Greenwich Village in New York City.
He is interred in Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.
Along with Carol Burnett helped mentor comedian Vicki Lawrence.
The only performer to have worked on all three "Flintstones" iterations: "The Flintstones" , The Flintstones and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas .
