Arte Johnson was born on January 20 1929 in Benton, Harbour, Michigan. He spent much of his childhood in Chicago. He started attending Austin High School when he was only 12 years old and enrolled in the University of Illinois when he was only 16. He majored in radio journalism. He tried finding a job with one of the advertising agencies in Chicago without success. He then moved to New York City where he worked as a writer for a calender company. Afterwards he served in the United States Army. After his service he returned to New York City and got a job in publicity at Viking Press. Unhappy with working in publishing, he was walking during his lunch hour when he came upon an audition for Gentleman Prefer Blondes. He talked his way into the audition and won the part of a 65-year-old Frenchman.
Arte Johnson made his television debut in one of the Max Liebman Spectaculars, Best Foot Forward, in 1954. He appeared on Broadway in No Time for Sergeants in 1955. He made his film debut in 1956 in Miracle in the Rain. In the Fifties he had recurring roles on the television sitcoms It's Always Jan, Sally, and Hennesy. He guest starred on the shows Make Room for Daddy, December Bride, Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, and The Red Skelton Show. He appeared in the films The Wild and the Innocent and The Subterraneans.
Arte Johnson appeared in the pilot for Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In in 1967 and was one of the regular performers when the show debuted in 1968. He was known for playing such recurring sketch characters on the show as Wolfgang (a German soldier who did not realise World War II had ended) and Tyrone F. Horneigh (a "dirty old man" who was constantly pursuing Gladys Ormphby, played by Ruth Buzzi). He was also a regular on the short-lived sitcom Don't Call Me Charlie. In the Sixties he guest starred on such shows as The Twilight Zone, Peter Loves Mary, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Frontier Circus, 87th Precinct, Dr. Kildare, The Andy Griffith Show, G.E. True, General Hospital, McHale's Navy, No Time for Sergeants, The Jack Benny Program, Broadside, Bewitched, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Donna Reed Show, Lost in Space, I Dream of Jeannie, Sesame Street (as Wolfgang from Laugh-In), and Love, American Style. He provided voices on episodes of the Saturday morning cartoons The Super 6 and The Pink Panther. He appeared in the films The Third Day (1965), That Funny Feeling (1965), The President's Analyst (1967), and P.J. (1968).
In the Seventies he was the voice of Rhubarb on the Saturday morning cartoon The Houndcats and Tyrone on the Saturday morning cartoon Baggy Pants & the Nitwits (the "Nitwits" portion of the show being based on the characters of Tyrone and Gladys from Laugh-In). He guest starred on such shows as Love, American Style; The Partridge Family; Here's Lucy; Get Christie Love!; The Rookies; Kojak; Captain Kangaroo; The Love Boat; and The Dukes of Hazzard. He appeared in the films Charge of the Model T's (1977) and Love at First Bite (1979).
In the Eighties Arte Johnson increasingly voiced characters on Saturday morning cartoons. He was a voice on the cartoons The Dukes, The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo, The Flintstone Kids, and Smurfs. He was a regular on the primetime TV show Glitter. He guest starred on such shows as Fantasy Island; The Love Boat; McClain's Law; Fame; Hotel; Trapper John, M.D.; Airwolf; The A-Team; Mike Hammer; Murder, She Wrote; and The New Adam 12. He appeared in the films Cannoball Run II (1984), What Comes Around (1985), A Night at the Magic Castle (1988), Tax Season (1989), and Evil Spirits (1990).
In the Nineties Arte Johnson returned to Broadway in Candide. He was a voice on the Saturday morning cartoon Yo Yogi!. He was a guest voice on such cartoons as Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures and The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries. He guest starred on such shows as Pros and Cons, Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Cafe Americain, and Mad About You. He appeared in the films Evil Toons (1992), Munchie (1992), Assault of the Party Nerds 2: The Heavy Petting Detective (1995), Captiva Island (1995), and The Modern Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1998). His last work was the voice of Virman Vundabar on an episode of Justice League Unlimited in 2005.
Arte Johnson was a wonderful performer. He had a gift for comedy and a talent for creating memorable characters. While he will probably be best remembered for Wolfgang and Tyrone from Laugh-In, he also played Sullivan in The President's Analyst, Renfield in Love at First Bite, and Doc Bailey in Charge of the Model T's, as well as numerous guest appearances on television. Any time Arte Johnson appeared in a role, he was guaranteed to generate laughs.
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Arte Johnson also made many contributions to game shows. Starting in the late 1960s, he appeared on Hollywood Squares, its kiddie counterpart Storybook Squares (as both the German soldier and the "nice old man (Tyrone)", Match Game, Tattletales (with his wife, Gisela), Celebrity Sweepstakes, Hollywood Connection, plus others, and he also became a game show host himself, hosting Knockout on NBC for 6 months 1977 to 1978. RIP, Arte Johnson.
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