Canadian-born American comedian, actor, and satire artist Mort Sahl passed away on Tuesday at his home in Mill Valley, California. He was 94. Hailed by many as the first modern comedian in the U. S. since Will Rogers and known for his social commentary in which he would boldly call out politicians with his comedy, he was praised for maintaining his stand-up acts in a clean manner and also hosted the Grammy Awards in 1959, including co-hosting the Academy Awards the same year. Sahl became the first comedian to be featured on the cover of Time magazine in 1960, while also guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on several occasions during the '60s. 

Born on May 11, 1927, in Montreal, Mort Sahl moved along with his family to Los Angeles when he was a child and completed his graduation from USC in 1950 after a stint in the Air Force. He began doing stand-up around the mid-1950s, with one of his performances in 1955 being recorded and released as Mort Sahl At Sunset a few years later, and is regarded to be his first stand-up album. Around the late '50s, Sahl ventured into acting after roles and started off with the 1958 Robert Wagner film In Love and War. He later landed roles in films like All the Young Men (1960), Johnny Cool (1963), Don’t Make Waves and Doctor, You’ve Got to Be Kidding! (1967). Sahl made appearances on TV too as a guest on shows like Pursuit, Playhouse 90The Big Party and Love American Style, while also performing on The Jerry Lewis Show, Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In and The Hollywood Palace.
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Mort Sahl’s name frequently featured on the talk-show circuit, including shows that were hosted by David Frost, Dick Cavett, Dinah Shore, Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin. He appeared on a number of occasions on The Ed Sullivan Show and game shows like The Hollywood Squares and The Match Game during the mid-1970s when he also was a noted performer on the Dean Martin celebrity roasts, with his final credit on screen to be alongside his old friend and legendary comedian actor Jerry Lewis in 2013’s Max Rose. Sahl has no surviving immediate family members from his four marriages that ended in divorce. A son named Mort Jr. passed away in 1996.