Sid Caesar, whose comedy work featured prominently in the so-called "Golden Age of Television" in the 1950's and beyond, has died. He was 91.
Caesar was born Isaac Sidney Caesar in 1922. His first big hit, "Show of Shows," brought movie parodies, pantomimes, and comedy routines to television screens in the 1950's, after which he worked on the sketch comedy "Caesar's Hour" and earned a Grammy nomination for his performance in 1962's "Little Me." He worked with writers who later became famous and went on to write their own shows, including Neil Simon, Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks. He also appeared in films, including "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World," "Airport 1975" and "Grease" (1978).
Close friend and biographer Eddy Friedfeld said: "If it weren't for [him] there might not be television as we know it. He and his co-stars and writers revolutionized television comedy, and really comedy in general."
Caesar's cause of death has not been revealed, though the actor had suffered from respiratory problems for several years. He is survived by his three children with Florence Levy, to whom he was married for 67 years until her death in 2010.
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Hollywood child star Shirley Temple, who became diplomat Shirley Temple Black, died late February 10 of natural causes in her Woodside, California, home. She was 85. Above, Temple poses for a photograph in the 1930s.
Temple poses for a promotional photograph for one of the "Baby Burlesks" series of short films, circa 1932.
Billy "Bojangles" Robinson and Shirley Temple dance together on set in 1935.
Temple arrives at the 20th Century Fox studio lot to celebrate her eighth birthday in 1936.
Jean Hersholt performs with Temple in "Heidi" in 1937.
FBI director J. Edgar Hoover gives Temple a tour of the Department of Justice in 1938.
Temple and Dickie Moore act in a scene from the film "Miss Annie Rooney" in 1942.
Temple and John Agar walk down a staircase after their wedding in 1945. The couple divorced in 1950.
Temple and her second husband, Charles Black, arrive at the premiere of "Roman Holiday" in 1953.
Temple Black sits with her daughter Lori Black at their home in 1957.
Temple Black sits at a United Nations session in 1969. She served as a delegate for the United States.
Temple Black is sworn in as new chief of protocol beside President Gerald R. Ford in the Cabinet Room of the White House in 1976.
Temple Black signs copies of her book "Child Star" in 1988.
Temple Black stands by the river in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in 1990. She served as ambassador to Czechoslovakia from 1989 to 1992.
President Bill Clinton greets Temple Black during a reception prior to the 1998 Kennedy Center Honors.
Temple Black accepts the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award onstage during the awards show in 2006.
Click through to see people who passed away in 2014.
Hollywood child star Shirley Temple, who became diplomat Shirley Temple Black, died late February 10 of natural causes in her Woodside, California, home. She was 85.
Joan Mondale, the wife of former Vice President Walter Mondale, has died, according to a statement from the family's church on February 3.
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman died of an apparent drug overdose in his Manhattan apartment, law enforcement sources said on February 2.
Maximilian Schell died in a Austrian hospital with his wife by his side, his agent Patricia Baumbauer said. He was 83. Schell was nominated for an Oscar three times. He won in 1962 for "Judgment at Nuremberg."
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Hiroo Onoda, center, salutes after handing over his military sword on Lubang Island in the Philippines in March 1974. Onoda, a former intelligence officer in the Japanese army, had remained on the island for nearly 30 years, refusing to believe his country had surrendered in World War II. He died at a Tokyo hospital on January 16. He was 91.
Russell Johnson, center, stands with Alan Hale Jr., left, and Bob Denver in an episode of "Gilligan's Island" in 1966. Johnson, who played "the professor" Roy Hinkley in the hit television show, passed away January 16 at his home in Washington state, according to his agent, Mike Eisenstadt. Johnson was 89.
Ariel Sharon, whose half century as a military and political leader in Israel was marked with victories and controversies, died on January 11 after eight years in a coma, Israeli Army Radio reported. Sharon was 85.
Franklin McCain, seen center wearing glasses, one of the "Greensboro Four," who made history for their 1960 sit-in at a Greensboro Woolworth's lunch counter, died on January 10 after a brief illness, according to his alma mater, North Carolina A&T State University.
Larry Speakes, who served as President Ronald Reagan's press secretary, died January 10 at his home in Cleveland, Mississippi, following a lengthy illness, according to Bolivar County Coroner Nate Brown. He was 74.
Poet Amiri Baraka, who lost his post as New Jersey's poet laureate because of a controversial poem about the 9/11 terror attacks, died January 9, his agent said. Baraka was 79.
Sir Run Run Shaw, the media tycoon who helped bring Chinese martial arts films to an international audience, died at his home in Hong Kong on January 7 at age 106, the television station he founded said.
Stage, TV and film actress Carmen Zapata, who founded the Bilingual Foundation of the Arts as a means of of introducing "the rich and eloquent history of the diverse Hispanic culture to English-speaking audiences," died on January 5 at her Los Angeles home. She was 86.
Portugal football legend Eusebio, who was top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, died from a heart attack on January 5 at age 71, said his former club, Benfica.
Alicia Rhett, who had been one of the oldest surviving cast members of the classic film "Gone With the Wind," died on January 3 in her longtime hometown of Charleston, South Carolina, a retirement community spokeswoman said. She was 98.
Singer Phil Everly, left -- one half of the groundbreaking, smooth-sounding, record-setting duo the Everly Brothers -- died on January 3, a hospital spokeswoman said. He was 74.
