Renowned comedian "Professor" Irwin Corey, who called himself satirically "The World’s Foremost Authority," died at home Monday at age 102.
Corey’s screen and stage career spanned more than 70 years. He started out in radio but thrived when television gained widespread use. He performed in vaudeville, radio, TV, films, Broadway, nightclubs, and Las Vegas showrooms.
Critic Leonard Feather described Corey as having a “mock didactic manner” while spouting “rambling pseudo-historical explanations to which there is usually some sort of crazy logic,” the Los Angeles Times reported. Corey was also known for his crazy hair, swallow tail coat, string tie, and sneakers.
Son Richard Corey, also a comedian as well as a songwriter, singer, and painter, said his father died in New York City at home, “surrounded by his son,” The Washington Post reported.
Irwin Corey's monologues usually started with "However ..." as he attempted to explain in a professorial way the stories of the day and the wisdom of the ages, the Post noted. One of his most famous quips was “protocol takes precedence over procedure.”
In 1960, Corey ran for president in a mock campaign, with posters declaring, “Corey is the only candidate named Irwin.”
“That was a lot of fun,” Corey told The Associated Press in 2004, the Times reported. “They put my campaign manager in jail for disturbing the peace.”
Theater critic Kenneth Tynan called Corey “Charlie Chaplin’s clown with a college education,” the Times reported.
Corey continued performing well into his 90s and was in high demand for roasts and theater performances alike.