Phil Silvers

American actor

Born: May 11, 1911 · Died: November 1, 1985

Famous Persons

Who was Phil Silvers?

Phil Silvers (born Phillip Silver; May 11, 1911 – November 1, 1985) was an American entertainer and comedic actor, known as "The King of Chutzpah". Born Philip Silver, he was the eighth and youngest child of Russian Jewish immigrants, Saul and Sarah (née Handler) Silver. His father, a sheet metal worker, helped build the early New York skyscrapers. His career as a professional entertainer spanned nearly 60 years. He also starred in the films It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966). He was a winner of two Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on The Phil Silvers Show and two Tony Awards for his performances in Top Banana and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He also wrote the original lyrics to the jazz standard "Nancy (with the Laughing Face)".

Publicity photo of Silvers from the musical Top Banana

Historical significance

He achieved major popularity when he starred in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a U.S. Army post in which he played Master Sergeant Ernest (Ernie) Bilko.

Buddy Ebsen and Silvers (as recurring con-man Shifty Shafer) in The Beverly Hillbillies (circa 1969–1970)

Sources and further reading

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Wikipedia source

Cite this page

MLA

“Phil Silvers.” thisDay, thisday.info/people/phil-silvers/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

APA

Phil Silvers. (n.d.). thisDay. Retrieved November 9, 2026, from https://thisday.info/people/phil-silvers/

Chicago

“Phil Silvers.” thisDay. Accessed November 9, 2026. https://thisday.info/people/phil-silvers/.

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