Buddy Hackett was born Leonard Hacker in Brooklyn, New York on August 31st, 1924. In the 1950's and '60's he was a feequent guest of talk show hosts Jack Paar and Arthur Godfrey and on the game show Hollywood Squares but it was his role as comedy writer Benjy Benjamin in the classic comedy movie, It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World which ensured his rise to fame.