# ID this actor quote?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [October 14, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780 "2009-10-14T14:18:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/1 "2009-10-14T14:18:03Z")

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As the famous scenery-chewing actor lay on his deathbed, someone asked him how he felt about dying. “Dying’s easy,” he replied. “Comedy’s hard.” What actor allegedly said this?

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**Author:** ![MadTheSwine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MadTheSwine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MadTheSwine)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/2 "2009-10-14T14:21:48Z")

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Donald Wolfit.

[http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/donald\_wolfit.html](http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/d/donald_wolfit.html)

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**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\
**Post date:** [October 14, 2009, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/3 "2009-10-14T15:48:47Z")

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I’m pretty sure Grissom said it in “CSI.” 🙂

Also, Peter O’Toole used the line in “My Favorite Year.” I suspect it’s an old chestnut that has been around and recycled many times, whoever may have said it first.

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/4 "2009-10-15T00:31:42Z")

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The Quote Verifier agrees with Tim R. Mortiss.

> **[The Quote Verifier](https://books.google.com/books?id=d6JZryGvfxYC&pg=PA49&lpg=PA49&dq=%22quote%2Bverifier%22%2B%22dying%2Bis%2Beasy%22&source=bl&ots=-GJMb8dx7S&sig=qh1m-eRlnjA9LlTSUkryusk2Egc&hl=en&ei=4mzWSpGZBo7iMOHMrN0D&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false)**
>
> Our language is full of hundreds of quotations that are often cited but seldom confirmed. Ralph Keyes's The Quote Verifier considers not only classic misquotes such as "Nice guys finish last," and "Play it again, Sam," but more surprising ones such...

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**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/5 "2009-10-15T01:35:35Z")

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Peter O’Toole says it in _ **My Favorite Year** _

Oops. **Sorry, Tim R. Mortiss** ; I should’ve read more carefully.

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**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2009, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/id-this-actor-quote/513780/6 "2009-10-15T01:58:36Z")

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> [@Krokodil](#):
>
> As the famous scenery-chewing actor lay on his deathbed, someone asked him how he felt about dying. “Dying’s easy,” he replied. “Comedy’s hard.” What actor allegedly said this?

All of them.