I remember him from many, many roles, but I think mostly from “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” as Ray saying “We’re gonna have to kill him!” about the Jonathan Winters character.
Sounds like he was a nice guy, too.
Mods – Please fix the title. It doesn’t say that he died.
He was in lots of movies, and did voices in Top Cat. He starred opposite Arnold Schwartzenegger (who was billed as “Arnold Strong” opposite arnold Strang) in his first non-body-building movie, Hercules in New York.
I didn’t even know he was still around.
Linky no worky. Here’s another: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5huJ4PX9CUQczfrPWWJAMDmiFO7_AD9COF6O00
TOP CAT! I fondly remember him as the voice of TC from the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon. He was also in the movie Hercules in New York with an actor with a similar name, a young Austrian bodybuilder named Arnold Strong, who later changed his name and found great fame as an actor and politician.
Edit on preview. Dang! Beaten by Cal!
Wow, married for 60 years.
I definitely remember the Chunky commercials, as well as Top Cat. (I loved Top Cat.)
I thought he did a lot more voice work than I see at imdb. Well, one thing the AP obit missed was his being the voice of the Honey Nut Cheerios bee.
I had no idea he was still alive; I hadn’t even thought of him in decades . . . not since the Chunky commercials.
At least we’ll still have Rev. Ivan Stang.
Although it was many years before I found out who he was, I first remember him from the “Herman and Katnip” cartoons. I remember the other mice calling Herman “Hoyman,” and that’s what I thought his name was. I had no way of knowing that’s the way that name is usually pronounced in the northeastern US.
He was also in the “Tales from the Darkside” ep “The Grave Robber” in which he played a mummy that had been brought back to life when his tomb was opened. Actually, that one was kinda funny, which was unusual for that series.
Awww, I didn’t know he was still around, and now he’s not, and I’m depressed.
About It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, how many of the featured players from that movie are still alive? Lessee, Jonathan Winters, Sid Caesar, Mickey Rooney, um, Peter Falk, uh, um…who else? Is Dorothy Provine still around? How 'bout that little kid who stood on the riverbank waving at Phil Silvers as he sank?
Mark Evanier has a post which includes a funny story about the time they worked together and Stang was a bit less of a milquetoast.
I, too, remember the Chunky commercials. I also remember a commercial he did for Brillo Pads. He was in an astronaut suit and sang (to the tune of “Comin’ Through the Rye”),
“In outer space I a saw a scouring pad
Comin’ through the sky
I knew at once it wasn’t Brillo
Here’s the reason why”
The inferior scouring pad was attached to a balloon, floating along. But Brillo was heavier, and the balloon sank to the floor when a Brillo was attached.
The screwy things one remembers!
I remember Stang from the Milton Berle Show. He was a young man then (about 1952) and he had an on-going romance on stage with a girl named Maxine. One or the other was in pursuit and would say, “Don’t fight it! It’s bigger than both of us!”
That was like the day before yesterday to me. Geez.