About Irwin Corey
Irwin Corey was an American stand-up comic, film actor and activist, often billed as "The World's Foremost Authority". He introduced his unscripted, improvisational style of stand-up comedy at the San Francisco club the hungry i. Lenny Bruce described Corey as "one of the most brilliant comedians of all time." When the publicity-shy Thomas Pynchon won the National Book Award Fiction Citation for Gravity's Rainbow in 1974, he asked Corey to accept it on his behalf. Corey estimated its resale value at $3.5 million. During the Great Depression he worked for the Civilian Conservation Corps and, while working his way back East, became a featherweight Golden Gloves boxing champion. The film won The People's Film Festival Best Film Award in 2013.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.