
Jackie Gleason (26 February 1916 – 24 June 1987) was an American actor, comedian, and musician from Brooklyn, New York. He was born to Irish immigrant parents from Farranree, County Cork, and he was raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant before becoming an actor during the 1940s. He went on to become a comedian before landing the starring role in the hit 1950s television series The Honeymooners, and he also developed The Jackie Gleason Show from the 1950s to 1970s. He moved to Miami Beach, Florida in 1964 after his show moved its filming there. In 1968, he endorsed the Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon, hosting a televised rally for him at Madison Square Garden and expressing his concern with the country's direction. He died in Lauderhill, Florida in 1987 at the age of 71.