Ira Miller obit

Saying Goodbye to Ira Miller

 

He was not on the list.

He was friends with John Belushi and John Candy, Mel Brooks, and Ringo Starr, but you probably never heard of him. Here’s the story of his last afternoon.

I would be surprised if you knew who Ira Miller was, even though you’ve probably seen him or heard his voice somewhere. If you watch old Mel Brooks movies you can find him working there, part of the scene, a professional funnyman, and character actor, not famous but known and respected by his peers.

Ira lived a quiet life in Hollywood, teaching improv at Second City, doing voice-overs, smoking prodigious quantities of weed, and hanging out with a very select crowd of musicians, comedians, and actors. If you knew Ira, you were probably in the business, and you probably stayed up late.

When Ira died in September of 2012, we had been friends for almost sixty years, starting as schoolboys from the same neighborhood in Chicago. Ira always told me that we first met as thirteen-year-olds when I shared a nudist magazine I’d found in a trash can with him. What I remember from the beginning is something that happened when we were about seventeen or eighteen.

Ira Miller was born and raised in Chicago, where, in his teens, he began acting on his own radio show. Soon he began performing his comedy act in coffeehouses and nightclubs around town, which led to his invitation to join the famed Second City Company and appear in Chicago and New York. Leaving Chicago for Hollywood, he worked on The Conception Corporation albums, and later created “Gefilte Joe” for Rhino’s “Hanukah Rocks” album.

As a film actor he has been a regular for Mel Brooks, appearing in eight movies, starting with “Blazing Saddles”. Ira’s other films include “Tunnel Vision”, “Armed and Dangerous”, “Jackson Count Jail”, “Gaily, Gaily”, “Who’s Harry Crumb?” as well as several TV movies.

Ira directed and co-wrote the underground hit film “Loose Shoes” which starred Bill Murray, Howard Hesseman, Susan Tyrell, and Betty Thomas. He hosted radio shows on KMET and KPPC and for several years wrote and performed on John Candy’s “Radio Kandy”. He also wrote or co-wrote episodes of “Welcome Back Kotter”, “Horshack”, “Hiz Honor”, “National Lampoon Magazine”, “The Lorenzo Music Show”, HBO’s “Night of at Least a Dozen Stars” and other comedy projects.

Writer

Coming Attractions (1978)

Coming Attractions

4.6

screenplay by

1978

 

Welcome Back, Kotter (1975)

Welcome Back, Kotter

7.1

TV Series

written by

1976

1 episode

 

The Lorenzo and Henrietta Music Show

TV Series

Writer

1976

35 episodes

 

Actor

Mel Brooks, Leslie Nielsen, Lysette Anthony, Peter MacNicol, Steven Weber, and Amy Yasbeck in Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995)

Dracula: Dead and Loving It

5.8

Villager

1995

 

Cary Elwes in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993)

Robin Hood: Men in Tights

6.7

Villager

1993

 

Raquel Welch, Alicia Silverstone, and Jack Scalia in Torch Song (1993)

Torch Song

4.9

TV Movie

Map Guy

1993

 

Life Stinks (1991)

Life Stinks

5.9

Man at Fire

1991

 

Masters of Menace (1990)

Masters of Menace

5.1

Bartender

1990

 

Ethan Hawke, Jack Lemmon, and Ted Danson in Dad (1989)

Dad

6.3

(voice)

1989

 

I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood (1989)

I, Martin Short, Goes Hollywood

7.2

TV Movie

Theatre Bum

1989

 

John Candy in Who's Harry Crumb? (1989)

Who's Harry Crumb?

5.9

Accountant

1989

 

Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man (1988)

Rain Man

8.0

(voice)

1988

 

Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Daphne Zuniga in Spaceballs (1987)

Spaceballs

7.1

Short Order Cook

1987

 

John Candy in Armed and Dangerous (1986)

Armed and Dangerous

5.7

1st Toxic Guard

1986

 

Domestic Life (1984)

Domestic Life

7.2

TV Series

Phil

1984

2 episodes

 

Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson in Scarecrow and Mrs. King (1983)

Scarecrow and Mrs. King

7.0

TV Series

Pretzel the Clown

1983

1 episode

 

History of the World: Part I (1981)

History of the World: Part I

6.8

Roman Citizen - The Roman Empire

1981

 

Outside Chance (1978)

Outside Chance

4.7

TV Movie

Dale

1978

 

Coming Attractions (1978)

Coming Attractions

4.6

Blind Stranger

Narrator

1978

 

Peeping Times

6.5

TV Movie

1978

 

Prime Time (1977)

Prime Time

4.9

Jewish Deviate

1977

 

Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Ron Carey, Harvey Korman, and Howard Morris in High Anxiety (1977)

High Anxiety

6.6

Psychiatrist with Children

1977

 

Jackson County Jail (1976)

Jackson County Jail

6.1

Drunk Man

1976

 

Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy (1976)

Chesty Anderson U.S. Navy

4.1

Comedian

1976

 

Tunnel Vision (1976)

Tunnel Vision

5.0

Ramon

1976

 

When Things Were Rotten (1975)

When Things Were Rotten

7.2

TV Series

Peasant #1

1975

1 episode

 

Mel Brooks and Cleavon Little in Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blazing Saddles

7.7

Baker Man (uncredited)

1974

 

Void Where Prohibited by Law

1971

 

Director

Coming Attractions (1978)

Coming Attractions

4.6

Director (directed by)

1978