Comedian John Regis Dies at 94
He headlined at Playboy clubs and performed in Las Vegas and on talk shows.
He was not on the list.
John Regis, a comedian and entertainer who performed on talk shows and cruise ships and was a headliner on the Playboy Club circuit, died Aug. 19 in Los Angeles, magician Kerry Ross announced. He was 94.
As a “road comic” in the 1960s and ’70s, Regis was a regular at the Purple Onion and Hungry in nightclubs in San Francisco, toured Canada in a comedy show with Lyle Waggoner and opened for the likes of Bob Hope, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Stan Kenton, Woody Herman and Peter Marshall during his career.
He also showed up in the 1991 film Joey Takes a Cab, starring Lionel Stander; on talk shows hosted by Steve Allen, Della Reese, David Frost and Alan Thicke; and on stage in regional productions of Kiss Me Kate, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Sunday in New York and other plays.
Born John Ray and raised in the Ozarks, Regis produced “Tops in Blue” variety shows during his nine-year stint with the U.S. Air Force and helped discover the likes of Jerry Van Dyke, Ronnie Schell and Frank Gorshin.
After his discharge, he changed his name so as not to be confused with the singer Johnnie Ray. Then, in Las Vegas lounge shows as the leader of John Regis and the Registers, he demonstrated his musical talents and ability to perform mid-air splits.
A memorial ceremony with military honors for Regis will be held at the Los Angeles National Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 17.
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