Flip Wilson

Thereafter, he married Tuanchai MacKenzie, and their marriage lasted from 1979 to 1984 when they divorced.

He won custody of his children in 1979, and cut down on his performances so that he could spend more time with his family.

Flip Wilson was born on December 8, 1933 as Clerow Wilson, Jr. to Clerow Wilson, Sr. and Cornelia Wilson. His father worked as a handyman, and was often out of work during the Great Depression.

His mother abandoned the family when he was seven. Unable to take care of the children his father placed them in foster homes. His childhood was spent in foster homes, and then reform school.

Aged 16, Wilson joined the US Air Force. His outgoing personality made him popular. He was asked to tour military bases to boost the morale of servicemen.

Wilson’s barrack mates gave him the nickname “Flip” as he was always “flipped out”. He was discharged in 1954. He then started working as a bellhop in San Francisco’s Manor Plaza Hotel.

He found extra work by playing a drunken patron in between the scheduled acts at Manor Plaza’s nightclub. The inebriated character he portrayed proved popular, and he began performing it in clubs throughout California.

Initially he would simply ad-lib on stage, but soon he began adding scripts to his acts to make them more sophisticated. He performed regular shows at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.

He caught Hollywood’s attention with a routine titled “Columbus” from the album “Cowboys and Colored People” in which he tells the story of Christopher Columbus with modern characters mentioned in the acts anachronistically.

Flip Wilson hosted “The Flip Wilson Show”, a variety series that debuted on NBC in 1970. He hosted many African-American entertainers, including The Jackson Five and The Temptations, and performed in comedy sketches.

After “The Flip Wilson Show” ended its run, Wilson made guest appearances on many TV comedies and variety shows, such as “Here’s Lucy” starring Lucille Ball, and “The Dean Martin Show”.

In 1984, he hosted the remake of “People Are Funny”. He then played the lead role in the CBS sitcom “Charlie & Co.” His last role was a cameo in the sitcom “Living Single”.