Mort Sahl
Who Mort Sahl is
Canadian-born American comedian and political satirist who made his professional debut at San Francisco's hungry i in 1953 and pioneered topical stand-up delivered as improvised monologues, often with a newspaper as his only prop. In 1960 he became the first comedian featured in a Time cover story, and his 1955 recording At Sunset was added to the National Recording Registry in 2011; his influence reached Lenny Bruce, Woody Allen and George Carlin.
At a glance
- Born
- 1927
- Died
- 2021
- Style
- Topical satire, Political commentary, Political
- Albums
- At Sunset, The Future Lies Ahead, Mort Sahl: 1960 or Look Forward in Anger and 3 more
- Podcasts
- Heartland
- On screen
- The NBC Comedy Hour, The Tonight Show, Richard Diamond, Private Detective and 10 more
Specials, shows and podcasts
Albums
- At Sunset 1958; recorded 1955
- The Future Lies Ahead 1958
- Mort Sahl: 1960 or Look Forward in Anger 1959
- At the hungry i 1960
- The New Frontier 1961
- Mort Sahl's America 1996
On screen
- The NBC Comedy Hour network debut, 1956
- The Tonight Show interim host after Jack Paar
- Richard Diamond, Private Detective himself, 1959
- Mort Sahl Live Monitor Channel series, 1991
- Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition PBS American Masters subject, 1989
- In Love and War Danny Krieger, 1958 film
- All the Young Men Cpl. Crane, 1960
- Johnny Cool Ben Morrow, 1963
- Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! Dan Ruskin, 1967
- Don't Make Waves Sam Lingonberry, 1967
- Inside the Third Reich Werner Finck, TV film, 1982
- Nothing Lasts Forever Uncle Mort, 1984
- Max Rose Jack, 2013
Podcasts
- Heartland autobiography, 1976
Career timeline
- 1927Born
- 1956The NBC Comedy Hour (network debut, 1956) On screen
- 1958In Love and War (Danny Krieger, 1958 film) On screen
- 1958At Sunset (1958; recorded 1955) Album
- 1958The Future Lies Ahead (1958) Album
- 1959Richard Diamond, Private Detective (himself, 1959) On screen
- 1960All the Young Men (Cpl. Crane, 1960) On screen
- 1960Mort Sahl: 1960 or Look Forward in Anger (1959) Album
- 1960At the hungry i (1960) Album
- 1961The New Frontier (1961) Album
- 1963Johnny Cool (Ben Morrow, 1963) On screen
- 1967Doctor, You've Got to Be Kidding! (Dan Ruskin, 1967) On screen
- 1967Don't Make Waves (Sam Lingonberry, 1967) On screen
- 1976Heartland (autobiography, 1976) Book
- 1982Inside the Third Reich (Werner Finck, TV film, 1982) On screen
- 1984Nothing Lasts Forever (Uncle Mort, 1984) On screen
- 1989Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition (PBS American Masters subject, 1989) On screen
- 1991Mort Sahl Live (Monitor Channel series, 1991) On screen
- 1996Mort Sahl's America (1996) Album
- 2013Max Rose (Jack, 2013) On screen
- 2021Died
Questions about Mort Sahl
What podcast does Mort Sahl host?
Heartland.
What TV shows and films are they in?
The NBC Comedy Hour, The Tonight Show, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, Mort Sahl Live, Mort Sahl: The Loyal Opposition and In Love and War, among 13 credits.
The full SUCDb record
The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Mort Sahl ↗ Birth and death years, hungry i debut, satirical style, Time cover, National Recording Registry, TV, discography, autobiography
Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026