Mister Ed star Alan Young, who rose to prominence as the co-star of a talking horse in the famed 1961 sitcom Mr. Ed,died Thursday at the age of 96.
Young played architect Wilbur Post on the series, the owner of a horse Mister Ed that could talk, but only to Wilbur. The show grew in popularity in the sixties thanks to its wacky premise and the dynamic between the outlandish Mister Ed and mild-mannered Wilbur.
Young was born November 19, 1919, in England. He became an actor after slipping in a part for himself on the drama series on a radio station where he worked. American agent Frank Cooper, who also repped singer Dinah Shore, managed to hear it on the static through his radio -- a chance occurrence that jumpstarted his career.
Young went on to host The Alan Young Show, which earned him an Emmy for Best Variety Series and Best Actor. TV Guide called him the "Charlie Chaplin of television" in 1950.
In addition to Mister Ed, Young was also known for voicing animated characters, which is how he spent nearly all of his time in the later part of his career. He voiced Scrooge McDuck, and appeared in more TV shows and films including The Ren & Stimpy Show, The Smurfs,The Great Mouse Detective, Beverly Hills Cop III,General Hospital, St. Elsewhere, ER and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch.
