Overview
Harry Einstein (May 6, 1904 – November 24, 1958), known professionally as Harry Parke and other pseudonyms, most commonly Parkyakarkus, was an American comedian, writer, and character actor. A specialist in Greek dialect comedy, he became famous as the Greek chef Nick Parkyakarkus on the Eddie Cantor and Al Jolson radio programs, and later on a program of his own. He appeared in eleven films (as Parkyakarkas or a close variant) from 1936 to 1945. He was also the father of comedians and actors Albert Brooks and Bob Einstein (who performed as Super Dave Osborne and as Marty Funkhouser in Curb Your Enthusiasm).
Personal life and early career
Einstein was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Sarah (née Klayman), who came from a Jewish family in Russia; and Charles Einstein, a Jewish pawnbroker from Austria, who had an importing business. Einstein attended The English High School in Boston.
Einstein first worked as a newspaper reporter, but then moved into advertising for Boston's Hearst Newspapers. In his spare time, he enjoyed performing comedy routines. During 1924–1925, he became popular on radio as "The Bad Boy from a Good Home", doing comedy skits on Boston station WEEI (AM). He also worked in advertising for the Taylor Furniture Company, where he managed their radio department. He subsequently continued in the advertising business at another Boston furniture store, Summerfield's, while performing dialect comedy for friends at parties.
One of his friends, Boston bandleader Joe Rines, tried to persuade him to become a full-time comedian, but by this time, he was making a good living as advertising manager for Kane's Furniture. Einstein finally agreed to make an appearance on Rines' radio program; he created the Greek character of Nick Parkyakarkus for a skit on that show. The character was very well received by the listeners, and it ultimately led to the national networks' taking notice. Einstein got his big break nationally when he was first heard as a performer on Eddie Cantor's radio show in 1934.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
