Irwin Corey
: Learn about “Professor” Irwin Corey (1914–2017), the American comedian, actor, and activist famed as “The World’s Foremost Authority.” Explore his life, style, film work, legacy, and funniest quotes.
Introduction
Irwin Corey (born July 29, 1914 – died February 6, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and social activist who became legendary for his surreal, improvised persona as “Professor Irwin Corey, the World’s Foremost Authority.”
His act consisted of rapid, pseudo-intellectual ramblings full of malapropisms, non sequiturs, and mock gravitas—an absurd humor that defied conventional joke structure.
Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Corey appeared in clubs, Broadway, TV, and films. He also remained politically engaged, supporting causes aligned with his leftist views.
Early Life and Background
Irwin Corey was born Irwin Eli Cohen in Brooklyn, New York, into a Jewish family.
After his father deserted the family, his mother placed Irwin and his siblings in the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of New York, where he remained until his early teens.
As a young man during the Great Depression, Corey rode boxcars to California and worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), where he claimed to have been a boxing champion in the 112-lb class.
He later returned to New York, enrolled himself in Belmont High School in Los Angeles, and gradually drifted into performing.
These early hardships and wanderings informed his outsider persona and fed his comedic fuel.
Comedy Style & Persona
The “Professor” Character
From the late 1940s onward, Corey adopted his signature persona—a disheveled, professorial figure delivering stream-of-consciousness “lectures” on any and all topics.
He dressed in ill-fitting formal wear, with sneakers, a string tie, and wild hair, giving the visual impression of a scholar gone off the rails.
His speeches would begin with words like “However …” and veer into elaborate, verbose digressions. Listeners were never entirely sure if they were witnessing high satire or nonsense.
Improvisation & Language Play
Corey’s performance was largely improvised: he didn’t rely on memorized jokes. He layered real words with invented syntax, twisted formal vocabulary, and constant redirection.
His style is often grouped with word play, surrealism, character comedy, satire, and improvisational comedy.
Fellow comedian Lenny Bruce once called Corey “one of the most brilliant comedians of all time.”
Career Highlights
Club & Stage Work
Corey honed his style at nightclubs and bistros, earning the moniker “World’s Foremost Authority.”
He was associated with the San Francisco club The hungry i, a venue known for nurturing underground comedy and counterculture voices.
On Broadway, he appeared in musicals and plays, such as Flahooley (1951) and Mrs. McThing (1952).
Film & Television
Over the years, Corey took supporting roles in films and TV:
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How to Commit Marriage (1969)
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Car Wash (1976)
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Stuck on You! (1982)
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The Curse of the Jade Scorpion (2001)
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Irwin & Fran (2013) — a documentary about his life and marriage.
He made guest appearances on variety shows and talk shows, often leaning into his absurdist persona.
In 1974, he accepted the National Book Award Fiction Citation on behalf of reclusive author Thomas Pynchon and delivered a speech full of misdirection and playful confusion.
Activism & Beliefs
Corey was politically active, supporting left-wing causes, including the Communist Party, campaigns for Cuban children, and pro-justice causes like Mumia Abu-Jamal.
He was blacklisted during the McCarthy era; he claimed this blacklist affected him decades later (e.g., limiting television bookings).
In his later years, he endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Democratic primaries.
Personal Life & Later Years
Corey married Frances Berman in 1940. Their marriage lasted about 70 years until her death in 2011. They had two children: Margaret (an actress) and Richard (a painter).
At age 97, he gave a New York Times interview in which he admitted to “panhandling” by cleaning windshields near the Queens–Midtown Tunnel, not for money for himself, but to donate the proceeds for Cuban medical supplies.
Irwin Corey died in his Manhattan apartment, with his son by his side, at age 102.
Legacy & Influence
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Corey helped push boundaries of comedic form, showing how language, persona, and improvisation could become the comedy itself.
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His eccentric “authority” figure influenced later comedians who blend character, satire, and meta-humor.
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He left behind a legend: to many in comedy lore, Corey is a living (for much of his life) example of anti-structure, intelligent absurdity, and fearless performance.
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His image as the “capricious scholar” endures in anecdote and memory rather than box office or mainstream fame.
Selected Quotes
Here are several classic lines attributed to Irwin Corey:
“Marriage is like a bank account. You put it in, you take it out, you lose interest.”
“You can get much further with a kind word and a gun than with a kind word alone.”
“Today we must all be aware that protocol takes precedence over procedure.”
“When your IQ rises to 28, sell.”
“I don’t believe Spiro Agnew is a crook. If he was a crook, he’d still be in office.”