Del Close

American standup comedian Del Close was one of the founding members of Chicago's Second City comedy troupe. In his prime, Close was a confrontational comic in the abrasive, scatological vein of his admitted role model Lenny Bruce. Working at Second City as a director, he helped nurture and channel the talents of another comic genius, John Belushi. Having made his first TV appearances in the 1960s in such sitcoms as Camp Runamuck and Get Smart, Del Close returned to acting full force in the 1980s, playing farcical authority-figure roles in such productions as Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986), The Blob (1988 remake), Fat Man and Little Boy (1989), and Opportunity Knocks (1990).