Actor, Comedian, Impressionist, and Singer. He made many appearances on television sitcoms and variety shows during the 1960s and 1970s, including "The Ed Sullivan Show," "The Merv Griffin Show," "The Dean Martin Show," "The Mike Douglas Show," and "The Joey Bishop Show." He possessed a natural gift for mimicry, and his impressions of celebrities such as Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Boris Karloff and many others were considered among the best in the business. He also could imitate a housefly on a slippery oil cloth, or neon signs, alligators, driftwood furniture, rubber bands, frozen chickens, frogs, praying mantis and his favorite, that of an ostrich. He was born Mario Scarpa in South Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the youngest of 11 children of Italian immigrant parents. His father was a clarinetist with the RCA recording orchestra under the direction of Josef Pasternack, and went on to name all of his children after the characters in operas. Mario was named after the hero in La Tosca, an opera his mother admired while she was carrying him. In December 1940 he enlisted in the US Army and after serving two years, he signed up for a six year tour with the Merchant Marines. After his tour was finished, he came back to the US and did various odd jobs, including bus boy, drill press operator, and even sold flowers. He got into show business by pure accident, when some friends pushed him up onto the stage at Palumbo's in South Philadelphia, where he did impressions of W.C. Fields, Wendell Willkie, and The Ink Spots. He found a partner and worked as a team under the name, The Al Mar Brothers, but they soon fumbled and he was back doing more odd jobs. He soon found pickling hams, driving a cab, and construction work, his only other options, were unfulfilling so he decided to give New York City, New York a try. He rented a room with five other guys including fellow South Philadelphians Eddie Fisher, and Al Martino. He began working nightclubs in New York City, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Chicago, Illinois and by the end of the 1950s, he, Martino and Fisher were all winners on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts" show. In May 1960 he made his first appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". He then appeared dozens of times throughout the 1960s and 1970s on popular variety shows. His big break came when he was cast as a regular on the 1962-63 season of "The Joey Bishop Show." He appeared in the first 19 episodes of the show's second season, as Freddy, manager to Bishop's character, when he was suddenly replaced without any explanation. He followed with a memorable appearance in an episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" in 1963, when he played a love interest for Sally played by actress Rose Marie. In May 1964 he appeared on "The Hollywood Palace," performing another of his famous nightclub bits, entitled "How The West Was REALLY Won?" The skit featured his flawless imitations of actors Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, and Robert Mitchum, and a Native American Indian. The following year he guest starred on two science fiction programs, "My Living Doll" and "My Favorite Martian." Then, during the 1965-1966 television season he appeared with actor John Forsythe in the role of Major Joe Foster in the NBC sitcom, later changed to a drama, "The John Forsythe Show." In 1967 he was featured as the American Indian 'Pink Cloud' in the ABC comedy Western, "Rango," starring Tim Conway. Despite early favorable reviews, the show only lasted for 17 episodes. In 1969 he appeared on an episode of the popular, "The Ghost & Mrs. Muir" television sitcom, playing a gangster who sounds a lot like Humphrey Bogart. He ended the decade with an appearance as a thief trying to hold up Lucille Ball on the television sitcom "Here's Lucy." He continued to work in nightclubs all over the country and in Las Vegas, performing alongside Eddie Fisher, Ann-Margret, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Petula Clark. In a 1974 episode of the television sitcom "The Odd Couple," he portrayed a late night horror movie host named Igor, who sounded a lot like Boris Karloff. His only big-screen appearance was in the 1975 film "Train Ride to Hollywood," where he imitated Humphrey Bogart. Also, in 1975, he performed his famous "How The West Was REALLY Won?" routine on "The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast" to Michael Landon. In 1977 he starred alongside Billy Barty in another sitcom pilot called, "Great Day," which told the story of a group of homeless people who contemplate taking jobs to help save their soon to be foreclosed mission. In 1980 he lent his voice along with Rip Taylor to an animated short called 'Don't Miss the Boat." The following year, he was working with Lucille Ball again, in the only project she ever directed, the unsold pilot for a sitcom called "Bungle Abbey." His final role on television was a featured one in the 1986 to 1987 sitcom "You Again?" as Harry, a poker-playing friend to the show's star Jack Klugman. He also had a short musical career with the surprise novelty hit song "Loving You Has Made Me Bananas," first charting in April 1968, which parodied the medleys and other popular music conventions of the big band era. It was based on one of his old nightclub routines, featuring an affected band singer of the radio era broadcasting from a remote Pennsylvania town. The song hit number nineteen on the Hot Adult Contemporary chart and number fifty-one on the Hot 100. A re-release did similarly well in 1978, reaching number 25 in the British Singles Chart, which led to an appearance on "Top of the Pops" in May 1978. He died at the Atlantic City Medical Center Division in Pomona, New Jersey at the age of 64.