Career
As a stand-up comic, Kamen was a favorite of Mel Brooks, Groucho Marx and Woody Allen. According to writer Kliph Nesteroff, Kamen worked as a stand-in for Sid Caesar on Caesar"s Hour, inventing bits of business that Caesar claimed for his own. Born in Hurleyville, New York, Kamen began his comedy career as a regular on Caesar"s Hour in 1954.
He frequently performed his comedy routines on shows hosted by Editor Sullivan, Steve Allen, Merv Griffin, Mike Douglas, and Johnny Carson and made guest appearances on What"s My Lincolnshire?, The Match Game and The Hollywood Palace.
While performing at a resort in the Catskills, Kamen discovered Woody Allen. As an actor, Kamen appeared in Route 66, Naked City, Ben Casey, McMillan & Wife, Love, American Style, The Partridge Family, Mannix, The Streets of San Francisco, and Quincy Mechanical Engineering, among others
His feature film credits include Maine, Natalie, The Out-of-Towners, Mother, Jugs & Speed and West.C. Fields and Maine.
Kamen"s sole Broadway theatre cr was the 1964 Paddy Chayefsky play The Passion of Josef Doctorate., in which he played opposite Luther Adler and Peter Falk. lieutenant closed after one preview and 16 performances.
Before beginning his comedy career, Kamen was a successful French Horn player and occupied a French horn chair at the Metropolitan Opera.
At age 55, Kamen died of a heart attack in Beverly Hills.
