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Frank Nelson was an American born comedic actor best known for playing put upon foils on radio and television. He was born on May 6, 1911 and died on September 12, 1986 of cancer in Hollywood, California.
Frank first gained fame as the put-upon foil to Jack Benny on Benny's radio show during the 1940s and 1950s. Frank's entrance usually went like this. Jack would be needing something. For example, he might be at an airport and he would go up to the counter to get airline tickets. He would say "Oh Mister? Mister??" and then you'd hear Frank bellow "Yeeeeeessssss?" The 2 men would then cut each other down for a couple of minutes. Frank delivered one-liners such as "Is that a hairpiece or did someone plant moss on your head," and, "Do I work at this airport? No, I'm a 747 with a mustache." Frank continued to appear on Jack's show when Jack came to television in 1950.
After that, Frank continued to work in sitcoms as the put upon foil, most notably in I Love Lucy during the 1950s and Sanford and Son during the 1970s.
In addition to his work, he was an in-demand voiceover artist for animated cartoons, appearing on The Jetsons among other programs. He also served as the head of AFTRA (a performers union) between 1954 and 1957.
Garfield in Paradise (1986) (TV) was the last time he used his catch phrase.
His distinctive appearance and manner of saying "Yessssss" has been parodied frequently in film and television, most notably with the Maitre'd character on the Simpsons.