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Avery Schreiber

Avery Schreiber built his career around a kind of comedy that could register before he had even delivered a line. With his curly hair, bushy handlebar moustache and expressive reactions, he brought an immediately recognizable presence to stage, television, film and commercials. Born in Chicago on April 9, 1935, Schreiber began his career at the Goodman Theatre before joining The Second City. That improvisational background remained central to his work. He later formed the comedy team Burns and Schreiber with Jack Burns, recording several comedy albums and appearing with him on numerous television programs. In 1973, the pair co-hosted ABC’s The Burns and Schreiber Comedy Hour. Schreiber’s television career moved easily between sitcoms, variety comedy and game shows. He played Captain Manzini on My Mother the Car in 1965, became a regular guest star on Chico and the Man and frequently appeared as a panelist on Match Game. He also guest-starred during the first season of The Muppet Show and appeared on The Love Boat in the 1984 Christmas vignette “Santa, Santa, Santa.” For many viewers, though, his most familiar work came through the Doritos commercials he made during the 1970s and 1980s, which made full use of his distinctive look and comic reactions. His film appearances included The Monitors, the first film production from Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe, as well as Don’t Drink the Water, Deadhead Miles, Swashbuckler, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, Silent Scream, Scavenger Hunt, Caveman, Jimmy the Kid and Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Schreiber continued working across film, television and theater while also teaching improvisational technique. He taught master classes at The Second City in both Chicago and Los Angeles, carrying the craft that shaped his own career back into the place where new comic performers learn to trust timing, instinct and reaction.