Born in Burlington, Vermon, Orson Bean graduated from Boston's prestigious Latin School in 1946, was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving in occupied Japan. It was after the war that he changed his name and became a stage magician and comedian. His nearly seven decade career began in the early 1950s, working on and off Broadway, landing roles in episodic television, becoming a game show staple, as well as appearing on, and hosting, talk shows such as The Tonight Show and The Merv Griffin Show.
Orson Bean was killed in a pedestrian traffic accident at the age of 91.