Army veteran and comic favorite of Mercury astronauts Bill Dana dies at 92
SUMMARY
Comedy writer and performer Bill Dana, who won stardom in the 1950s and '60s with his character Jose Jimenez, has died.
Dana died June 15th at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, according to Emerson College, his alma mater. He was 92.
Dana served as an Army infantryman during World War II and earned the Bronze Star.
Early in his career, Dana wrote jokes for Don Adams and Steve Allen, on whose show he served as head writer. It was for a sketch on "The Steve Allen Show" that Dana created Jose Jimenez, which eventually led to his own NBC sitcom, "The Bill Dana Show," which aired from 1963-1965.
The character's shy, Spanish-accented introduction, "My name ... Jose ... Jimenez," became a national catchphrase.
Dana became a favorite of NASA's Mercury astronauts, eventually being named as the honorary 8th member of the first team of Americans in space.
Dana recorded eight best-selling comedy albums, and made many TV appearances while continuing behind the scenes as a comedy writer.
