Syd Saylor

Syd Saylor (born Leo Sailor; March 24, 1895 – December 21, 1962) was an American comedic actor and movie cowboy sidekick who appeared in 395 films and TV series between 1926 and 1962. His father, George Sailor, was in San Francisco when the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake hit the area. He was never seen again. Syd was a member of several local actors groups and discovered he had a knack for making people laugh. An uncle was a captain in the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department—and a former member of Mack Sennett's comedy troupe, The Keystone Kops. Syd's uncle used his connections in the Hollywood film industry to get Syd's foot in the door to films. In the silent film days of the 1920s, he had his own series of two-reel shorts. He went on to have a prolific career as a character actor, set apart from other character actors by his bulging eyes, stuttering speech, and a protruding Adam's apple. He appeared in everything from comedies to westerns, usually as the hero's comical sidekick. Saylor was also the second television "Bozo the Clown" on KTTV Ch. 11 in Hollywood, California during the early 1950s. He died in Hollywood in 1962, aged 67.