American actor
Began chemotherapy in October 1997 for non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Graduate of University of Illinois, 1949.
Has donated his scripts and tapes from "Laugh-In" to his alma maters communications school.
Left for New York when no jobs in Chicago ad agencies opened for him. Worked at Viking Press and developed life-long love of reading and book-collecting.
Says he got first showbiz job by just impulsively stepping into an audition line at Broadway theater, where he was almost immediately chosen for role in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."
Biography in: "Whos Who in Comedy" by Ronald L. Smith, pg. 228-229. New York: Facts on File, 1992. ISBN 0816023387
Brother of Coslough Johnson.
His stage name "Arte" came about by accident: Originally billed as "Art E. Johnson", his name was mistakenly posted as "Arte" on a playbill. Johnson liked the look and sound of the name, so he kept it.
Arte can now be heard doing books on tape, most notably for a number of Dave Barry s collections, the most recent being "Dave Barry Is Not Making This Up" among others.
Attended University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign with Allan Sherman (Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh!").
Attended University of Illinois at Urbana - Champaign with Sheldon Keller.
