The roly-poly, handlebar-mustached actor was a veteran of stage, TV and film. Mr. Schreiber started at the famous Goodman Theatre in Chicago, joined Second City and later started the comedy team of Burns and Schreiber with Jack Burns. The team gained fame on the variety-show
circuit of the 1960s with their largely improvised routines, the most affectionately remembered of which was their cross-talk "cab driver" bit ("Yeh!" "Huh?" "Yeh!", "Huh?" "Yeh!", "Huh?"). They recorded several comedy albums, appeared on many television shows including the Hollywood Palace and Jack Paar, and in 1968 even had their own summer comedy series. In 1965, Schreiber was cast as car-loving, people-hating Captain Manzini on the quintessentially bad sitcom My Mother The Car; in real life, the actor loved people but hated cars, and had to be taught to drive for the series.

Avery was a mainstay in Dorito's ads and appeared in many television commercials throughout his prolific career and game show buffs will remember him from his many appearances on the Match Game.

In films, Schreiber has surfaced in "funny foreigner" parts in such comedies as Don't Drink the Water (1969), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977; as the used camel salesman) and Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1994). Having made his Broadway debut with the rest of the Second City-zens, Schreiber has since been featured in several New York stage productions, notably Metamorphoses and Can-Can.

He will be sorely missed by the improv community. Jonathan Pitts, co-producer of the Chicago Improv Festival said, "He was an improv legend. He was a wonderful man. He was wonderfully funny. He had a long, great career doing what he loved. He was filled with laughter and love. We should all be so blessed."

"He was an improv legend. He was a wonderful man."

-Jonathan Pitts

Chicago Improv Festival