Freddie Roman, a stalwart of the Borscht Belt whose comedy was a mainstay of the Friars Club roasts and a fixture in large nightclubs, died at the age of 85. His daughter reported that he suffered a heart attack this morning in Boynton Beach, Florida.

Roman worked several rooms in Las Vegas and other major cities over the course of his lengthy career as a comedian.

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Who was Freddie Roman?

Freddie Roman was an American stand-up comedian who was born Fred Kirschenbaum on May 28, 1937. He was most known for his many performances at Borscht Belt hotels.

Roman was a resident of Florida’s Boynton Beach. After a brief illness, he died on November 26, 2022.

Roman was born and raised in Jamaica, New York. His father was a shoe salesperson while the Crystal Spring Hotel in the Catskills was owned by his uncle and grandfather.

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At the age of 15, Freddie was offered the opportunity to emcee there on summer nights. He started out as an adolescent comedian in tiny resorts but eventually abandoned the entertainment industry to work for his father.

His true interest was “not in the shoe business, but show business,” he soon recognised after becoming the owner of a ladies’ shoe shop.

Roman has performed as the headlining act at resort locations like Harrah’s Atlantic City and Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. Even in his old years, he continued performing.

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Roman was able to remain as the Friars Club’s dean after the club’s 2-term maximum bylaw was modified. Larry King, who was the next dean of The Friars Club, eventually succeeded him.

Along with co-writing and performing in the Broadway play Catskills, Freddie has made appearances in a number of movies.

Alan Kirschenbaum, a television producer, was his son and died in 2012. His wife Ethel and daughter Judi Levin survive Roman.