Bert Lahr was an American actor and comedian who is best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. He was born in New York City in 1895 and began his career in vaudeville. He went on to appear in numerous Broadway plays and films, including the Marx Brothers' Animal Crackers and Horse Feathers. He won a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in the musical Foxy in 1963. His most famous role was as the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz, for which he received an Academy Award nomination.