Second City Co-Founder Bernard "Bernie" Sahlins Dies At 90

By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 17, 2013 1:40PM

Bernard “Bernie” Sahlins, one of the co-founders of The Second City and a Chicago cultural powerhouse, died peacefully in his sleep Sunday at age 90.

Mr. Sahlins formed The Second City with Howard Alk and Paul Sills in 1959, and served as the theater’s producer and director until 1984. Second City’s influence on American comedy—especially sketch comedy and improvisation—is unmatched. The roster of talent who trained under Mr. Sahlins is unparalleled: Dan Aykroyd, John and Jim Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Harold Ramis, Catherine O’Hara, George Wendt. His career after Second City included founding the University of Chicago’s Off-Off campus, the International Theatre Festival of Chicago and the Lithuanian International Theatre. He co-founded the Compass Players with Sills in the early 1950s (which is credited for being the birth of the modern improv movement) and, in recent years, directed staged readings at the Poetry Foundation.

Mr. Sahlins was a Chicago native, graduated from the University of Chicago in 1943. Of the three Second City co-founders, it was Mr. Sahlins who was responsible for turning the troupe from its humble beginnings into the theatrical powerhouse it is today, opening Second City Toronto and creating SCTV.

Andrew Alexander, CEO/Managing Partner of The Second City, said in a statement Mr. Sahlins “made no small plans and his legacy will be felt for generations to come.”

"His passion for the theatre was only equaled by his tremendous capacity for laughter. No one was quicker with a joke than Bernie and he remained an indefatigable figure in the Chicago theatre scene as a writer, director and lecturer. Although we mourn the loss of Bernie Sahlins, he will forever be remembered as a giant in the industry and a true friend and colleague to generations of Chicago theatre artists."