Irving Lahrheim, known professionally as Bert Lahr, was an American stage and screen actor and comedian. He was best known for his role as the Cowardly Lion, as well as his counterpart Kansas farmworker "Zeke", in the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer adaptation of The Wizard of Oz (1939). He was well known for his quick-witted humor and his work in burlesque and vaudeville and on Broadway.
Lahr pictured c. 1936
Lahr as the Cowardly Lion in the MGM feature film The Wizard of Oz, 1939
Lahr pictured c. 1948
Lahr as Louis Blore in the Broadway production of DuBarry Was a Lady, 1939
The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.
Dorothy meets the Cowardly Lion, from the first edition.
Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion for the 1939 film.
Cowardly Lion's courage medal used for the 1939 film.