Flip Wilson, born Clerow Wilson, Jr., was an American comedian and actor. He was one of ten children born to Clerow Wilson, Sr. and Cornelia Wilson. After his mother abandoned the family, his father was unable to take care of them, and placed the children in foster homes. At 16, he joined the US Air Force after lying about his age. His outgoing personality made him popular to the extent that he was even asked to tour military bases to boost the morale of servicemen. After he was discharged, he worked as a bellhop, and made some extra money by playing a drunken patron in between the scheduled acts at Manor Plaza’s nightclub. Hollywood started noticing him for a routine titled “Columbus” from the album “Cowboys and Colored People” in which he tells the story of Christopher Columbus with modern characters mentioned in the acts anachronistically. NBC offered him a chance to host his variety show, “The Flip Wilson Show”. He hosted many African-American entertainers, including The Jackson Five and The Temptations. He also acted in the movies such as “Uptown Saturday Night” and “The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh”, and appeared in a musical adaptation of “Pinocchio” as the Fox. “The Flip Wilson Show” won him two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.