Additional Coverage:
As the entertainment industry prepares for the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, September 14, fans are taking a moment to reflect on some of television’s earliest Emmy winners-most notably Alan Young, who made history in 1951 as the first recipient of the Best Actor Emmy.
By the time Young received the award for his work on The Alan Young Show, he was already an established figure in entertainment. However, he would later become best known for a very different role: Wilbur Post in the beloved sitcom Mister Ed. The show centered on a man and his talking horse-though Wilbur was supposedly the only one who could hear the horse speak.
Young, who passed away in 2016 at age 96, would have celebrated his 106th birthday this year. For six seasons, he played the “straight man” to Mister Ed, a golden palomino gelding named Bamboo Harvester.
This quirky sitcom became one of Young’s signature roles, introducing him to a new generation of viewers. His legacy also follows a recent posthumous Emmy awarded to Rob Reiner ahead of the upcoming ceremony.
Describing his character Wilbur, Young once said he was “naive and bumbling,” while Ed was “a wily one.” He likened their dynamic to classic comedy duos like Laurel and Hardy or Jackie Gleason and Art Carney, where one character makes a fool of the other.
Mister Ed initially aired in syndication in 1960 before CBS picked it up after 26 episodes, running until 1966. The show revolved around the unusual friendship between Wilbur and his talking horse.
Behind the scenes, a piece of nylon thread was used to create the illusion of Ed moving his lips. To keep the secret, Young humorously claimed peanut butter was used.
In reality, Ed was trained to move his lips on cue when the trainer touched his hoof-and even learned to do so when Young paused during filming.
Long before Mister Ed, Young built his career in radio and television. Born November 19, 1919, in North Shields, England, he spent part of his childhood in Edinburgh before his family relocated to the Vancouver area.
As a child managing asthma, Young found solace in radio comedy and began writing sketches, which eventually led to a job at a local radio station and his own Canadian radio show. He also served in the Canadian navy and army during World War II.
Following the war, Young’s acting career expanded into film with roles in movies such as Margie, Mr. Belvedere Goes to College, and The Time Machine, where he played both David Filby and his son James.
He also appeared in Beverly Hills Cop III and made guest appearances on popular series including St. Elsewhere and ER.
Later in his career, Young became well known for his voice acting, most famously voicing Scrooge McDuck in the animated series DuckTales. He also contributed his voice talents to The Great Mouse Detective, The Smurfs, and The Ren & Stimpy Show.
Young’s Emmy win came well before his most iconic role. In 1951, The Alan Young Show won Best Variety Show, and Young himself earned the inaugural Best Actor Emmy. Even a decade later, his portrayal of Wilbur Post became a defining part of his legacy.
Now, a decade after his passing, Alan Young remains closely linked both to his pioneering Emmy achievement and to the character that made him a household name. In anticipation of this year’s ceremony, an AI-generated image offers a glimpse of what the trailblazing television star might have looked like at 106.
The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards will be held Monday, September 14, at the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles. The event will air live on NBC and stream on Peacock, with Law & Order: SVU star Mariska Hargitay hosting the ceremony.