Budd Friedman, founder of the Improv, dead at 90

Budd Friedman, founder of the famous Improv Comedy Club. Friedman reportedly was “feeling ill” and was admitted to Cedar Sinai earlier this week.

Friedman first opened The Improv in New York in 1963, where some of the biggest talents in comedy got their starts. Some of the many who passed through the doors in the early years were Andy Kaufman, Richard Lewis, Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno, Elayne Boosler, Robin Williams, David Letterman, Richard Belzer, Robert Klein, Freddie Prinze, and countless others.

In 1974, Friedman opened up a second club out in Los Angeles, which is the oldest running Improv to this day. Since then, the Improv has become one of the most recognizable comedy club brands, with locations popping up all over the country.

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