JACK CHEFE

April 1, 1894

was born on April 1, 1894 in Kiev, Russian Empire. His screen acting career spanned thirty five years and nearly 400 credits, most uncredited background performances,165 as waiters!

His film debut was in a 1928 silent film by Frank Capra titled That Certain Thing. He was briefly glimpsed as a restaurant patron. 

In 1936, Chefe and Lucille Ball were both in the film Winterset. Both were uncredited background performers. 

That same year, they both appeared in That Girl From Paris. This time, Ball was credited, but Chefe was still a background artist, playing a wedding guest.  

In The Big Street (1942), Ball gave one of her favorite performances. Chefe was one of the mugs at Mindy’s. 

In Lured (1947), Chefe played Pierre, the headwaiter. 

He made his television debut in an October 1953 episode of “The Adventures of Superman”, naturally as an uncredited waiter. The episode also featured “Lucy” performers George Reeves, Veola Vonn (aka Mrs. Frank Nelson), Lawrence Dobkin, Bess Flowers, Monty O’Grady, and Harold Miller. 

Chefe’s first appearance on “I Love Lucy” was as a  bellhop in “Lucy and John Wayne” (ILL S5;E2). His appearance, along with five other uncredited actors, including Desi’s stand-in Bennett Green (extreme right). He has no lines.  The episode was filmed on September 15, 1955, and aired on October 10, 1955. 

His second (and final) appearance was as a Paris waiter in “Lucy Meets Charles Boyer” (ILL S5;E19), filmed January 19, 1956, and aired on March 5, 1956. 

For a look at all the waiters that have waited on Lucy, click here!

His final appearance with Ball was in Forever Darling (1956). 

In 1959 he was a courtroom spectator in the pilot for Desilu’s “The Untouchables.” 

In October 1960, Chefe played a Chef named Marcel on Desilu’s “The Ann Sothern Show.”  Finally, in his television role, he received screen credit! The episode was directed by Jame V. Kern, who had also directed him in both episodes of “I Love Lucy.”  Lucille Ball played Lucy Ricardo on the series in 1959. 

He made his final screen appearance in the 1963 film The Prize, starring Paul Newman. Chefe played an uncredited wedding guest. 

He died on December 1, 1975 at age 81.