Bill Saluga
| Bill Saluga | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 16, 1937 Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. |
| Medium | Stand-up, Film, Television |
| Genres | Sketch comedy, Improvisational comedy, Character comedy |
| Subject(s) | Self-deprecation, Everyday life |
| Influences | Redd Foxx, Billy Barty, Fred Willard, Slappy White |
| Influenced | David Steinberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert Townsend, Tim Allen |
| Notable works and roles |
founding member of the Ace Trucking Company comedy troupe created the stage character Ray J. Johnson, Jr. |
Bill Saluga (born William Saluga September 16, 1937 in Youngstown, Ohio) is an American comedian. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, he was a founding member, along with Fred Willard, Michael Mislove, George Memmoli, and Patti Deutsch of the improvisational comedy troupe Ace Trucking Company. Saluga has appeared on several television programs, including Seinfeld, and is co-author of Bill Saluga's Name Game Book (ISBN 0-553-20754-7).
Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.
Saluga is best known for his cigar-smoking, zoot-suit-wearing television character “Raymond J. Johnson, Jr.”, famous for his catchphrase "You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me..."
The character then proceeds to list almost every conceivable permutation of his name, including Ray J. Johnson, Raymond J. Johnson, Jr., Johnny, Sonny, Junie, Ray J, RJ, RJJ, and RJJ Jr, before finishing up with "....but you doesn't hasta call me Johnson!"