15 Facts About Bill Saluga

William Saluga was an American comedian and founding member of the improvisational comedy troupe Ace Trucking Company.

Bill Saluga was born on September 16,1937, in Youngstown, Ohio.

When Bill Saluga was 10, his father was killed in an industrial accident at the Republic Steel Mill where he worked and his mother supported the family by working as a bookkeeper.

Bill Saluga spent several years performing in Youngstown, Ohio theaters and clubs.

Bill Saluga played numerous roles in notable productions, including Guys and Dolls and Inherit the Wind.

Bill Saluga became a talent coordinator for the Steve Allen show in the late 1960s.

Bill Saluga's routine received more widespread attention in the late 1970s after being used in a series of commercials for Miller Lite beer, and subsequently, in the early 1980s for Anheuser-Busch Natural Light beer.

From 1977 to 1978, Saluga appeared regularly as Raymond J Johnson Jr.

Bill Saluga made appearances on Chuck Barris' The Gong Show during 1977 and 1978.

Bill Saluga is a floating human skull with a thick mustache and a voice provided by Svengoolie portrayer Rich Koz.

The character's popularity is referenced in multiple episodes of The Simpsons, with Bill Saluga appearing as himself in the 2002 episode "The Old Man and the Key".

Bill Saluga appeared as Johnson in the 2010 King of the Hill episode "Just Another Manic Kahn-Day".

In 2005, he featured in three episodes of Season 5 of Curb Your Enthusiasm, playing Louis Lewis, the fictional cousin of Richard Lewis; Bill Saluga's character is in a coma for the first two episodes, only to recover in the final episode, much to the consternation of star Larry David, who was hoping that Louis would die and provide the kidney Richard Lewis needs, so that Larry could avoid having to donate one of his own.

Bill Saluga died of cardiopulmonary arrest in Los Angeles on March 28,2023, aged 85.

Bill Saluga had often told friends he didn't mind being typecast and known to the public as Raymond Johnson.