Lahr was one of the first to play Estragon in the beloved drama Waiting for Godot, in addition to roles in Anything Goes (1954) and The Night They Raided Minsky’s (1968).
Prior to a successful Broadway run, he performed the play in Europe and its U.S. premiere in Miami, Florida.
Lahr often struggled with his lion costume, the heavy rubber mask limiting his range of motion and making it difficult to open his jaws.
During filming, Lahr was forced to eat using straws and liquids, according to Harmetz’s account in The Making of the Wizard of Oz.
Charlie Schram, Lahr’s makeup artist, informed Harmetz that “the only thing that was his was a bit of cheek and his eyes.”
He had that huge fur wig on top of his head, and a fur beard covered his chin. In addition to being made of genuine lion skin, his costume was cushioned, and he wore mittens.
