BIO

Working with voices had always fascinated Jerry Layne, but it wasn't until the youngster saw Paul Winchell on television that he knew what he wanted to do with his voices.

A year later he received his first professional figure(dummy)., and shortly after that he then won Winchell's "Best Kid Ventriloquist" contest, which led to a teacher-protege relationship, and a friendship that continued until Winchell's death in June 2005.

While in college Jerry performed on the weekends and had his own radio show on campus radio utilizing his many voices to create an entire cast of characters. While vacationing on school break in Florida, Jerry began working the hotels and clubs in Miami Beach.

Upon returning to college in New York, he was a winner on the "Ted Mack Amateur Hour". After graduation, Jerry spent six month active duty in the Military, where he and his partner, "Lester", did Public Relations work for the Armed Forces.

Upon release from the service, Jerry began working for Goodson-Todman TV productions, an association that lasted 14 years. During that time, Jerry worked many nightclubs in the New York area on weekends.

In 1970, Jerry moved to Montreal, Canada for Goodson-Todman's "Beat the Clock". While there Jerry created and hosted a children's television game show, "Puppet People".

When he returned to the United States, in 1974, Jerry began his full-time career as a ventriloquist. He has appeared as an opening act for many star performers in revues it Atlantic City and Reno, in theme parks, special events, TV shows, motion pictures, cruse ships, corporate events, and hosted 84 episodes of a children's show, "Magic Star traveler".

Not content with just performing ventriloquism, Jerry makes many of his own figures(dummies), and has become the leading supplier of ventriloquial figures to magic shops, and the motion picture & television industries. (See Jerry Layne ventriloquial figures)