He is said to have called Gérard Oury, for whom he worked, "le voleur de bad gags" (the Thief of Bad Gags).
Mike Nichols, who directed him in "Catch-22", called him "a great, great actor", noted that he had completed his role in the film in a single day and added that, on the printing of his last shot, the entire crew burst into spontaneous applause.