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El Brendel (March 24, 1890 - April 9, 1964); born Elmer Goodfellow Brendel), nicknamed "The Synthetic Swede", was an American stage, film, and television actor. Although of German and Irish parentage, he adopted the comedic persona of a Swede who speaks fractured English.
El Brendel was an American stage and film actor of the early Hollywood era, celebrated for his popular Synthetic Swede comedic persona that dominated his performances throughout the 1930s.
He is primarily known for his roles as a Scandinavian-accented character in musicals and comedies like Sunny Side Up and Just Imagine, as well as his appearance in the Academy Award-winning film Wings.
He performed primarily in lighthearted comedies, musical revues, and B-movie westerns, often utilizing his vaudeville-honed dialect work to provide comedic relief.