eli wallach
eli wallach arrives at the 2011 academy awards with his wife, anne jackson. wallach died tuesday .
eli wallach / ann jackson a special interview with lots of surprises for them .
eli wallach in the magnificent seven, 1960. photograph: everett collection / rex
american film and television actor eli wallach died tuesday at the age of 98 .
eli wallach at home. the academy is honoring him with a lifetime achievement oscar .
- rita moreno & eli wallach (1968)... himself - team captain
- guests burt reynolds, eli wallach and anne jackson (1969)... himself
- carol channing vs. eli wallach (1965)... himself - celebrity contestant
eli wallach and marilyn monroe in the misfits, 1961. photograph: moviestore collection / rex
eli wallach died at the age of 98 in his manhattan home on june 24, 2014 .
- lou brock / don rickles / eli wallach / colleen mccullough (1977)... himself
- final week - brenda vaccaro, eli wallach and barbara mcnair (1969)... himself
- eli wallach, tammy grimes and e. j. peaker (1969)... himself
tony winner eli wallach had a stage, television, and film career that spanned nearly seven decades .
eli wallach interview: nyt critic a. o. scott visits his uncle | the new york times
veteran stage, film, and television actor eli wallach died on june 24 at the age of 98 .
eli wallach arrives at the 2011 academy awards with his wife, anne jackson. wallach died tuesday. jason merritt / getty images hide caption
time
magazine once referred to eli wallach and wife anne jackson as
the proletarian lunts .
.
actor eli wallach poses in the balcony at new york' s union square theater jan. 2, 1997 .
eli wallach in a file photo from the 1965 film
lord jim .
( ken danvers / associated press )
veteran actor eli wallach has died at the age of 98 after having a successful acting portfolio of some 200 roles .
father, with anne jackson, of son peter wallach, and daughters katherine wallach and roberta wallach .
eli wallach and anne jackson in the original broadway production of eugene ionesco' s rhinoceros (1961). unidentified photographer .
eli wallach, right, with josh brolin in wall street: money never sleeps, 2010. photograph: sportsphoto / allstar
actor eli wallach, who brought hint of humanity to villainous roles, dies: the two - way for decades, eli wallach won fans by bringing humanity and humor to roles that pitted him as a villain against titans such as clint eastwood and steve mcqueen. wallach was 98 .
alan arkin, eli wallach and anne jackson, with the director mike nichols, preparing for the opening of “luv” in 1964 .
eastwood recalled that the two had a
reunion
in the eastwood - directed 2003 film mystic river in which eli had a role .
eli will be sadly missed.''
eli wallach arrives at the 83rd academy awards held at the kodak theatre on feb. 27, 2011, in hollywood, calif .
clint eastwood has fond memories of eli wallach, his co - star in 1966' s the good, the bad and the ugly .
clint eastwood as blondie and eli wallach as tuco in ‘the good, the bad and the ugly’. photograph: silver screen collection / getty images
eli whitney was an american inventor who created the cotton gin and pushed the “interchangeable parts” mode of production .
honorary award recipient eli wallach. the 2010 governors awards ceremony was held at the grand ballroom at hollywood & highland center on november 13, 2010 .
eli wallach was a wonderful guy and a wonderful actor. i have fond memories of us working together ,
eastwood said in a statement .
american actor eli wallach appeared in such films as the misfits; the good, the bad and the ugly; and wall street: money never sleeps .
eli wallach,' the quintessential chameleon', starring in the good, the bad and the ugly in 1966. photograph: silver screen collection / getty images
a charter member of the actors studio and supporter of method acting, eli wallach nonetheless saw life as the ultimate teacher. (carolyn cole / los angeles times )
eli wallach, the chameleonic stage and screen actor who died tuesday at the age of 98, was one of the most prolific and enduring performers of his time .
cast member eli wallach arrives for the premiere of the film “wall street: money never sleeps in new york” in september, 2010. photograph: lucas jackson / reuters
actor eli wallach, seen here in
for whom the bell tolls
on the cbs show playhouse 90 in 1959, has died at the age of 98 .
eli herschel wallach was born in the red hook section of brooklyn, n. y. as the hollywood reporter explains, he cut his own path through life :
after 7 decades a star of stage and screen, eli wallach dies at 95 actor eli wallach has died at the age of 98. in a career that spanned seven decades, wallach appeared in more than 200 films, plays and television dramas. his roles ranged from mr. freeze in the batman television show to kilroy in tennessee william' s camino real on broadway .
it was great working together again .
said eastwood of the reunion .
eli will be sadly missed .
vitale: david thomson is the author of
the new biographical dictionary of film
. he says eli wallach was convincing as a villain in a variety of ethnic roles .
eli wallach and anne jackson, seen in
the typists ,
were married for 66 years and carried on the tradition of the acting couple. (los angeles times )
eli wallach, who died tuesday at the age of 98, and his wife anne jackson, 86, had stellar solo acting careers, but their projects together had a special magic .
an obituary in some editions on wednesday about the actor eli wallach misstated the year of a television production of clifford odets’s “paradise lost” in which he appeared. it was 1971, not 1974 .
actor eli wallach, seen here in
for whom the bell tolls
on the cbs show playhouse 90 in 1959, has died at the age of 98. cbs / landov hide caption
eli herschel wallach, actor: born brooklyn, new york 7 december 1915; married 1948 anne jackson, (one son, two daughters); died new york city, 24 june 2014 .
eli wallach, whose acting work ranged from westerns to the godfather series and beyond, has died. for decades, wallach won fans by bringing humanity and humor to roles that pitted him as a villain against titans such as clint eastwood and steve mcqueen .
anne jackson, who collaborated extensively with husband eli wallach, together comprising one of the best - known acting couples of the american theater, died tuesday at her home in manhattan. she was 90 .
he played a heck of a bandit and his list of credits highlights a prolific career. eli wallach has died the age of 98. tom vitale has this look at his long and celebrated career .
september 17, 2007: actor eli wallach arrives for the premiere of the ken burns world war ii documentary' the war' in new york. (ap photo / louis lanzano) (ap2007 )
eli wallach, the enduring and artful character actor who starred as mexican hombres in the 1960s film classics the magnificent seven and the good, the bad and the ugly, has died. he was 98 .
clint eastwood remembers' wonderful' eli wallach clint eastwood remembers his' the good, the bad and the ugly' co - star who died on tuesday at 98. check out this story on urltoken urltoken
actor eli wallach, known for his work in
the good, the bad, and the ugly
and
the magnificent seven
, died on june 24, 2014. he was 98 years old .
with a career stretching back to the method acting glory years of the 1950s, eli wallach, who has just died, played a key role in hollywood over six decades. we look back at his most memorable roles
eli wallach, who was one of his generation’s most prominent and prolific character actors in film, onstage and on television for more than 60 years, died on tuesday at his home in manhattan. he was 98 .
with a career stretching back to the method acting glory years of the 1950s, eli wallach, who has just died, played a key role in hollywood over six decades. we look back at his most memorable roles
part of the estate of eli wallach and his wife anne jackson has been acquired by the university of texas at austin for its harry ransom center. specifically 40 boxes of their papers have been sold to the university; wallach was a 1936 graduate of the university of texas. wallach died in 2014 and his actress wife jackson died last year .
eli wallach, star of
the good, the bad and the ugly
and
the magnificent seven ,
died on tuesday at his new york city home, his agent confirmed to cbs news. he was 98 .
peter bradshaw: an ability to project villainy or cynicism or worldly power, often while mounted on a horse, was eli wallach' s calling card in the movies. but he also had a kind of stern, cerebral handsomeness
thomson: eli wallach in a lot of his films did not shave and it' s from a time and an attitude when if you don' t shave you could be almost any disreputable person from anywhere in the world .
eli manning is the super bowl–winning quarterback for the new york giants, the brother of nfl quarterback peyton manning, and the son of former nfl quarterback archie manning .
actor eli wallach has died at the age of 98. in a career that spanned seven decades, wallach appeared in more than 200 films, plays and television dramas. his roles ranged from mr. freeze in the batman television show to kilroy in tennessee william' s camino real on broadway .
eli wallach is shown at new york' s union square theater in 1997, where he was set to appear in the play
visiting mr. green .
the actor died on tuesday. (jim cooper / associated press )
eli wallach, an early practitioner of method acting who made a lasting impression as the scuzzy bandit tuco in “the good, the bad and the ugly, ” died yesterday at the age of 98, the new york times has reported .
tom vitale, byline: eli wallach was best known for two roles as mexican outlaws. in 1960 he won acclaim for his portrayal of the bandit calvera, facing off against the sect head of gunslingers in
the magnificent seven .
this tribute was shown at the first annual tcm classic film festival in 2010 in hollywood, california. eli wallach was one of the special guests for that weekend. here is the piece i wrote and produced for him. he was the best .
from his iconic role in the good, the bad and the ugly in 1966 – he was the ugly – to apperances in wall street 2 and the ghost in 2010, eli wallach is the actor who never stops. he talks to rob hastings
eli wallach: (as calvera) where' s the horses, cattle, gold, food from the trees - no more. now i must hut with a price on my head. relish at my heels, i' ll be back .
it is hard to imagine the last time a journalist fell for this, which only improves the joke. “you see that? she loves to tease me, ” eli says .
and there was more to show, as well, including a passage from one of tennessee williams’s letters offering tribute to his loyal friends eli and annie, who had bolstered him against the occasional unkindness of critics (including those from the new york times). “eli, ” williams wrote, “has discovered the secret of pissing people off. he’s happy. ”
eli wallach, a character actor best known for his supporting roles in the western classics
the magnificent seven
and
the good, the bad, and the ugly ,
died tuesday at the age of 98, his daughter katherine told fox411 .
this 1964 file photo shows actor eli wallach in a scene from the film, “lord jim. ” wallach, the raspy - voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career, died monday, june 23, 2014 of natural causes. he was 98. (the associated press )
gravelly voiced star eli wallach, best known for his roles in the western classics the magnificent seven and the good, the bad, and the ugly, passed away yesterday following a glittering career appearing alongside such icons as clark cable, marilyn monroe and clint eastwood .
the british actress, who he starred alongside in the 2006 film the holiday, said: “eli wallach is my very own sexiest man alive! the truth is annie, if i had been around 60 years ago, you would have had some tough competition. ”
anne jackson, a distinguished star of the stage who was half of one of america’s best - known acting couples, sharing much of a long and distinguished career with her husband, eli wallach, died on tuesday at her home in manhattan. she was 90 .
when it did, no one was prouder. listening to eli tell his favorite stories, mixed in with a few sturdy old jokes, is both a familiar pleasure and a somewhat uncanny experience, since though i have heard most of them before, i can never be sure if it was from eli or sam. though there were obvious family resemblances, they were not likely to be mistaken for each other. “he’s the older brother, so how come i’m the bald one? ” eli used to say. but at least in memory i have a hard time telling their voices apart .
vitale: in 2011 the motion picture academy gave eli wallach and honorary oscar for his contributions to the film industry. on the red carpet he told reporters that his wife was the richest thing he owned. for npr news, i' m tom vitale in new york .
so call it nepotism, if you want, but to me mr. wallach is uncle eli. he is, technically, my great - uncle: my grandfather, sam wallach, who died in 2001, was eli’s older brother. they and their two sisters, sylvia and shirley, grew up above a candy shop on union street in the red hook section of brooklyn, the only jewish family on a mostly italian block. (last time i checked, there was a pet food store at the old address .) it was sam who sent eli to the university of texas, which his research showed had the cheapest tuition, and who encouraged his younger brother to pursue a master’s degree in education just in case the acting thing didn’t work out .
“i was hanged four times in that movie, ” wallach joked in 2004 .
wallach: the boy and she said there he is. now you tell .
upon wallach' s receipt of an honorary academy award for lifetime achievement, actor robert de niro said ,
i' ve heard eli referred to as a character actor, and i think that' s meant to describe an actor who customarily plays supporting roles. but really we' re all character actors — or at least striving to be one. it makes no difference whether his character is the lead or supporting. eli brings the same craft, dedication and artistry to the challenge .
wallach’s death was confirmed by his daughter katherine. the circumstances of his death are not immediately known, and representatives for wallach did not immediately return requests for comment .
eli wallach, who died tuesday at 98 after a long and distinguished career on stage and screen, was at the top of my list of the best actors i' ve encountered in the theater — a striking fact given that i was born too late to have seen him in his heyday .
austin, texas—the harry ransom center at the university of texas at austin has acquired the papers of actors, and husband and wife, eli wallach (1915–2014) and anne jackson (1925–2016). known as method actors and early members of the actors studio in new york, wallach and jackson had extensive and independent careers on stage and screen while also performing together in several productions .
anne jackson, who collaborated extensively with husband eli wallach, together comprising one of the best - known acting couples of the american theater, died tuesday at her home in manhattan. she was 90. as a couple, jackson and wallach (together above) came close to the level of celebrity of lunt and fontanne or, later, hume cronyn and jessica tandy. [ … ]
jackson and wallach were dedicated students of method acting under the tutelage of lee strasberg .
file - this feb. 27, 2011 file photo shows actor eli wallach at the 83rd academy awards in the hollywood section of los angeles. wallach, the raspy - voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career died monday, june 23, 2014 of natural causes. he was 98. (ap photo / chris pizzello, file )
in addition to his wife and daughter, wallach is survived by his other children peter and roberta and film critic a. o. scott, whose grandfather was wallach’s brother .
but his great nephew nevertheless celebrated him, once writing: “with eli, there is an impish, sly quality, not a self - conscious winking, exactly, but a palpable relish at the sheer fun of acting. ”
eli wallach, a gravelly voiced character actor who appeared alongside such giants as clark gable and marilyn monroe in the misfits, clint eastwood in the good, the bad and the ugly and al pacino in the godfather: part iii, died tuesday, his daughter katherine told the new york times. he was 98 .
“there were days, i must confess, when i’d worry about him getting tired. but not eli, ” said winslet. “i’d say to him, ‘eli, please, would you go home now... we’ve been here for 20 hours and it’s nearly midnight and you’ve done your close up! ’ but he’d look at me, almost offended, and say, ‘oh no … i’m not going home. not when i’m playing with you. ”
). he also planned it as the third film of his dollars trilogy, following a fistful of dollars (1964) and for a few dollars more (1965), which meant getting clint eastwood back to star as the good. for the bad and ugly sides of the equation he jumpstarted lee van cleef' s career and gave eli wallach the role of a lifetime. the production in spain was lavish and so chaotic wallach and eastwood were almost killed (wallach more than once). but it also provided the epic canvas for leone' s vision of war, greed and personal demons .
the
role of a lifetime
was, of course, that of the scheming, scene - stealing tuco. eli wallach and robert osborne introduced the good, the bad and the ugly with an onstage conversation .
tickets for the dinner, which cost $ 175 per person, are available through the alumni association office at (212) 234 - 3000. the new york hilton is located at 54th street and avenue of the americas, manhattan. brief profiles of 2010 john h. finley award recipients marian seldes and eli wallach follow :
but his great nephew nevertheless celebrated him, once writing :
with eli, there is an impish, sly quality, not a self - conscious winking, exactly, but a palpable relish at the sheer fun of acting .
it was an amazing moment for me to be on the set working with both eli and clint. so much experience there, and a genuine warmth between them ,
says bacon .
i will cherish that memory .
file - this feb. 27, 2011 file photo shows actor eli wallach at the 83rd academy awards in the hollywood section of los angeles. wallach, the raspy - voiced character actor who starred in dozens of movies and broadway plays over a remarkable and enduring career died monday, june 23, 2014 of natural causes. he was 98. (ap photo / chris pizzello, file) (the associated press )
the february 6, 1985, issue of variety announced the film
ombre sul ponte
( english title
shadow on the bridge
) would begin filming in march 1985, with director ruggero deodato, starring franco nero, patrick wayne, lisa blount, and eli wallach. no evidence the film was ever made or released .
and he never seemed to quit. “there were days, i must confess, when i’d worry about him getting tired. but not eli, ” said winslet. “i’d say to him, ‘eli, please, would you go home now … we’ve been here for 20 hours and it’s nearly midnight and you’ve done your closeup! ’ but he’d look at me, almost offended, and say, ‘oh no i’m not going home. not when i’m playing with you! ’ ”
she does, of course. more to the point, is that the academy — which never gave uncle eli a nomination and which he never bothered to join — at last sees what so many of us have delighted in for so long .
“she writes of it vividly, sensitively, modestly, ” seymour peck wrote in a review for the new york times. “she cherishes it: this family nurtured her, gave her the strength, let her go on to become an actress, somehow prepared her for her own good marriage (to eli wallach) and for motherhood. ”
in 1978 they appeared together in an off broadway revival of “the diary of anne frank” together with their two daughters: roberta wallach played anne, and katherine wallach essayed anne’s sister, margot .
veteran actors marian seldes and eli wallach will receive the 63rd john h. finley award for exemplary service to the city from the alumni association of the city college of new york at its 130th annual dinner, thursday, october 28 at the new york hilton. the finley award, named for ccny’s third president, is presented annually to deserving new yorkers .
throughout his career wallach often appeared alongside his actress wife anne jackson, who he married in 1948 .
mr. wallach getting a hug from marilyn monroe on location for the filming of “the misfits. ”
in 1978, they appeared together in an off broadway revival of “the diary of anne frank, ” alongside their two daughters. roberta wallach played anne, and katherine wallach played anne’s sister, margot .
a seasoned character actor, eli wallach has worked with some of hollywood & apos; s greatest stars, including marilyn monroe, steve mcqueen and al pacino. he grew up in brooklyn as the son of jewish immigrants from poland in a predominantly italian neighborhood. around the age of 15, wallach took to the stage for the first time in a boys & apos; club production. he enjoyed the experience so much that he decided to become an actor .
eli wallach, who died on tuesday at the age of 98, was an actor whose working - class demeanor often led to typecasting and character parts on the big screen. onstage, where he began his career and continued to work well into old age, his career was considerably more diverse, with significant roles in plays by tennessee williams and clifford odets .
“i used to like to come into the room when eli was being interviewed and say, ‘i have very sad news, ’ ” annie says as we sit down to dinner. “ ‘our relationship is not going to work out. we’re finished. ’ ”
new york – as a masterful character actor and early product of postwar, method - style theater, eli wallach wore countless faces, disappearing into them all. but he was always propelled – in acting and in life – by a mischievousness and an abiding playfulness that made him a tireless performer, an enduring family man, and, of course, one immortal scoundrel .
eli wallach, the award - winning american actor who helped bring the method to the movies, has died at the age of 98. his death on tuesday was confirmed to the new york times by his daughter, katherine. in a career spanning six decades, he remains best known for his roles in the magnificent seven and the good, the bad and the ugly .
wallach also graced tv with various roles, both on dramatic specials and such series as 77 sunset strip .
new york (ap) — as a masterful character actor and early product of postwar, method - style theater, eli wallach wore countless faces, disappearing into them all. but he was always propelled — in acting and in life — by a mischievousness and an abiding playfulness that made him a tireless performer, an enduring family man and, of course, one immortal scoundrel .
it’s worth remembering the comically long list of crimes read to eli wallach ’s tuco ramirez in the opening scene of the good, the bad and the ugly, as he stands with a rope around his neck waiting to be hanged. although wallach took on the role in sergio leone’s classic spaghetti western without knowing that he would be named as the ugly in the title, that cavalcade of misdemeanours left the movie audiences of 1966 in no doubt just how cut - throat this character really was .
most of the villains uncle eli played were considerably more hot - blooded, like the bandit calvera in “the magnificent seven, ” shot dead in a scene that mortified his young son, peter — “dad, how could you not outdraw yul brynner? ” — and that, at least according to wallach lore, displeased his father, abe, when it drew cheers from the audience .
wallach died tuesday evening from natural causes after 98 years of life, 66 years of marriage and some 100 films, including several he made in his 90s. his son, peter wallach, confirmed his death wednesday .
wallach died tuesday evening from natural causes after 98 years of life, 66 years of marriage and some 100 films, including several he made in his 90s. his son, peter wallach, confirmed his passing wednesday .
born in december 1915, wallach grew in brooklyn to become an instantly recognisable hollywood star despite his humble beginnings .
from his 1956 film debut in
baby doll
to his small, scene - stealing performance in 2010 as an elderly banker with a long memory of financial doom in
wall street: money never sleeps ,
the character he was building wasn' t eli wallach on the public stage. he was too absorbed in the project of animating a part to concern himself with his own celebrity standing .
the holiday
( 2006): wallach didn' t always play tough guys. in nancy meyers' christmasy romantic comedy, he played a kindly old man who was once a famous screenwriter during hollywood' s golden age. wallach' s costar kate winslet would later declare wallach her
very own sexiest man alive
at a gala honoring him .
born on december 7, 1915, eli wallach served in the u. s. army during world war ii. he made his broadway debut in 1945. he won a tony award for 1951 & apos; s the rose tattoo, and appeared his first film baby doll in 1956. more film roles soon followed, including parts in the misfits and the good, the bad and the ugly. wallach later appeared in the godfather: part iii (1990) and the ghost writer (2010). he died on june 24, 2014 .
wallach: i grew up with italians in red hook little italy on union street. owned and operated by a mafia .
wallach played a liquor store owner in the film who gets questioned by police officers played by kevin bacon and laurence fishbourne .
bypassing his usually well - researched curriculum vitae of his interview guests, rabbi william berkowitz let eli wallach explain himself to the july 12 overflow crowd at the center for jewish history. “i tell journalists. ‘please don’t put my age in, ’” the 89 - year - old wallach said. “it’s a handicap for directors who think i can’t remember lines. ” he need not have worried, for, in a mostly uninterrupted 90 - minute “performance, ” the actor disgorged a river of anecdotes about plays and films that he was in and actors with whom he’s worked .
few actors documented their process like anne jackson and eli wallach did ,
says dr. eric colleary, cline curator of theatre and performing arts at the ransom center .
they were absolute masters of their craft. throughout their scripts you can find complex character sketches and marginal notes detailing why their characters behave the way they do. they bring an entirely new dimension to some of the most important plays and films of the 20th century .
here are but 10 of wallach' s memorable movie roles — five from his early years and five from his later years .
wallach and jackson were married for 66 years after meeting while performing in a 1946 production of tennessee williams’ this property is condemned .
wallach never won an oscar, but he was given an honorary academy award in 2010, hailed as the “quintessential chameleon. ”
wallach: (as tuco) who ever double crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about tuco. nothing .
i’m aware that my critical eye is shaded by personal affection, but it seems to me that what shines through eli’s performances, however angry, treacherous or ugly the character — and he will always be “the ugly” to spaghetti western fans — is the same gruff charm that i find in his company. the motion picture academy of arts and sciences citation celebrates eli as “the quintessential chameleon, effortlessly inhabiting a wide range of characters, while putting his inimitable stamp on every role. ” this is true enough, but it is also boilerplate that could just as easily apply to, say, karl malden, his foil and co - star in “baby doll, ” or any of a number of other methodizers of their generation. with eli, there is an impish, sly quality, not a self - conscious winking, exactly, but a palpable relish at the sheer fun of acting. he has at times pushed this to the edge of hamminess, and at least once gone over it into something altogether glorious .
he also said that he had recently received a letter from the pope, who told wallach his favorite movie was the magnificent seven .
wallach never won an oscar, but he was given an honorary academy award in 2010, hailed as the
quintessential chameleon .
wallach: and she said to the lady, terry hayman (ph) who' s going to play the old ...
years later, wallach said strangers would recognize him and start whistling the distinctive theme from “the good, the bad and the ugly. ”
the characters played by the actor eli wallach, who has died aged 98, were seldom good but almost always bad and ugly. the mould was set with his second film, don siegel' s the lineup (1958), in which he played a nervous psychotic killer called dancer. most memorably, wallach portrayed calvera, the bearded, grinning, sadistic bandit chief with gold teeth who terrorises mexican villagers in the magnificent seven (1960). this role led to his being cast as the heavy in several spaghetti westerns a few years later, notably sergio leone' s the good, the bad and the ugly (1966) .
osborne: not a bad movie. wallach: oooooh, wow. [ at this juncture wallach asked osborne if he could share something. ] the music in movies always impressed me. ready? [ he pulled out a birthday card that—when opened—played morricone' s theme song to the good, the bad and the ugly. ] osborne: that' s great. wallach: [ coyly ] you' re a treat .
eli wallach was born in red hook, brooklyn, on dec. 7, 1915, the son of abraham wallach, who owned a candy store in the neighborhood, and the former bertha schorr. he graduated from erasmus hall high school in brooklyn and attended the university of texas at austin (“because the tuition was $ 30 a year, ” he once said), where he also learned to ride horses — a skill he would put to good use in westerns. after graduation he returned to new york and earned a master’s degree in education at city college, with the intention of becoming a teacher like his brother and two sisters .
however despite his glittering movie career wallach admitted his most popular role was playing baddie mr freeze in two episode’s of batman on tv in 1967 .
although he is best known for playing mexican characters in westerns, wallach was actually a polish jew in real life and had no hispanic ancestry .
it was on the small screen that i learned to recognize him, and shout, “hey, it’s uncle eli! ” at the screen. (though i did the same thing the first time i saw “mystic river, ” in which his single - scene cameo as a loquacious liquor store owner is uncredited .) my youthful eli epiphany, after seeing him in a few plays that i didn’t understand at all, came when i saw him as mr. freeze, scheming against burt ward and adam west on the old “batman” television series. (i suppose it is my scholarly duty to note that otto preminger also played that role, and of course arnold schwarzenegger did too, but in my entirely dispassionate judgment they hardly measure up. )
wallach and his wife, anne jackson, were married in 1948, “when israel became a state — and we’re still here 56 years later. ”
he, his wife anne jackson and their daughter, roberta wallach, all made guest appearances in different episodes of law & order (1990) .
williams provided wallach with some of his best roles in the theatre, and wrote the screenplay for baby doll (1956), in which wallach made his film debut, aged 40. wallach even turned down the part of maggio in from here to eternity (1953), which won frank sinatra an oscar, in order to do williams' s camino real on stage, directed by elia kazan. conversely, in 1990, wallach took over the role of altobello, the close friend of the corleones, in the godfather part iii, when sinatra could not fit it into his schedule .
the volatility that characterized much of ms. jackson and mr. wallach’s stage work often carried over into their dressing rooms. the couple in 1973 .
even wallach' s characteristic smirk had range: it was equally perfect for a devious villain or for an underdog who had just beaten the odds .
the news of his death is sad, but in recalling names like these, wallach knew he had enjoyed a great life with his brilliant talent .
after two years of army service during world war ii, wallach debuted on broadway in 1945 and won a tony award for tennessee williams’s 1951 the rose tattoo. williams also wrote the script for wallach’s movie debut, the 1956 baby doll, costarring carroll baker and karl malden and directed by elia kazan .
wallach brought an unnerving angst to the ranch hand guido, who pines for monroe' s beautiful divorcée despite her involvement with gable' s aging cowboy .
wallach' s personal life, he added, was more placid and law - abiding: he loved collecting antique clocks, watching tennis and telling stories .
noticing his stirring performance at the martin beck theater in the rose tattoo, kazan cast wallach in baby doll, whose screenplay also was written by williams .
vitale: sitting in his upper west side apartment when he was 95 - years - old, eli wallach recalled growing up in brooklyn where his parents owned a candy store. during world war ii he served as an army officer in hawaii, casa blanca and france. after the war she studied method acting as an original member of the actor studio in new york. he met his wife actress anne jackson while he was auditioning for the role of a teenager in another williams play. 65 years later they still finish each other' s sentences .
it didn' t take long for wallach to achieve a sort of immortality by playing the villain, again, in the magnificent seven. this landmark western, adapted from akira kurosawa' s seven samurai, had wallach as the bandit leader, calvera, from who the seven aim to protect the hapless mexicans .
“i’ve played more bandits, thieves, killers, warlords, molesters and mafiosi that you could shake a stick at, ” wallach said, accepting the award from eastwood. wallach’s personal life, he added, was more placid and law - abiding: he loved collecting antique clocks, watching tennis and telling stories .
wallach lost the sight in his left eye as a result of a stroke which in his 2005 autobiography, he described the incident as happening “some years ago” .
oddly, wallach often played mexican bandits in movies, most memorably in 1960’s the magnificent seven, in which his ornery character threatened steve mcqueen and yul brynner .
wallach is survived by his wife, anne jackson, and their three children peter, roberta, and katherine, five grandchildren, and several great - grandchildren .
in 2010, wallach received an honorary oscar for a 60 - year career that included a memorable role as a mafia don in the godfather: part iii .
at the neighborhood playhouse school of the theatre in 1938, his fellow students were tony randall, gregory peck and efrem zimbalist. during a rehearsal for g. b. shaw’s “major barbara, ” charles laughton admonished wallach: “‘no stanislavsky crap from you! ’” berkowitz asked: “what’s the [ stanislavsky ] method? ” wallach replied: “i wish i knew. ” as for his father’s reaction to his becoming an actor, wallach recalled: “from this you make a living? ”
like most people in their 90s, he tends to reminisce a lot, and to revisit certain themes and stories. if he drops a word or forgets a name or a title (“the picture i did in cambodia, with peter o’toole... ”) someone will fill in the blank (“lord jim”), either a visiting film critic or one of eli’s children or, most often, aunt annie .
wallach followed this up with the misfits, for john huston, which turned out to be the last film for both monroe and clark gable. wallach' s supporting role, as guido, saw him carry a torch for monroe' s rosalyn .
i' m out of my mind with waitin' ...
wallach played sakini for a year in the london cast of
teahouse of the august moon .
among the aspiring young actors from the royal academy of dramatic arts who worked backstage with scenery were alan bates, peter o' toole, and albert finney. wallach later succeeded david wayne in the part in the broadway production .
both kazan and wallach were founder members of the actors studio in 1947, among whom were marlon brando, rod steiger and karl malden .
we were like converts to a new religion ,
wallach recalled .
we didn' t understand anyone else' s acting except our own. everyone else was a pagan .
ionesco' s rhinoceros and murray schisgal' s absurdist comedy luv were further examples of wallach' s enthusiasm for the off - beat rather than the safe choice .
as usual, wallach brought nuance to what could have been a one - note role, infusing the silk - shirted, gold - toothed villain with menacing charm .
wallach was associated with the character so deeply that passersby would whistle the film' s musical theme (by ennio morricone) in his presence for decades to follow .
lord jim
( 1965): wallach starred opposite another big star, peter o' toole, in richard brooks' three - hour epic based on the novel by joseph conrad. o' toole played the disgraced english seaman of the title, and wallach once again portrayed a villain, the warlord known as the general .
“we were the only jewish family in red hook in a sea of italians, ” said wallach, who was born in new york’s little italy. when the director of the [ 1967 movie ] “the good, the bad and the ugly” told him to “cross himself, ” he was mystified by wallach’s peculiar arm choreography. wallach explained that his shorthand execution of this rite (which he demonstrated for the audience) was based on “seeing my italian neighbors cross themselves in little italy in the 1920s. ”
from whatever source, i grew up with stories about uncle eli: the little kid who was always getting into mischief; the army medic who served in the european theater in world war ii; and, most of all, the star of stage and screen. the highlights of his early career, as a vital figure in the postwar blossoming of american theater, were always a particular source of family pride and can still raise goose bumps among aficionados with long memories. he was in the original stage productions of “teahouse of the august moon” and “mister roberts, ” though not in the films they eventually became. uncle eli’s first film was “baby doll, ” in 1956, directed by elia kazan from a script by tennessee williams — a movie that earned him a british academy award, and golden globe nomination, and that was condemned by the roman catholic church .
jackson, 87, survives wallach, as do their three grown children: peter, a film animator, and daughters roberta and katherine, both actors like their parents .
wallach died tuesday at the age of 98. the news was first reported wednesday by the new york times, which confirmed his passing with the actor' s daughter .
wallach is survived by his wife of 66 years, anne jackson, their three children, and grandnephew a. o. scott, a new york times film critic .
with kazan directing, and featuring wallach, malden and carroll baker, all from the actors studio, the film baby doll had
method
spread all over it. wallach was splendidly sly, sensual and funny as silva vacarro, a moustachioed, vengeful latin seducer of the virginal child bride married to a sexually frustrated cotton - mill owner .
the hunter
( 1980): wallach reunited with
magnificent seven
costar mcqueen in what would be the latter' s final movie, a thriller based on real - life bounty hunter ralph
papa
thorson. mcqueen played thorson, while wallach stole scenes and injected some humor as a nearsighted bail bondsman who enlists his services .
vitale: critic david thomson says it was probably the longest show business marriage of the 20th century. and wallach' s career was also one of the most prolific. he acted in more than 90 films and dozens of plays and tv shows. thomson says wallach will be remembered for the quality as well as the quantity of his work .
robert osborne: tell us a little bit of how you first got involved with this? eli wallach: the good, the bad and the ugly? osborne: yeah. wallach: well, i didn' t know i was going to wind up as the ugly! i was in california doing a film and sergio leone came and said he wanted to meet me. i said ,
all right. what for ?
he said ,
it' s for what they call a' spaghetti western' .
i asked him ,
what is a' spaghetti western' ?
i had no idea what the hell a
spaghetti western
was; but, he showed me the credit at the beginning of his movie. he comes across and then a gun comes in and shoots him right off the screen and i thought ,
anybody who can do that, i' ll work for him .
osborne: what was that experience like? wallach: with leone? osborne: yeah. wallach: i' ll tell one little quick story. osborne: you tell as many stories as you want .
wallach appeared in a number of plays by odets, including his last broadway outing in a 1994 revival of odets'
the flowering peach
from the national actors theatre .
the first movie in which mr. wallach acted was also written by williams: “baby doll” (1956), the playwright’s screen adaptation of his “27 wagons full of cotton. ” mr. wallach played silva vacarro, a sicilian émigré and the owner of a cotton gin that he believes has been torched. karl malden and carroll baker also starred .
other documents they purchased from the wallach / jackson estate include playbills, clippings, posters, professional and candid photographs, correspondence, scrapbooks, home movies, awards and interviews .
during shooting in spain, wallach was almost killed when a galloping horse carried him for a considerable distance while his hands were tied behind his back. later, leone positioned him in the dirt, where a speeding train’s protruding iron steps missed the actor by inches. wallach refused to do another take, a decision that surely contributed to his longevity .
married 66 years and the parents of three children, wallach and jackson were able to translate their personal chemistry and dynamism into their roles whether on screen, stage and television .
married for 66 years, wallach and jackson' s partnership mirrors similar relationships between actors alfred lunt and lynn fontanne, jessica tandy and hume cronyn and anne bancroft and mel brooks. wallach and jackson, who met while performing in a 1946 production of tennessee williams'
this property is condemned ,
appeared multiple times together on broadway and off broadway .
wallach gave one of his best - known and well - regarded performances in the 1966 western the good, the bad and the ugly with clint eastwood and lee van cleef. that following year, he won an emmy award for his work on a television special. wallach also found success on the stage, appearing in the comedy luv with wife anne.
eli herschel wallach ( / ˈiːlaɪ ˈwɔːlək / ; december 7 , 1915 – june 24 , 2014 ) was an american film , television and stage actor whose career spanned more than six decades , beginning in the late 1940s . trained in stage acting , which he enjoyed doing most , he became " one of the greatest ' character actors ' ever to appear on stage and screen " states tcm , with over 90 film credits . on stage , he often co-starred with his wife , anne jackson , becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the american theater . as a stage and screen character actor , wallach had one of the longest careers in show business , spanning 62 years from his broadway debut to his last major hollywood studio movie . wallach initially studied method acting under sanford meisner , and later became a founding member of the actors studio , where he studied under lee strasberg . his versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career , primarily as a supporting actor . for his debut screen performance in baby doll , he won a bafta award for best newcomer and a golden globe award nomination . among his other most famous roles are calvera in the magnificent seven ( 1960 ) , guido in the misfits ( 1961 ) , and tuco ( " the ugly " ) in the good , the bad and the ugly ( 1966 ) . other notable portrayals include outlaw charlie gant in how the west was won ( 1962 ) , don altobello in the godfather part iii , cotton weinberger in the two jakes ( both 1990 ) , and arthur abbott in the holiday ( 2006 ) . one of america 's most prolific screen actors , wallach remained active well into his nineties , with roles as recently as 2010 in wall street : money never sleeps and the ghost writer . wallach received bafta awards , tony awards and emmy awards for his work , and received an academy honorary award at the second annual governors awards , presented on november 13 , 2010 . in march , 2017 , the harry ransom center announced the acquisition of wallach 's papers , along with those of his wife . it will be made public when cataloging is complete . 
eli herschel wallach (/ ˈiːlaɪ ˈwɔːlək /; december 7, 1915 – june 24, 2014) was an american film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s. trained in stage acting, which he enjoyed doing most, he became " one of the greatest' character actors' ever to appear on stage and screen " states tcm, with over 90 film credits. on stage, he often co-starred with his wife, anne jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the american theater. as a stage and screen character actor, wallach had one of the longest careers in show business, spanning 62 years from his broadway debut to his last major hollywood studio movie. wallach initially studied method acting under sanford meisner, and later became a founding member of the actors studio, where he studied under lee strasberg. his versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career, primarily as a supporting actor. for his debut screen performance in baby doll, he won a bafta award for best newcomer and a golden globe award nomination. among his other most famous roles are calvera in the magnificent seven (1960), guido in the misfits (1961), and tuco (" the ugly ") in the good, the bad and the ugly (1966). other notable portrayals include outlaw charlie gant in how the west was won (1962), don altobello in the godfather part iii, cotton weinberger in the two jakes (both 1990), and arthur abbott in the holiday (2006). one of america's most prolific screen actors, wallach remained active well into his nineties, with roles as recently as 2010 in wall street: money never sleeps and the ghost writer. wallach received bafta awards, tony awards and emmy awards for his work, and received an academy honorary award at the second annual governors awards, presented on november 13, 2010. in march, 2017, the harry ransom center announced the acquisition of wallach's papers, along with those of his wife. it will be made public when cataloging is complete.
eli herschel wallach (/ ˈiːlaɪ ˈwɔːlək /; december 7, 1915 – june 24, 2014) was an american film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s. trained in stage acting, which he enjoyed doing most, he became " one of the greatest' character actors' ever to appear on stage and screen " states tcm, with over 90 film credits. on stage, he often co-starred with his wife, anne jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the american theater. as a stage and screen character actor, wallach had one of the longest careers in show business, spanning 62 years from his broadway debut to his last major hollywood studio movie. wallach initially studied method acting under sanford meisner, and later became a founding member of the actors studio, where he studied under lee strasberg. his versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career, primarily as a supporting actor. for his debut screen performance in baby doll, he won a bafta award for best newcomer and a golden globe award nomination. among his other most famous roles are calvera in the magnificent seven (1960), guido in the misfits (1961), and tuco (" the ugly ") in the good, the bad and the ugly (1966). other notable portrayals include outlaw charlie gant in how the west was won (1962), don altobello in the godfather part iii, cotton weinberger in the two jakes (both 1990), and arthur abbott in the holiday (2006). one of america's most prolific screen actors, wallach remained active well into his nineties, with roles as recently as 2010 in wall street: money never sleeps and the ghost writer. wallach received bafta awards, tony awards and emmy awards for his work, and received an academy honorary award at the second annual governors awards, presented on november 13, 2010. in march, 2017, the harry ransom center announced the acquisition of wallach's papers, along with those of his wife. it will be made public when cataloging is complete.